The Serial Killer, between Disgust, Public Opprobrium and Morbid Fascination

Abstract

Dividing serial killers into categories is an approximate operation. Even the definition of this type of criminal involves some controversies and is only possible by referring to some very general characteristics. The way these criminals are presented in the media, documentaries and books about true crimes contribute to the development of a morbid and partially inexplicable fascination with such bloody and brutal acts. Beyond the fact that such fascination says a lot about where we are as a society, it also represents an unforgivable contempt for the memory of the victims and those close to them. Most theories tend to regard the serial killer as a person suffering from various mental illnesses. Although such judgments are probably correct in most situations, in other cases they may be false and have no other basis than our desire for these brutal criminals to be different from the rest of society.