Murder Documentaries have taken over the world’s tv screens. There is no one type of documentary more popular, but why is that? Why do documentaries about Ted Bundy or Charles Manson cause such an impact? I talked to a Director and a Murder Documentary die-hard to understand the appeal.
To start, Sabryna Drake is in love with murder documentaries. Drake starts by labeling what quality can make or break a murder documentary.
“There’s just something about unsolved murders that creeped me out. Suppose it’s a solved one, awesome. Everyone’s doing their job, and the murderer pays for it. There’s such a mystery and a safe sense of danger watching a murder documentary, but I’m very black and white. So I don’t like the gray area it leaves when it’s unsolved.”
Drake continues with her favorite part about Murder Documentaries.
“I love serial killers, and I love them so much because most of them are from before I was born when DNA wasn’t used, and fingerprinting hadn’t been perfected to what it is now. So, they were able to do all these things and get away with it. But then in the future, like, uh, the one was found because one of his ancestors or like in the family tree did an ancestry DNA thing, and they were able to put it into the database and found him.”
Drake concludes by recalling how she initially got into watching Murder Documentaries below:
Taste of Blood Poster from Allen Kool
While a fan’s perspective is an excellent insight into the viewer’s mindset, I needed to look behind at the camera for another reason these documentaries remain so popular. To get this perspective, I connected with Allen Kool. Allen Kool is a Director and Producer that has experience working on films centered around death. Allen has made films like The Sanctuary and The Taste of Blood. Allen is an award-winning director winning the Canadian Screen Award for Best Limited Series or Program.
Allen starts with why he believes people watch Murder Documentaries.
“There is a large presence in tv shows, movies, and documentaries that are currently dealing with murders, from a reality perspective as well as a fictional perspective. They are stories about dealing with death that people use as a form of escape. In addition, social media has provided us with more access and information about the horrible things people do to each other and the alternatives to life. So, for some, it’s about finding the truth, for others justice, but society is seeking to be educated and entertained by the stories of peoples’ pain.”
Allen continues talking about why there are so many murder documentaries nowadays.
“It’s a financial decision; broadcasters and distributors work through cycles where shows about Murder are popular currently. Next year or the year after, programs about westerns may emerge as the flavor of the week; after that, maybe the return of romcoms, filmmakers’ study and watch the cycles. But, despite the love for them, programs dealing with murders are starting to fade in ratings.”
So, whether you are interested in the mind of a serial killer or just intrigued by a good story, Murder Documentaries have continued to be popular. Their popularity may fade, but it seems some will always remain intrigued.
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