Historically speaking, our penchant for murder has always been a source of inspiration for many stories crafted throughout the centuries. We’ve gathered quite the collection of tales of war and savagery, bloodshed and violence, but also of love and friendship, of fantastical creatures and adventurous quests. But perhaps the most enduring genre of them all is, to this day, the Whodunit.

Much like its companions across the storytelling spectrum, the Whodunit has gone through an evolution from the beginning of the 20th century to present day. From the simple and classic band of guests at a dinner party trying to find out who killed the host, to the modern-day sleuths employing forensic and psychological methods to suss out murderers, the mystery has continued to fascinate viewers—albeit in slightly different forms for the big and small screen alike.

Our curiosity compels us to try to guess who did it. The screenwriter has this challenge to overcome, pretty much every time. We’ve learned from these stories. Our instincts have become sharper, and we are able to spot the signs, the subtleties that set certain characters apart. The foreshadowing is minimal in the Whodunit, and we have only ourselves to rely on as we investigate murders alongside the heroes on screen. Conventions and clichés are born, and the creators have to adjust. Success comes from misleading the readers with red herrings and false accusations before bringing forth the villain, an unexpected character.

Following the clues, picking up on the slightest facial expressions and fleeting elements of body language during the interrogations and interviews, our hearts race as we’re brought closer to the tipping point: the grand reveal, the unexpected twist, and the identity of the killer. Some of us will have figured out who it is about halfway through the story, though, most of the time, we still enjoy the ride all the way to the very end.

‘KNIVES OUT’ (2019), ©LIONSGATE/MRC

The Murder Mystery in Books

A typical Whodunit takes the classical detective story and presents it as a puzzle to be solved, by its characters and readers/viewers alike, through a series of questions that the investigator poses. It functions on a double narrative. The first focuses on the crime itself, what led to its commission, and the actual investigation, while the second is strictly about the reconstruction of the crime. In the latter, all the objects connected to the murder become silent actors themselves, and we must strive to interpret them, to beat the investigator to his or her conclusion. It is, by far, one of the most entertaining things to come out of the literary universe, and why it will never go out of fashion.

This is our quest for justice, in a sense. As readers and viewers, we are fascinated by violence and killers, hence our penchant for the macabre and why serial killers excite our imaginations. The Whodunit comes as a righteous response of sorts. In it, the guilty ones are identified and punished. They never get away with it, unlike real life, where many crimes go unsolved, adding to the cold case pile. The Whodunit gives us the satisfaction of justice delivered, proof that there is still good in this world, despite its many evils.

ANGELA LANSBURY AS MISS MARPLE IN ‘THE MIRROR CRACK’D’ (1980), ©G.W. FILMS/EMI

Quintessentially, the Whodunit blends our attraction to darkness with our desire for light, and books, cinema and television have delivered consistently over the years. The term was coined back in 1930 by Donald Gordon with his review of Milward Kennedy’s ‘Half-Mast Murder’. The origin of the term was disputed by Variety in reference to a film adaptation of Arnold Ridley’s play, ‘Recipe for Murder’. But the Whodunit truly flourished between the First and Second World War, with the most notable of its authors being of British origin—Agatha Christie is, even today, considered a master of the genre, alongside Nicholas Blake, G.K. Chesterton, Gladys Mitchell and many others.

Mrs Christie’s novels (of which there are sixty-six, not counting the short story collections), garnered numerous positive reviews after they were adapted for the screen in search of a wider audience, and it is here that the Whodunit begins its ample and irreversible transformation. Surprisingly enough, it wasn’t until the 1940s that the Whodunit really took off.

The Classics on the Silver Screen

There is no better way to kick off a brief listing of the Whodunit’s greatest stars than with ‘And Then There Were None’ (1945), directed by Rene Clair and written by Dudley Nichols—an adaptation of Agatha Christie’s novel of the same name. In it, guests gather on an isolated island, summoned by an absent host. Someone starts killing them off, one by one, and the survivors must work together to figure out who the murderer is, always suspecting that it could very well be one of them.

In ‘The Big Sleep’ (1946), Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall share the screen for an unforgettable tale of noir crime and classic mystery, as private detective Philip Marlow is hired to investigate a most complex case where murder, blackmail and love seem to blend in seamlessly. Written by William Faulkner and Leigh Brackett, ‘The Big Sleep’ is, by far, one of Howard Hawks’ masterpieces.

