Serial Killers
They're (almost) just like you and me
Why does everyone seem to love serial killers?
Why do they do the things that they do?
Why do so many of them seem so normal?
Violent crime and, more specifically serial killers, have been fascinating to the public for a long time. What really makes them interesting is how normal they can seem, how human they appear to be, and how easily these people can blend into society, a fact that also makes them incredibly terrifying. Some killers appear charismatic and look as though they lead normal and sometimes family oriented lives, they seem like average people but often they may simply be skilled in mimicking aspects of an average person’s life and emotions. These skills often help them to become the efficient killers most people are familiar with today.
In the 1970s the FBI began conducting research on violent crimes, attempting to profile the perpetrators. It was believed that working up these psychological profiles on killers would be of some use in identifying other individuals who committed similar crimes. This endeavor was led by Robert Ressler and John Douglas who interviewed some of America’s most notorious killers , many who felt compelled to kill multiple times, and coined the term serial killers to describe them. They wanted to know how these individuals thought, what their motives were, why they were drawn to a particular type of victim, all things that would make it easier to get a better look inside the head of a killer and shine some light on crimes that intrigued the public.
The Netflix series Mindhunter was inspired by their work as well as the book of the same name written by Douglas and Whoever Fights Monsters written by Ressler. The popularity of media about killers and their crimes has continued to grow as, over the past few years, more and more crime documentaries have been appearing on all streaming platforms, and the Oxygen network has changed it’s programming to be true crime centric. There are also plenty of books out there on the subject of true crime and serial killers and quite a few movies too, if you need a break from watching something about the real thing, and though this is not a new phenomenon, crime inspired shows like Unsolved Mysteries, Forensic Files, CSI, and Criminal Minds have been on air for decades, streaming platforms have made them more accessible to everyone and put a lot more options at our fingertips.