Do you find serial killers interesting?

[Sean Hollyman]

I just find reading about them, and what they did really interesting. Of course I'm not saying I actually enjoy the grisly stuff itself, but learning about the history of it and stuff.

Their motives, their beliefs, etc. Some of the stuff is grisly as shit, like Ed Gein and Jeffrey Dahmer.

 

[Queen Michael]

Serial killers? You mean, like, how Cousin Oliver arrived and subsequently killed all remaining interest that people had in The Brady Bunch?

 

[dyre]

Honestly, I don't. I always hear the media talking about how people find serial killers fascinating, but personally I find them rather dull. They're mostly just nutjobs who were reasonably competent/lucky at getting away with murder. Just raise teenage angst to the Nth power and add a knife/gun, and boom, you've got a serial killer. Their beliefs generally seem pathetically irrational and egotistical; I don't have time for irrational egoists IRL, so why read about them?

Personally, I like reading about influential/powerful historical figures. It's interesting to read about the variety of perspectives/beliefs that existed among intelligent, capable individuals in different historical settings, and how they were able to act on those beliefs, often against determined and capable opposition. Part of it is probably that it allows me to entertain the "what would I have done in their shoes" question - an academically worthless proposal, no doubt, but entertaining nonetheless. For obvious reasons, I have no interest in asking that question about serial killers

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

No, but they can inspire interesting stories surrounding their hunt & capture. I loved True Detective but if I had to single out the one disappointment was the serial killer itself...

Spoiler

... who turns out to be another Gein knock-off.

 

[Tiger King]

I have a passing interest, partly because of the psychology and way of thinking these type of people have but I find the methods of deduction used by the police more interesting than the killers themselves. (and obviously a lot less disturbing).
Whilst on a trip to London I took a jack the ripper tour. It was given by a historian that really knew the finer points of the case, such as the police failures and the attitudes and feelings of people from the time.
All the theories and strange evidence and suspects and even a few confessions, made the whole thing truly twisted and bizarre.
Sadly the killer was never caught and the case is now (probably) unsolvable.

 

[viscomica]

I used to be super interested in stories about serial killers when I was at high school. Mainly because we had a web design class (don't know why to this day) and when we were done with our assignments we could just lurk on the internet. I read most of those stories there. I still find them interesting but in a more forensic / criminologic point of view.

 

[Blow_Pop]

I like the sociological aspects of serial killers. And a bit of the psychological aspects. That said I also like historical figures in general.

But I've found serial killers interesting for the past 10 or so years. And have a few books on them.

My favourite book is Female Serial Killers: How and Why Women Become Monsters by Peter Vronsky it's quite interesting. I need to re-read it so I can remember why it's my favourite and interesting.

 

[Vault101]

In general? Not really...certainly not the anders breviks of the world and sick "2edgy 4u" people they inspire

I'm not big into crime it thrillers eather...that said American psycho was interesting (as is Hannibal lecter) there's also the movie "monster" which is less a serial killer film and more about how society treats women

 

[Avaholic03]

The people themselves aren't particularly interesting to me. But the sociological implications are. Thinking about how serial killers (or for that matter, terrorists, anarchists, etc) affect society is interesting. It's fascinating how these "characters" in society are simultaneously demonized and glorified. It's almost as if humanity recognizes an inherent need to "cull the herd", but at the same time can't justify that with the rules we've built up to protect our society.

 

[Vault101]

Honestly, I don't. I always hear the media talking about how people find serial killers fascinating, but personally I find them rather dull. They're mostly just nutjobs who were reasonably competent/lucky at getting away with murder. Just raise teenage angst to the Nth power and add a knife/gun, and boom, you've got a serial killer. Their beliefs generally seem pathetically irrational and egotistical; I don't have time for irrational egoists IRL, so why read about them?
s,P

Particularly when people romanticise them into tragic figures who "don't fit into society" and they have insight into the flaws of society and normal people...almost to the pint they claim this weird moral high ground

Yeeeeeaaahhh no...dr lecter might interesting but he will still eat your face off

. It's fascinating how these "characters" in society are simultaneously demonized and glorified. It's almost as if humanity recognizes an inherent need to "cull the herd", but at the same time can't justify that with the rules we've built up to protect our society.

like this^

 

[Vigormortis]

Yes and no.

Do I find the science and psychology behind the mental illnesses that often cause people to become serial killers fascinating? Yes. Very.

Do I find the concept of having such a warped and distorted view of reality both intriguing and terrifying? Of course. Absolutely.

But do I find the serial killers, their acts, their motives, and their methodologies fascinating? Not even in the slightest. While many of them are sick (figuratively and literally), they're still repugnant human beings.