‘MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS’ (1974), ©EMI FILM DISTRIBUTORS/G.W. FILMS LIMITED

Billy Wilder took on the Agatha Christie challenge, as well, by penning the screenplay of and directing ‘Witness for the Prosecution’ (1957). Starring Tyrone Power, the incomparable Marlene Dietrich, and Charles Laughton, ‘Witness for the Prosecution’ follows a seasoned British barrister who must defend his client in a murder trial that delivers twists upon twists, until the truth is revealed.

While the list could go on, we will stop at ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ (1976), one of Agatha Christie’s most popular works adapted for the big screen. With a screenplay written by Paul Dehn of ‘Goldfinger’ (1964) and ‘The Spy Who Came in from the Cold’ (1965), and directed by cinematic titan Sidney Lumet, ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ was an absolute success. Its 2017 reboot starring Kennet Branagh, Penélope Cruz, and Willem Dafoe, however, did not rise to the expectations, further proving that not all movies should be remade. In Mr Lumet’s oeuvre, Albert Finney, Lauren Bacall, Ingrid Bergman, Jacqueline Bisset, Sean Connery, Anthony Perkins, and Jean-Pierre Cassel deliver enticing performances, easily turning the film into an icon of the entire Whodunit portfolio.

A Modern Take on the Silver Screen

Unlike the classics, modern and contemporary Whodunits tend to spice up the original formula by bringing them into a new era, where the characters are more three-dimensional, the violence escalates, and elements of pure thrill are injected into the mystery. With time, the audiences change, which is why today’s murder mysteries aren’t just fast paced, they’re also more complex and, in some cases, excellent spoofs.

‘CLUE’ (1985), ©PARAMOUNT PICTURES

‘Clue’ (1985), written by John Landis and Jonathan Lynn, is a hilarious and dark rendition of the popular eponymous board game. It stars Eileen Brennan, Madeline Kahn, Christopher Lloyd, Michael McKean, Lesley Ann Warren, and Tim Curry, and it’s a charming cocktail of death, puzzles, and comedy. It also follows the classic Whodunit structure, as six guests are anonymously invited to a creepy mansion for a lavish dinner and end up investigating the murder of their host, working with the staff while bodies keep piling up. 

Following a similar formula but with a much darker twist, Bryan Singer’s ‘The Usual Suspects’ (1995) remains a classic of modern cinema. The story, penned by Christopher McQuarrie of ‘Valkyrie’ (2008), ‘Jack Reacher’ (2012), and ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’ (2018) fame, follows the interrogation of Roger ‘Verbal’ Kint, one of only two survivors of a massacre on a ship docked at the Port of Los Angeles. Using flashbacks and narration, ‘The Usual Suspects’ stars Stephen Baldwin, Gabriel Byrne, Benicio del Toro, Kevin Pollak, Chazz Palminteri, Pete Postlethwaite, and Kevin Spacey. It is one of American cinema’s finest neo-noirs which brought Mr McQuarrie an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award for his illustrious screenwriting.

‘SCREAM’ (1996), ©DIMENSION FILMS

‘Scream’ (1996), written by Kevin Williamson and directed by Wes Craven, wasn’t just a smash hit at the box office that eventually kickstarted an entire franchise. It was also a new take on the Whodunit, bending genres and adding Mr Craven’s signature innovative horror into the mix. The main characters, though significantly younger than the usual cast of a Whodunit, manage to get our hearts pumping from the beginning until the very end. Starring Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Drew Barrymore, Rose McGowan, David Arquette, and Skeet Ulrich, ‘Scream’ qualifies as the landmark of a new horror generation, without abandoning the key features of an old-fashioned Whodunit.

Another interesting twist on this timeless genre is ‘The Hateful Eight’ (2015), written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, and featuring chilling performances by Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tim Roth, and Michael Madsen. Unfolding in a wintery Wyoming, ‘The Hateful Eight’ follows a bounty hunter and his fugitive captive into a cabin currently occupied by a throng of unpleasant characters. With an Academy Award winning score composed by Ennio Morricone, Mr Tarantino’s foray into crime mystery is a well-executed Whodunit stage play with deep political and social undercurrents, and less of a nod to the Western.

