Adrian Garcia
Ms. Adelmann
CP World Literature and Composition April 2023
Serial Killers in Modern Media
Serial killers have been around as long as humans have been around, they are nothing new to us although the media makes it seem that way. According to British psychologist Dr. Lee Chambers, audiences enjoy watching gory and horror movies because they experience pleasure through the release of adrenaline, endorphins, and dopamine in their bodies. These neurotransmitters and hormones balance pain control, mood stabilization, motivation, and pleasure. These are very common feelings drugs can make you feel too which can also be addictive and consuming. While watching a scary movie can be frightening at times there’s nothing more frightening
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With the known fact that serial killers are known to be romanticized by bizarre parts of the media, it may trigger the question if this motivates or drives these monsters in any way. These fantasies occur when a serial killer's physical appearance gets in the way of being able to truly see how much damage these killers have caused. These issues would not occur if serial killers, their actions, and their trials were not published to the public. For some serial killers, their only motive can be just to be known. In many past cases, there have been killers that would kill for attention by leaving small things to tease law enforcement or even more personal and strange items like tarot cards. The “Tarot Card Killer '' as named by the press was John Allen Muhammad a sniper at the age of 17 who ended 10 people's lives in DC in October 2002. He was known for leaving tarot cards behind his crime scenes to gain attention and recognition. His plan worked as soon as he became the “Tarot Card Killer''. Soon after he was caught the reason behind these murders was found to be connected to the racial issues along the lines of oppression against black people proving that the tarot cards that were left behind were for media attention and coverage to spread a message. John Allen Muhammad was found guilty and was killed by lethal injection in 2009 at the age of 48. This isn’t the only time the media has affected serial killers though, a better-known case of this was during Jeffery Dhamer's sentencing. Jeffery Dhamer received more than 12 thousand dollars in Pen Pals during his time in prison with quotes from people saying things like ″He did awful things but deep down he isn’t a mean kid,″ said a 74-year-old nun who also sent him $10. Messages like this to serial killers aren’t illegal but should be as this affects them mentally a lot more