The Impact of Serial Killer Media: A Content Analysis

Abstract

There is a certain obsession with serial killers in our culture. Films and shows such as Zodiac (2007), My Friend Dahmer (2017), and Extremely Wicked; Shockingly Evil and Vile (2019 all provide graphic details on these killers, their lives, and their victims. While the question of why, as a culture, we give these killers so much attention is worthy of consideration and will always be in the background of my project, my main question is how violence and sexuality intersect in the portrayal of serial killer films. I was particularly interested to see if and how earlier serial killer films such as “Jeffrey Dahmer” (2002) and more contemporary films such as “My Friend Dahmer (2017) have stayed the same or changed in terms of their portrayal of sexuality and violence. Four main themes emerged from my content analysis: an increase in implicit sexuality, the gruesome death of women, women as plot devices, and homosexuality as deviance. Based on this analysis I speculate how these films both reflect and might perpetuate violent, misogynistic, and homophobic views.