‘KNIVES OUT’ (2019), ©LIONSGATE/MRC

As with all creative cycles and cinematic genres, the Whodunit came back to its roots this year thanks to Rian Johnson, who wrote and directed ‘Knives Out’ (2019). The story is simple but sophisticated and with a sharp political edge, concentrating on a detective’s efforts to investigate the death of Harlan Thrombey, the patriarch of an eccentric and highly combative family. The cast is as dazzling as one would expect for such an ample project. Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, Toni Collette, and Katherine Langford all rise up to the challenge, offering viewers a riotously fun ride through the underbelly of family intrigue, rife with potential suspects and motives for murder.

The Small Screen Detectives

Our demand for such stories pushed television executives to adapt and create series designed after the Whodunit model, with each episode looking to unravel a new mystery, to solve a new murder, to keep pitting its heroes against all kinds of unexpected villains. Much like with cinema, TV series evolved in the span of several decades.

DAVID SUCHET AS HERCULE POIROT IN ‘POIROT’ (1989-2013), ©CARNIVAL FILM AND TELEVISION

Among the many true-to-form shows that many of us grew up with, ‘Poirot’ (1989-2013) was based on Agatha Christie’s most popular character, the eccentric but exquisitely sharp Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. It was also one of the longest running murder mystery series, and it helped launch the careers of many great actors—among them Christopher Eccleston, Michael Fassbender, Joely Richardson, Emily Blunt, Greta Scacchi, and Zoë Wanamaker. Peter Ustinov and Albert Finney had guest appearances on ‘Poirot’, as well. But viewers will never forget David Suchet’s performance as he wonderfully personifies Mrs Christie’s iconic Hercule Poirot.

Across the pond, American viewers couldn’t get enough of the murder mystery, either. With greater financial possibilities, different television producing companies delivered a wide array of Whodunit series. One of the best remains ‘Columbo’ (1971-2003), created by Richard Levinson and William Link. Named after its main character, the show is centred around Lieutenant Columbo, who uses his ingenuous demeanour to reveal expertly concealed crimes. Peter Falk dedicated over 20 years of his life, as the show took a hiatus from 1978 to 1989, his portrayal of the seemingly meek and dim-witted detective garnering plenty of positive critique and even a Golden Globe in 1994.

ANGELA LANSBURY AS JESSICA FLETCHER IN ‘MURDER, SHE WROTE’ (1984-1996), ©UNIVERSAL TELEVISION

Another classic of American TV is ‘Murder, She Wrote’ (1984-1996), starring Angela Lansbury as the professional writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher, who uses her charm, intelligence and determination to solve the various crimes she comes across. Richard Levinson and William Link teamed up for this project as co-creators alongside Peter S. Fischer, given their previous success with ‘Columbo’ and an increasing demand from the public for more of these serialized Whodunits. Worth noting here is that Angela Lansbury also portrayed Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple in ‘The Mirror Crack’d’ (1980), alongside Tony Curtis, Kim Novak, Elizabeth Taylor, and Rock Hudson.

In more recent times, the television genre stepped into a more technical arena, as did modern crime investigation in the real world. With the advent of fingerprinting and forensic sciences, the Whodunit was given a makeover—this, in turn, led to the expansion of multiple TV series that paired a number of experts and whimsical sleuths to take on a variety of increasingly more complex murders. The CSI franchise alone has been taking up a considerable amount of screen time, alongside NCIS and other similar productions. Policemen work with lab technicians and profilers throughout each episode, looking to solve crimes and bring the perpetrators to justice. 

Worth mentioning here is BBC’s ‘Sherlock’ (2010), Mark Gatiss and Stephen Moffat’s modern update on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s legendary Sherlock Holmes. Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman are absolutely astonishing as the famous private investigator and his partner, Dr Watson. It is, by all intents and purposes, one of the oldest accounts of different minds and polar opposites coming together to reveal criminals and deliver justice, but with a new and exciting twist that makes it one of the best TV series of all time.

