The Gnarliest Criminal Minds Serial Killer, According To Paget Brewster

paget brewster criminal minds season 14

Criminal Minds has possibly showcased more evil and deviancy than any other TV show, across 300+ episodes and more to come, As such, the show's stars have seen a lot of horrifying acts over the years. When Paget Brewster was asked which of the show's gnarly murder methods took the top billing, she didn't mention the latest one, but here's how the actress answered.

The gnarliest Unsub modus operandi is the guy who melted women down into candles. That was a stretch. I liked that one.

Geez, why did that monster have to get put back into our brains like that? As longtime Criminal Minds fans know, the killer that Paget Brewster is referring to is Brad William Henke's Steve. As seen in the Season 6 episode "Sense Memory," Steve made a habit out of taking women captive in his taxi, rendering them unconscious, and then rendering parts of their bodies down for candle-making. Classic Steve.

Justified and Orange is the New Black's Brad William Hanke has made a career out of playing filthy and skeezy characters, with Criminal Minds featuring one of his creepiest performances. Just thinking about Steve smelling all those women makes me feel uncomfortable, and it's stomach-turning to think about him burning one of his candle trophies.

Meanwhile, Paget Brewster's longtime co-star Joe Mantegna had a different answer when he was asked. Although Brewster also had something to say about it.

Joe: I thought Tim Curry's character was just so...I love him so much in Rocky Horror Picture Show, and then you see him playing this character with us, where he's the most disgusting human being in the world.Paget: In real life, he's this lovely English gentleman, and then just turns into this creep.Joe: Consummate acting pays off. [smiles]

As one of the key villains to wreak havoc two different episodes (the Season 5 finale and Season 6 premiere), Tim Curry's Billy "Prince of Darkness" Flynn was positively disgusting to watch the entire time. With his nicotine and meth addictions, Billy traveled the country, building up a list of victims that was started when he was just a teenager. Not a single iota of warmth or cuddliness about this guy.

With his catching and memorable laugh, Tim Curry is also known for playing one of the most frightening monsters in live-action horror: IT's Pennywise the Clown. And somehow, Billy Flynn makes Pennywise look like a professional child care service. Thank goodness Curry himself isn't anything like either one of those killer creeps.

To see what other Criminal Minds stars lke A.J. Cook and Adam Rodriguez have to say about the gnarliest of gnarly killers, head to TV Guide.

With way more crazy killers and tragic victims on the way, Criminal Minds airs Wednesday nights on CBS at 10:00 p.m. ET. While the crime drama's premiere didn't do so hot in the ratings, other shows from our fall TV premiere schedule will surely bring in the big numbers.

Nick Venable
Assistant Managing Editor

Nick is a Cajun Country native and an Assistant Managing Editor with a focus on TV and features. His humble origin story with CinemaBlend began all the way back in the pre-streaming era, circa 2009, as a freelancing DVD reviewer and TV recapper.  Nick leapfrogged over to the small screen to cover more and more television news and interviews, eventually taking over the section for the current era and covering topics like Yellowstone, The Walking Dead and horror. Born in Louisiana and currently living in Texas — Who Dat Nation over America’s Team all day, all night — Nick spent several years in the hospitality industry, and also worked as a 911 operator. If you ever happened to hear his music or read his comics/short stories, you have his sympathy.