Serial killer documentary and chill? As I career fast towards my 40th year on Earth, I have to admit nothing I have embodied more than the stereotypical female who loves nothing more than binge-watching the latest documentary on serial killers.

However, this passion, if you can call it a passion, has somewhat divided me. Much like humans are hardwired to rubberneck at the crash they pass by on the motorway, the allure of an in-depth analysis of a murderers psyche has proven somehow alluring to me and, apparently, many women like me.

Indulging in Serial Killer Documentaries

Why is that? Statistically, women are more likely to be murdered than men and, more often than not, by someone, they know either in passing or intimately. So is there something about these people who carry out the most despicable acts that comfort us? I mean, I am the woman who will not sleep if she has even glanced at an advert about a horror film featuring fictitious characters and are somewhat unrealistic. But give me a box set of Criminal Minds, and I am hooked all night despite living alone with Olivia and having an overactive imagination.

Not so long ago, last week, in fact, I devoured all the episodes of Piers Morgan’s Killer Women series. It isn’t just male serial killers that pique my interest. I even got stuck into a series about child murderers along with men who think they have the right to snuff out others’ lives too. So my fascination isn’t limited to one type of killer.

I can and have spent days absorbing some of the most heinous crimes to have ever been committed and sleep like a baby. I can kid myself that I am learning about the world around me, and in fact, this is totally normal. To have a better understanding of the evil that exists in the world.

I’ve even joked to Olivia that I am learning how to lie effectively after 2 days of watching shows about how the experts identify liars when they’re being interviewed. Ultimately, committing murder, you will be thankful to know, isn’t something I plan on partaking in my lifetime. Even after consuming this type of media, I still cannot comprehend how and why people do this. Maybe this is the crux of my interest if you will. I don’t know.

Why Does True Crime Appeal?

But after recently watching a true crime show on The Family, an infamous cult that operated in Australia in the 80s/90s, I began to question my desire to consume as much true crime information as possible via these shows. And this led me to question something very significant.

In The Family, the children that were stolen to be ‘adopted’ took part in the series. The devastation this caused on their lives and how, even now, they still have to struggle with what they experienced as children struck a chord.

Are serial killer documentaries and, as such, our fascination with them even more damaging to those left behind?

After all, these were real-life events. Horrific events that happened to other people who are now still picking up the pieces and learning to live their lives in the aftermath, something many of us wouldn’t even be able to comprehend.

We can watch as many of these shows as we want, but unless these events have touched us in a personal way, we cannot even identify with what those involved, the people who lost loved ones, go through day after day.

And the knowledge that people are out there, reading about the worst time of their lives for some enjoyment must hurt a little if you will. This isn’t a fictional tv show. They are living this, surviving through this, and we are doing what exactly to help?

Our appetite for all things true crime and serial killer documentaries, in particular, feeds this culture and leads to more and more shows being made delving into every aspect of a real-life event. Personally, I am not sure how I would feel if it was my story. Suppose I was the family member left behind to pick up the pieces after a truly devastating event. Would I want people to analyse and pick apart everything? To turn on the TV and wonder if today were the day the worst thing in my life would be touted on the screen as a must-watch.

I have to say no. I probably wouldn’t be happy with this. I think what I am getting at is this. Is watching serial killer documentaries damaging to those who lived this first hand? Do these people deserve to have tv shows dedicated to them after committing heinous crimes, and what respect are we showing to people who have lost someone and the victims themselves by being ‘excited’ to catch the new show on Netflix or whatever channel it happens to be on.

Rightly or wrongly, this genre of a TV show is appealing to many people.

Most of us would never dream of doing anything like this, and it is simply an innocent if not morbid interest. Will I stop watching my shows and putting serial killer documentaries in my past viewing habits? Probably not. Will I feel more empathy and a little bit of guilt when I do watch them? Absolutely. But I will remember when I see the clothing ranges boasting of a love for watching serial killer shows that I must be mindful of everyone who has been affected by these events. After all, compassion costs nothing.