Live By Knowledge, Kill For Cinema
If a man dies, it is a tragedy. If one hundred men die, it is a statistic. And if someone murdered all those men, they get a movie? Like many, I have come to be fascinated with the stories of numerous serial killers and other true crime cases. From years of listening to countless podcasts, reading articles and watching documentaries, we know all too well how alluring the mind of a psychopath can be to the masses. Eventually, film pushes past the point of no longer being educational, but instead a rush of horrifying entertainment. After exposure to various awful sights and stories, there is a moment one ponders the morality in it all. Despite these events being inherently insensitive, Hollywood insists on endlessly retelling these stories; but why?
The question has been repeated more often since the new series on Jeffrey Dahmer has become the most popular thing to talk about as of late. Hearing yet another retelling of his life with a copy-and-pasted synopsis just before you click play, has made me quite skeptical of what we are really doing anymore. Only so much information can be revived from one Jeff Dahmer, and when directors run out of info, they add flavor. That is the problem with most true crime cases that evidently have been overtold. Which is why many have an issue with the spectacle and emotion centered Netflix series, (Dahmer. Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story).
One article takes a strong stance titled, “Jeffrey Dahmer Show Disrespects Victims”. Reaching out to the family of Errol Lindsey really gives a sense of how unnecessary and hurtful the series really is. Explaining how the existence of the show forces the victims to relive the horrible experience, (Jeffrey Dahmer). These modern entertainment adaptations do not stop with Dahmer. An article from the Washington Post concerns over the Ted Bundy movie of 2019. Pop culture reporter of the Post, Sonia Rao, states how the movie centers more on Bundy’s charade and not on his psyche (Rao). A perfect example of what is lost in a repeated story.
The difference between true crime and these samples is the observation of the how and little regard to the why. A strong culprit as to the reason why there are numerous stories about the same killers is because familiarity is a safe money maker. The New York Post recently came out with an article stating how the show saved the director. “Co-creator Murphy has finally scored a win for Netflix — and all it took was an infamous serial killer to do it...Murphy’s initial deal with Netflix was an eye-popping $300 million for five years,” (Sarner). Being the second most watched Netflix show ever is a solid reason why Hollywood does not often dip into lesser known, but equally interesting cases.
Learning is a given when someone is introduced to something new. Fresher takes on true crime should be over correcting controversial subjects or shedding light on cases with little prior awareness. Few people know Dean Corrl, The Candyman Killer who loved and murdered almost 30 teen boys. Or the facts behind the event called Killdozer. A story of a man who modified a bulldozer to destroy his small town costing millions over a land dispute. Also named Killdozer is the book telling a victim's experience about how Marvin Heemeyer, the name behind the machine, has gained a debatable reputation (Best). Just having the same serial killer story told can get lost in the point trying to be different.
-Isaac William Joesph
Works Cited:
Best, Allen. “Patrick Brower on Why ‘Killdozer’ Operator Was No Hero - Mountain Town News.” Mountaintownnews.net, https://mountaintownnews.net/2018/02/17/patrick-brower-talks-killdozer-operator-no-hero/.
Rao, Sonia. “Review | Netflix's 'Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile' Feels Weirdly in Awe of Ted Bundy.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 6 May 2019, https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2019/05/06/netflixs-extremely-wicked-shockingly-evil-vile-feels-weirdly-awe-ted-bundy/.
Sarner, Lauren. “'Dahmer' Is Netflix's Second-Most Popular Show Ever: Ryan Murphy Finally Makes Good on $300 Million Deal.” New York Post, New York Post, 12 Oct. 2022, https://nypost.com/2022/10/12/dahmer-is-netflixs-second-most-popular-show-ever/.
"Jeffrey Dahmer show disrespects victims." UWIRE Text, 3 Oct. 2022, p. 1. Gale Academic OneFile, l ink.gale.com/apps/doc/A720694363/AONE?u=anke52316&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=ceae4c18. Accessed 11 Oct. 2022.