SIMON BAKER AS PATRICK JANE IN ‘THE MENTALIST’ (2008-2015), ©WARNER BROS. TELEVISION

The odd-pairing formula has worked well in the United States over the years, too. In ‘The Mentalist’ (2008-2015), created by Bruno Heller, a former psychic starts working as a consultant for the California Bureau of Investigation so he can find Red John, the serial killer who murdered his wife and daughter. Teaming up with detective Lisbon and her team, Patrick Jane uses his mentalist skills to trick and catch killers, one episode at a time. Starring Simon Baker and Robin Tunney, ‘The Mentalist’ offers a fresh take on the Whodunit, while keeping the audiences guessing as its heroes combine standard investigative methods with Patrick Jane’s playful trickery. 

‘Castle’ (2009-2016), created by Andrew W. Marlowe, sees Nathan Fillion’s mystery writer Rick Castle partnering with Stana Katic’s surly, no-nonsense NYPD detective Kate Beckett to solve crimes. ‘Bones’ (2005-2017), created by Hart Hanson, has Emily Deschanel’s hyper-rational forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan working with David Boreanaz’s cocky FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth. 

Needless to say, this type of duo has become a staple of contemporary television, though not always successful or long-lasting. But the Whodunit will continue to reinvent itself along the way. It will inevitably return to its incipient formula every time, and we will never find ourselves tired of the genre. From Agatha Christie to ‘Knives Out’ and everything in-between, our predilection for murder mysteries will withstand the test of time.

With the second season of ‘Mindhunter’ (2018) currently streaming on Netflix and excitement already bubbling for the third, it’s time to look at our fascination with serial killers, in general, since it certainly didn’t start last year with David Fincher’s latest directorial masterpiece. For decades, we have been ravenously consuming true crime and fiction stories about them, in books and on the screen. 

From a psychological point of view, the public’s appetite for the macabre has existed since antiquity. The gladiator fights of the ancient Roman Empire, the hangings of suspected witches in Salem and all across North America, the public executions in Britain that went on until the end of the 19th century—these are mere snippets that prove our species’ attachment to violence and bloodshed. When we cannot enact it ourselves, we take pleasure in watching others, specifically authorities, do it. We revel in the violent punishment of evildoers. It is an indisputable fact and an aspect of mankind that we may find unpalatable.

©PATRICK HARBRON/NETFLIX

With the evolution of forensic sciences and investigative techniques, as well as the elimination of public executions from all over the Western world, our attention has been captured by serial murderers, mostly due to the number of victims and often nightmarish ways in which they are killed. These individuals have often caused frenzies, mainly because their crimes seemed so random. Anyone could fall prey to a Jeffrey Dahmer or the BTK Killer.

According to the Crime Classification Manual (whose authors include John Douglas, the original ‘Mindhunter’), a serial killer is an offender who has killed more than three people across different locations, with cooling-off periods in-between each murder.

It often happens that these killers gain incredible notoriety thanks to the police’s public efforts to hunt them down. The authorities’ appeals to the general public through the press and the media inevitably turn these people into infamous, larger-than-life monsters. Of course, the authorities’ sole interest is to capture the killers before they create more victims. The newspapers and journals, however, spring for notoriety, which, in turn, feeds this public craving for morbid details of the actual crimes. 

Today, there are several names in the serial killer hall of fame. Men (and a few women) of a dark, legendary status. Jack the Ripper of Victorian London. H.H Holmes. John Wayne Gacy, nicknamed The Killer Clown. George Metesky, also known as The Mad Bomber. Aileen Wuornos, considered to be the most famous female serial killer. The mysterious Zodiac Killer. Ted Bundy. Charles Manson, the biggest monster of them all. Jeffrey Dahmer. Ed Kemper, best known as The Co-Ed Killer. The list continues, and it is filled with horror—eerily fascinating horror.

©MERRICK MORTON/NETFLIX

‘Mindhunter’ and the study of monsters.

Forensic psychology has made great progress by studying these murderous behemoths, mainly through the efforts of John Douglas, Robert Ressler, Roy Hazelwood and several other agents behind the Behavioural Analysis Unit of the FBI. The entire project started out as a study based on interviews with serial killers, combined with professional psychiatric and psychological insights, provided mostly by Ann Burgess and her colleagues. It is thanks to them that today we are able to identify patterns and capture serial killers before they reach a devastating death toll—and these are the heroes portrayed in ‘Mindhunter’, as well.

