Why are we fascinated by serial killers

This boogeyman-like entity has become less of a threat than a stock character, useful for selling publications and spicing up fictional stories. However, research suggests that people who enjoy graphic, frightening stories can have a variety of motivations. Gore watchers tended to identify with the killer and not the victim, while thrill watchers tended not to identify with either killers or victims—they were captivated mainly by the excitement and the mystery.

Procedural shows like CSI or True Detective may attract viewers simply because of the drama and the plotting, he says, but in other recent shows like Dexter and Bates Motel, the criminals are the protagonists—the characters people are supposed to identify with when they watch.

People both fear and admire criminals, he says, because they live outside the bounds of laws and social conventions. But none of these recent criminals have attained true celebrity status.

There is no modern John Wayne Gacy. Today, Schmid argues, the fear of being randomly attacked is provoked less acutely by serial killers than by terrorists. Under the right conditions, he says, the public could certainly be whipped into a frenzy by a serial killer again. From to , there were more than , though he notes that more than half of those were straight-to-video releases. We regret the error. Skip to content Site Navigation The Atlantic.

Popular Latest. The Atlantic Crossword. Sign In Subscribe. Julie Beck. Jewelry made by in prison Albert DeSalvo, the "Boston Strangler," who was convicted in the s of killing 13 female victims, in many cases with their own stockings. When police pulled over Ted Bundy in this Volkswagen Beetle in , the car was filled with suspicious items including garbage bags, an ice pick, a flashlight, gloves, handcuffs, and a mask made out of panty hose. A number of other high profile American serial murder cases followed in the first half of the 20th century, including the terrible crimes perpetrated by Wisconsin serial killer Ed Gein in the s.

Even so, the dominant reaction to such crimes among members of the American public continued to be horror and incomprehension, rather than fascination. This would all change in October , when the Justice Department held a news conference to discuss research that the FBI had been conducting into serial murder for several years. According to the FBI, at any given moment there were dozens of active serial killers at large in the United States who were responsible for thousands of deaths a year.

This information sparked a panic among the American public and suddenly serial killers were headline news coast to coast in a way they had never been before. Both law enforcement agencies and the mass media recognized they had an opportunity to capitalize on public anxiety: the FBI was able to acquire huge amounts of funding from Congress to fight serial murder, while a wide variety of popular cultural genres, including true crime books, film, television and even trading card companies quickly flooded the market with serial killer merchandise.

With the benefit of hindsight, it is clear that the scale and incidence of serial murder were grossly exaggerated during this period it was, and remains, a statistically insignificant crime , but why exactly was the American public so receptive to what they were being told about serial murder?

Because now they had a term to describe the crime, and a face to put to the crime: Ted Bundy. Bundy, who had been convicted and sentenced to death in Florida in , quickly became the poster boy for serial murder, not only because of the number and severity of his crimes he confessed to 30 murders but was suspected of killing more than women in several states over a number of years but also because, on the surface, he seemed to personify the American ideal: he was handsome, charming, educated and even had political aspirations.

So although a preoccupation with true crime and serial killers may be a normal and an emotionally appropriate response to our fears and desire for catharsis, is there anything at all to worry about? While there is little to no empirical evidence specifically regarding true crime media as opposed to consumption of the classic horror genre , clinical practitioners caution against exposure to any type of violent media for children, adolescents, and anyone who may be mentally ill.

There is evidence that exposure to violence as a child encourages violent behaviors , but this does not apply any more to true crime than other violent subgenres.

Perhaps the exposure to true crimes elicits a catharsis that outweighs the potential negative impact of violent media. Creators Georgia Hardstark and Karen Kilgariff present their podcast as a comedy while also diving into the atrocities of true crimes.

The women openly discuss the fears these murders instill in them. The process of talking through these fears has helped Hardstark and Kilgariff, as well as putting their listeners at ease after listening to the discussion. Just like the experience of catharsis we receive from watching horror movies and knowing we are ultimately safe, candidly discussing our fears or listening to others do so contributes to the greater feeling of cathartic engagement and release of our fears.

And Chesterton is right — no one hears about serial killers by watching the shows. So, why are people like my roommate and I so easily hooked on serial killer dramas?

A small part of it is sheer curiosity, and an even smaller part is that we hope to gain more knowledge to keep ourselves safe. George to kill even the worst dragons. Dear Readers,. Big Tech is suppressing our reach, refusing to let us advertise and squelching our ability to serve up a steady diet of truth and ideas.

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