Why is our society obsessed with serial killers, true crime dramas, and everything in between?

Last year, the TV series “Dahmer” – in which Evan Peters plays serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, infamous for targeting brown and black people – became only the third title in Netflix history to be viewed for over 1 billion hours in its first 60 days.

It was number one on the streaming platform for months last year – which is interesting. It seems to me these types of shows are always a big hit.

The way our culture boosts these morbid TV series, documentaries, and movies up on a pedestal is just strange to me. It’s strange that we as people have a fascination with such stories. 

Sure, it’s a form of entertainment. And we all have the urge to break things down and figure out who did them and why, kind of like we’re Nancy Drew.

But I think the way producers and directors capitalize off of these stories is awful. Broadcasting them can force victims’ families to relive past traumas without compensation or support. 

Another example is the “Ted Bundy Tapes,” a series that follows Zac Efron as Ted Bundy during his infamous court hearing. Like “Dahmer,” it also reached the Top 10 list on Netflix very quickly. 

The same phenomenon shows up with the drama series “True Crime,” which a lot of people I know watch now. I’ve watched it a couple times myself.

From what I’ve seen, it’s hard to turn away.  The content is laced with shock factor so disgusting that it draws you in.

“I think I like watching people get justice,” said my mom, an avid watcher of true crime dramas. And I completely understand that answer. Most of these stories are depictions of real events, and it’s satisfying if they end with closure for victims, or justice being served.

But that doesn’t explain the popularity of fictional representations of similar stories.

For instance, “You” is a fictional series that follows Penn Badgley’s character Joe Goldberg. He is an obsessive, controlling, and possessive person who becomes a stalker of this one girl. He ends up killing her, beginning a cycle that continues with a new victim each season.

The series has gotten considerable attention from people on social media, some of whom fetishize the creepy crimes the character commits. I’ve seen people comment: “oh this is so attractive” and “I wish someone was so obsessed over me like that.” Even worse, I see these edits on tik tok romanticizing the character’s vile acts. 

What especially worries me is when people do the same with real criminals like Bundy and Dahmer. It’s nasty and disgusting to see people make jokes about such a serious situation.

The multiple fan accounts for Jeffrey Dahmer are really disturbing. They sexualize and idolize him in a way that makes me sick.

It’s come to a point where I wonder: when does consuming all these TV series, movies, and podcasts become unhealthy? And how do we stop?