Stop romanticizing psychotic killers; Movies, TV shows are not real life

Meghan Kalck, SSC Editor/Studio Manager

Ted Bundy killed and confessed to murdering over 30 people. Jeffery Dahmer cut people up, ate them and also fed them to other people. Yet I hear in public all the time “Oh my god, Jeffery Dahmer is so attractive,” or “Ted Bundy is so funny,” like it is a good thing.

     These are just two of many serial killers that have been romanticized because of shows and movies that have been released about them, literally explaining, in detail, the horrible things they have done.

     In a recent series that came out on Netflix, Jeffery Dahmer is played by Evan Peters, who is notorious for his role in American Horror Story, where in many of the different seasons he also played a killer. Yes, he is attractive as an actor, but in the shows I just don’t understand how people can think he’s attractive when he is actively cooking someone’s heart like it’s a piece of steak.

     Peter’s roles in both of these shows actually messed with him as well because he wanted it to be so real and in the process of doing this he actually messed with his own mental health and I don’t think any role, no matter what show or movie, should mess with someone’s head like that.

     In the movie and in the actual trials of Ted Bundy, he was seen by many girls as “attractive” and some even called him a “dreamboat” because he looked so handsome in his trial. They acted like they were on a spring vacation fantasizing over this killer.

     Think about it, put yourselves in the shoes of the families of their victims, going to the courtroom to watch the guy who killed your son or daughter get his punishment and go to prison and get sentenced to death to pay for what he did, and the courtroom is filled with girls laughing with him, calling him cute and acting like they could fall in love with him.

     Same thing goes for today. Some of the families of the victims did not want the new show Dahmer to come out because they didn’t want to relive one of the worst moments in their lives; they questioned why there is a need to humanize and dramatize such a person and how its is all just a media grab to make money. Some of these families didn’t even know this series was going to exist.

     People think that they are very quirky and messed up because they are, and I quote, “in love with a serial killer,” and they act like they are proud of it because their friends will support them and say things like “I don’t blame you” and laugh. 

     I hate to say it, but you’re not misunderstood and in love with a killer, you are in love with the actor that is supposed to portray them and if you do think you are in love with a serial killer I am worried for your well being.