Netflix marked the 30th anniversary of the execution of serial killer Ted Bundy with a new special, “Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes.”
The release resurrected the fascination many people have with certain serial killers. Not all of them; no one seems interested in finding out more about Jeffrey Dahmer than we already know. But Bundy, and similarly, Dennis Rader, aka the BTK Strangler, continues to engross the public.
Why? It’s possible that people wonder why those like Bundy and Rader, who otherwise seem so normal, could carry out such grisly murders, without a hint of regret.
Bundy was handsome and jovial. He had a wide circle of friends, was an honor student, was well-regarded by university professors, and the women he dated said he never exhibited any disturbing behavior. Rader was married, had two children, served as a Cub Scout leader, and was president of his church council.
Yet they managed to compartmentalize their lives in a way most people cannot imagine. At Rader’s sentencing hearing, he described the murders he committed in the same indifference that most people would display in describing what they ate for breakfast. It was chilling.
Popular culture is fascinated by it. Investigation Discovery features documentary-style programming that explores real cases of violent crime. Podcasts and streaming networks feature all sorts of explorations into criminal activity, much of it detailing and describing notorious acts of violence.
As much as the subject matter enthralls people, it makes sense to step back and understand that there are people still suffering because of the crimes such people as Bundy and Rader commit. They lost family members, and this isn’t entertainment to them.
It’s difficult to imagine the pain family members of victims go through if they unwittingly start Netflix, only to see a new series featuring the man who took their loved one from them in gruesome fashion.
When mass shooters strike, there’s a call for the media to limit attention given to the shooter, since that’s precisely what they hoped for when committing the crime. Is it any different for a serial killer? Rader wrote letters to the media, lamenting the lack of attention he received.
There is a difference between the public interest, on the one hand, and merely public prurience on the other. What value do these new series and documentaries provide? If it’s merely macabre entertainment, is it worth it? Should Bundy and others like him get more notoriety?
Most people would say the answer is, “No.” The problem is that many of them are the same people adding the Bundy series to their Netflix queue.