And I use "human" very loosely.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

I can't help but be interested in these people. Ted Bundy, Ed Gein, Jeffery Dahmer...I feel like I spelled a couple of those names wrong (which should indicate how much I really look into these people) but I love reading about the crimes they committed and indeed, the normal things they also happened to do in life.

 

[adamsaccount]

Serial killers? You mean, like, how Cousin Oliver arrived and subsequently killed all remaining interest that people had in The Brady Bunch?

Cousin Oliver resents this but has never heard of the brady bunch, anyway, wish youd just talk to me about whatever the hell happened cos i sure as hell dont know, apart from something about circles and feeling like enlightenment, I tried saying sorry but if that isnt gonna work and i still havent got banned then, well, you can keep making snide remarks all you like but im pretty getting fairly immune to them.

I get it, I fucked up, but nothings unfuckupable, im sorry i upset your family. Maybe I should be banned but i dont really think so, the NSA are getting a lot of valuable information, and maybe watching a tiny little sapling break before it grows into a mighty oak tree could be entertaining, if you let it

 

[BathorysGraveland2]

It's not a hobby of mine, or any kind of major interest, but I do find it interesting to try and understand their view points, and what makes them tick. What turned them to that path, why they did it, if they enjoyed it. All that kind of stuff. Trying to understand people who are mentally so different to your own self can be fascinating, for sure.

 

[Animyr]

I once read a book by a psychologist who also wrote thriller novels about serial killers. Even he, who's professional life revolved around entertaining people with stories of serial killers, admitted that real life serial killers were usually terrifically boring and often rather pathetic people. From what I can tell, most of them are just sex killers anyway. But in stories, they're transformed and glorified as some sort of elite order of vampire knights, with their own codenames and trademark weapons and a superhuman competence, toying with the mere mortals they hide among. It's kind of like how in horror movies and superhero stories nuclear radiation transforms you into into the hulk, as opposed to riddling you with tumors and leaving you trapped in a hospital bed.

I've been watching the Hannibal show a bit lately and it strikes me as a good example of this; they depict the world as a place where serial killers are just boiling out of the woodwork, launching a new assault against society every week as they swap notes with their "brothers" on their "tradecraft". It's fine there, because they stylize it enough where the show's universe seems like a bad-dream version of real life and can thus freely take liberties with such things, but Hannibal's general take on serial killers is hardly unique and is elsewhere (from what I can tell) often portrayed as "frighteningly realistic", as opposed to a heavily embellished aspect of a nightmarish contemporary fantasy.

My point is that fictional serial killers may be interesting, but that's because heavily liberties are taken, and it's important to remember the "fictional" part.

 

[Thaluikhain]

I once read a book by a psychologist who also wrote thriller novels about serial killers. Even he, who's professional life revolved around entertaining people with stories of serial killers, admitted that real life serial killers were usually terrifically boring and often rather pathetic people. From what I can tell, most of them are just sex killers anyway. But in stories, they're transformed and glorified as some sort of elite order of vampire knights, with their own codenames and trademark weapons and a superhuman competence, toying with the mere mortals they hide among. It's kind of like how in horror movies and superhero stories nuclear radiation transforms you into into the hulk, as opposed to riddling you with tumors and leaving you trapped in a hospital bed.

I've been watching the Hannibal show a bit lately and it strikes me as a good example of this; they depict the world as a place where serial killers are just boiling out of the woodwork, launching a new assault against society every week as they swap notes with their "brothers" on their "tradecraft". It's fine there, because they stylize it enough where the show's universe seems like a bad-dream version of real life and can thus freely take liberties with such things, but Hannibal's general take on serial killers is hardly unique and is elsewhere (from what I can tell) often portrayed as "frighteningly realistic", as opposed to a heavily embellished aspect of a nightmarish contemporary fantasy.

My point is that fictional serial killers may be interesting, but that's because heavily liberties are taken, and it's important to remember the "fictional" part.

Very much this. In fiction, putting on a stupid mask gives you superpowers, you can teleport behind victims for jump scares.

In reality, serial killers aren't remotely "glamorous" or whatever.

 

[VoidWanderer]

I do find them interesting, mainly their 'reasons' for their crimes. I find they make an interesting point in the 'Nature versus Nurture' arguement.

 

[JoJo]

I do find them interesting, mainly their 'reasons' for their crimes. I find they make an interesting point in the 'Nature versus Nurture' arguement.

Same here. Their thought processes are very interesting, often twisted but at the same time logical in their own way. It's easy just to say 'nutjob with a knife' but most seem to have an origin leading back to childhood trauma or abuse, paired with some sort of revenge or hate narrative that boils over.