Nearly 2 in 3 Americans Are Fans of Serial Killer Content

Netflix Inc.’s new series, “Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story,” a graphic retelling of the titular serial killer’s 17 murders intertwined with the stories of some of his victims, is a massive hit. It’s now the streaming service’s second most-watched English-language series of all time with more than 700 million hours viewed since its debut last month, the company announced.

That shouldn’t come as a huge surprise. America has long had an obsession with depictions of serial killers — and now new data proves it.

A recent Morning Consult survey reveals that nearly two-thirds of U.S. adults (62%) said they are fans of TV shows or movies about serial killers, while a quarter of U.S. adults describe themselves as “avid” fans of the genre. Nearly 80% of millennials said they’re fans of serial killer content.

Hollywood’s approach to serial killers

Despite some backlash, it doesn’t appear that studios are going to stop pushing out serial killer content anytime soon, given the genre performs so well. But putting more of an emphasis on the victims and their stories, rather than solely rehashing a killer’s crimes, could be a way forward. 

For now, Netflix, among others, is moving full steam ahead: Up next on its release slate is “The Good Nurse,” a movie about serial killer Charles Cullen, starring A-listers Eddie Redmayne and Jessica Chastain. HBO has another season of “True Detective” on the way, while a film about the infamous Boston Strangler is also in the works at Hulu. Netflix did not respond to a request for comment on this story.

The Oct. 5-7, 2022, survey was conducted among a representative sample of 2,210 U.S. adults, with an unweighted margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.

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