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‘Mindhunter’ and the Glamorization of Serial Killers

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Recently, Netflix released a new original series, Mindhunter, exploring the minds of serial killers. In 1977, F.B.I. hostage negotiator Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) begins to question the troubling nature of criminals who seem immune to all reason. Along with agent Bill Tench (Holt McCallany), a behavioral science specialist, Ford interviews some of the United States’ most notorious convicts in order to better understand how their minds work. The show is a cerebral thriller, based on real events, and is more focused on making the viewer think rather than fear.

Mindhunter has thus far been well-received, with an average Rotten Tomato critics and audience rating of ninety-six percent, which is not a surprise given Americans’ love of good crime stories. Podcasts such as “Serial,” shows such as Dexter, and true crime series such as The Making of a Murderer, have been fan favorites for years. We want more crime to consume, and the more horrific the details, the better. What explains our collective cultural obsession with murder?

Consider how we have made celebrities out of America’s real serial killers: Ted Bundy, Charles Manson and Jeffrey Dahmer are household names. Many of them have loyal followers (and even fielded romantic offers from strangers while in prison) despite the fact that, as Mindhunter demonstrates, serial killers are narcissists. They want people to know what they did, and some, such as in the case of BTK killer Dennis Raider, even turn themselves in so their acts will be made public. They become household names while their victims and the victims’ families fade into the background.

By contrast, Mindhunter portrays some of the most notorious killers, particularly ones who sought out female victims to rape, murder and defile, as sickening. While they clearly possess a bizarre charm and intelligence, they are also creepy and repulsive. For example, in Mindhunter, Ford interviews Ed Kemper, also known as the “Co-Ed Killer.” It’s easy to get lost and confused when listening to Kemper speak. His vocabulary is advanced and his intuition is sharp; Ford even starts treating him in a more friendly manner as their conversation progresses. However, when Kemper pivots to talking about graphic details about the rapes and murders he committed, Ford finally understands his error: this is not a normal person. This is a sociopath.

Over the years, even movies and shows that purport to show such sociopaths in all of their disturbed glory (such as Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs, or Paul Spector in The Fall) still end up glamorizing them, often by casting attractive young actors to play the role of serial killers, such as Jamie Dornan in The Fall. As one fan of The Fall tweeted, “Paul Spector may choke me in the bath any time.” Another wrote, “Despite the obvious character flaws, Paul Spector is an absolute babe.”

Mindhunter is thankfully fictional, but our culture’s real-world tendency to make celebrities out of serial killers is something we shouldn’t encourage. The show does bestow humanity on its serial killers, but it also reminds us that humanity isn’t always good—it can have a twisted and dark side that we should keep at arm’s length. Be fascinated—but be afraid.

Image: Netflix

The post ‘Mindhunter’ and the Glamorization of Serial Killers appeared first on Acculturated.


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