But the critically acclaimed series is not the only one tackling the subject, though it does it exceptionally well. Long before Jonathan Groff, Holt McCallany, and Anna Torv teamed up to learn about serial killers in ‘Mindhunter’, the cinematic universe had already delivered chilling oeuvres such as Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Psycho’ (1960), starring Anthony Perkins; ‘Monster’ (2003), directed by Patty Jenkins, which earned Charlize Theron an Academy Award; and Jonathan Demme’s ‘The Silence of the Lambs’ (1991), based on Thomas Harris’s novel, featuring Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins. 

Today, ‘Mindhunter’ is not alone in portraying psychopaths. But all these productions share a common denominator: they bring the serial killer forth in all his wretched glory. They give us a glimpse into the most deranged of minds while pushing us to make a clear distinction between ‘clinically insane’ and ‘psychopath’. Serial killers are rarely psych-ward material, and they’re often incredibly charming.

©NETFLIX

‘Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile’, and yet, pants-off charming.

Zac Efron offered a surprisingly good portrayal of Ted Bundy in ‘Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile’ (2019), but people felt as though the movie was glorifying the ill-famed serial killer through the casting of Mr Efron. What they didn’t immediately understand was that Ted Bundy was exactly as the actor portrayed him—charming, handsome, a true ladies’ man. No one at the time could even believe that he had been the one responsible for more than thirty murders. Even Elizabeth Koepfler, his girlfriend, could not be convinced otherwise, until she learned he’d actually tried to kill her once. The tumultuous relationship led to her writing ‘The Phantom Prince: My Life with Ted Bundy’, which was the basis for ‘Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile’.

And if Mrs Koepfler’s book and Mr Efron’s performance wasn’t enough, Netflix gave us another slice of Ted Bundy through ‘Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes’. What eventually got him arrested was his own inability to hide his tracks. Truth be told, despite his talent in leading a double life as a loving partner and a remorseless serial killer, Ted Bundy’s only advantage was his charm. He lacked the intelligence and critical thinking to continuously evade the authorities—unlike the Zodiac killer or Ed Kemper, for example. The latter was only caught after he surrendered himself. With every escape from prison, Ted Bundy sank deeper into his own despair, eventually devolving and killing a twelve-year-old girl.

©PARAMOUNT PICTURES

‘Zodiac’ and the allure of the uncaught. 

David Fincher tried his hand at serial killers before with ‘Zodiac’ (2007), starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr., and Mark Ruffalo. Given that the real Zodiac was never found, the film focused on the authorities and the media’s efforts to capture him. But even here, we find ourselves drawn to the story—people kept dying, viciously shot in their cars, while the Zodiac Killer sent puzzles to taunt the police.

There have been numerous documentaries that explore this subject, to the point of absolute exhaustion. It’s how we know more about the killers than we do about their victims. And yet, we still can’t get enough. We’ve brought serial killers into the realm of fiction, too, with ‘Psycho’ and ‘The Silence of the Lambs’ being just two examples. However, the deeper we delve into the psyche of such monsters, the more fascinated we become.

©HOME BOX OFFICE/HBO

‘Barry’, the sympathetic hitman.

HBO’s downright superb drama gives us Bill Hader as a hitman from the Midwest who moves to Los Angeles in order to become an actor. While the main character may not immediately come across as a psychopath, he is just that. 

Barry is just smarter because he’s actually making money from killing people. Sure, he wants to explore the city’s theatre arts scene, but his true nature simmers just beneath the surface. He might have good intentions, but he is a serial killer. Even so, we can’t help but like him!

©BBC AMERICA

‘Killing Eve’, or liking the villain a little too much.

Created by Phoebe Waller-Bridge for BBC America, ‘Killing Eve’ has another serial-killer-turned-professional-hitwoman as its central character, exquisitely played by Jodie Comer, going head to head with Sandra Oh’s Eve Polastri. 

We’re drawn to Villanelle. She’s beautiful, resourceful, and incredibly good at her job. We can’t look away, even though we know she’s basically as bad as Ted Bundy, Ed Kemper and any of the other ‘industry greats’, so to speak.

©SHOWTIME

‘Dexter’, our first favourite serial killer.

Showtime’s ‘Dexter’ is yet another prime example as to why serial killers as main characters works so well. As viewers, we felt better about ourselves knowing that Dexter, so wickedly portrayed by Michael C. Hall, only targeted other murderers. 

