Obsessions of serial killers

Although depicting the crimes of these murderous lovers, Hancock refuses to idolize them. In a similar way, the American public never really knew Bonnie and Clyde, but nonetheless placed them on a pedestal as Robin Hood figures. They claimed 13 lives and yet were worshipped in life and ardently mourned in death.

These are not just serial killers; these are household names. Many whose stories, or the fictionalized accounts of them, are as well-known in Americana as Johnny Appleseed and Paul Bunyan. The average American can probably even name more serial killers than presidents. Others argue that serial killers are a uniquely American phenomenon, and so its obsession is both predictable and justifiable.

Serial killings are a very real element of American criminality and, as with any element of society, are represented in entertainment outlets. True crime drama and literature are, in this sense, innocent enough. But subcultures that idolize and commodify crimes of violent killers turn benign curiosity into cancerous obsession.

When tantalizing fascination becomes reverent deification, society must reexamine its interests in the perpetrators of unspeakable evil. Which begs the question: Has America become consumed by its centuries-old killer obsession? That tension is captured in Mindhunter. While Ford is exhilarated by talking to serial killers, his partner Bill Tench Holt McCallany is repulsed by the exercise, and needs to be constantly reassured of its usefulness.

Tench ultimately convinces himself the project is worthwhile. John McDermott. Recommended Reading. More Stories from MEL. If this is correct, than the actual movie will end up exposing Bundy for who he truly was, but by first luring in viewers with a misleading trailer. Many people are unable to separate the star from the character and have ended up sympathizing and even being attracted to the character despite his heinous actions. This has led to the actor himself actively dissuading people from doing that and trying to remind them that the character is a killer and a stalker and absolutely not someone to be romanticized.

The fascination with serial killers can also be compared to the popularity of the horror movie genre, particularly those that involve heinous crimes instead of supernatural occurrences.

But those are still fictional movies, while the entire true crime genre is about real events as the name suggests. There is also the psychology aspect of it, where people who are interested in how others think are particularly interested in these extreme cases of people who have done monstrous things. However, when making dramatized movies about these people, it is important to be clear in the distinction between the charismatic actor and the actual monstrous person who committed these crimes.

Why are we so obsessed with serial killers?