We were even compelled to consider him an avenging dark angel of sorts, even though he, too, is basically a textbook psychopath. We rooted for him. We certainly didn’t want him to get caught. A similar effect stemmed from ‘Hannibal’ (2013), as well, whose main character—the renowned psychiatrist turned serial killer, is superbly played by Mads Mikkelsen. These guys are terrifyingly irresistible…

©HOME BOX OFFICE/HBO

‘True Detective’ and the fight for justice.

Despite this appeal of serial killer, we do appreciate the hunt. We appreciate cinematic productions where the murderers get caught almost as much as we love the antiheroes who don’t get caught. In that sense, Nic Pizzolatto’s HBO drama, ‘True Detective’, stands out. 

The seasonal anthology series, directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, among others, tackles the professional and personal lives of the police officers who chase the very darkness we’re so drawn to.

©BBC NORTHERN IRELAND/ARTISTS STUDIO

‘The Fall’, or how the cat chases the mouse and vice versa.

Taking place in Belfast, ‘The Fall’ follows the incomparable Gillian Anderson as a policewoman trying to take down Jamie Dornan’s seemingly passionate father, who is, in fact, a serial killer. For the umpteenth time, we find ourselves wedged between the hunter and the murderer, drawn to both thanks to their complexity.

It is the same with real serial killers. The terrible nature of their crimes is only outmatched by their personalities. We’re continuously astonished by the fact that people who seem completely normal are capable of such terror.

©CBS

‘Criminal Minds’, the fictional compendium of serial murder.

Before ‘Mindhunter’, ‘Criminal Minds’ (2005) had already established itself as the go-to source of morbid entertainment—a cornucopia of serial killers stretched across thirteen seasons, now going into its final lap. Most of it is inspired from John Douglas and Robert Ressler’s work with the FBI, though Mr Douglas does mention in the eponymous book on which ‘Mindhunter’ is based that profilers did not run around, guns blazing and breaking down doors in order to catch serial killers. Most of their work revolved around close collaboration with the local police and studying the crime scenes.

Even so, ‘Criminal Minds’ has been, by far, the biggest fix for serial killer aficionados worldwide. And while that might be a relatively troubling thing to say, these productions aren’t just well written, they’re also responsible for bringing some awareness to the general public, where serial murders are involved.

Thanks to them, even we are capable of recognizing certain patterns.

EDMUND EMILE KEMPER, ‘THE CO-ED KILLER’. IMAGE CURTESY OF SANTA CRUZ COUNTY SHERRIFF’S OFFICE

The appeal of serial killers will never die out. As evidenced by the many titles above, along with the honourable mentions, it is clear that we cannot get enough of such complex stories. In many ways, fiction is far more interesting than reality—at least on the screen, the serial killers come across as slightly more three-dimensional than their real-life counterparts.

This fervour isn’t waning, either. More and more true crime stories are coming out. The ‘Serial’ podcast broke records with move than 70 million downloads, a figure never before seen in this particular medium. 

Michelle McNamara’s posthumous book, ‘I’ll Be Gone in the Dark’, was completed by crime writer Paul Haynes, investigative journalist Billy Jensen, and Mrs McNamara’s widower, comedian Patton Oswalt. It wasn’t just a bestseller, it also helped Sacramento Police, who arrested James DeAngelo, a 72-year-old former police officer and the very Golden State Killer that Mrs McNamara had spent years trying to track down. HBO is currently producing a documentary based on the book.

TED BUNDY. ©BETTMANN/GETTY IMAGES

There are museum exhibits about famous serial killers taking place almost every year, most of them sold out—as was the case of the Museum of London in October 2015, when 600 objects from the Metropolitan Police’s crime archives went on show. Harold Schechter, a true crime writer best known for his book ‘Deviant’ (published in 1989 and telling the true story of Ed Gein, the so-called ‘original Psycho’), considers this popular interest ‘a kind of cultural hysteria’.

While serial killers are responsible for less than 1% of murders in the United States, our fascination exceeds our concern as we continue to build this mythology of evil and murder. 

In the end, it is our way of accepting that none of the monsters we create through legends, folklore, books or films come close to the monsters that real people are capable of becoming. After all, and as Joseph Conrad was quoted in the very first episode of ‘Criminal Minds’, saying: ‘The belief in a supernatural source of evil is not necessary. Men alone are quite capable of every wickedness’.