Serial Killers Netflix Has Never Heard Of
Can there be any serial killers Netflix hasn’t heard of? The ever-popular streaming service has content to cover all our serial killer needs, be it real-life documentaries, glossy dramas like ‘The Serpent’, or interview series such as ‘Serial Killer Piers Morgan’ (Sorry, ‘Serial Killer with Piers Morgan’)
Our fascination with these offenders shows no signs of slowing, with two more upcoming Ted Bundy films (‘American Bogeyman’ and ‘No Man of God’) in addition to 2019’s ‘Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile’ and Netflix’s ‘The Ted Bundy Tapes’. More than any other, Bundy fits the archetypal idea we have of a serial killer. Evil, compulsive, devious, brutal, male.
A quick search on Netflix seems to confirm these archetypes. The Night Stalker, The Yorkshire Ripper, Henry Lee Lucas (The Confession Killer), each have a Netflix show and each more or less seem to fit our traditional idea of what a serial killer is.
But are there any serial killers that Netflix hasn’t got to yet that don’t fit the traditional mould?
The answer is yes, of course. To begin, we dive into history with Locusta of Gaul. Sometimes described as the ‘first documented serial killer’, Locusta was a poisoner for Agrippina the Younger and subsequently a favourite of her son, the Emperor Nero. As a woman, Locusta doesn’t fit the traditional stereotype of a serial killer (although she does use the classic woman’s murder weapon, poison). Sources disagree over whether her motives were purely practical or whether she enjoyed it. Did she choose to be a killer?
As an expert in herbs from Gaul it may be that she was captured and forced to come to Rome, already a hive of political murder by poison. She was certainly under pressure from those who gave her patronage. Nero once beat her senseless for failing to kill his rival, Britannicus. When he was in a better mood, he bestowed upon her a huge estate and the title of Imperial Poisoner. So, even if she was not psychologically compelled to kill, Locusta enjoyed the great wealth and power her position gave her.
Sadly, for Locusta, her run of privileges and poisonings came to an end in 69AD. After Nero’s suicide, she lost her patron and protector, and the new emperor Galba had her executed. Accounts differ as to the manner of her death (trigger warning if you Google this, some versions are truly horrific), but it seems clear that she was led through the city in chains before her execution and no doubt publicly vilified by many who had privately used her services.
The psychological compulsion we associate with serial killers is the missing element from Locusta’s story and there is no firm evidence as to her motives. It may just be that poisoning put her in an advantageous position and while not feeling sorrow for her crimes, she didn’t get great satisfaction from them either. Perhaps for her it was just a job and although she may have the high body count required for a serial killer, she may better be considered an assassin, (or as one article fancifully refers to her, a ‘Necro-Entrepreneur’). Even so, I for one would love to see Netflix move away from their traditional roster of serial killers and give us a series on her and her pupil and fellow poisoner Martina.
On to more recent times, and another serial killer that does not fit the mould. Also female, but this time definitely displaying a compulsion to kill: Joanne Dennehy. Dennehy committed her crimes in 2013, a series of brutal stabbings, known as the Peterborough Ditch murders. As well as murdering Kevin Lee, Lukasz Slaboszewski and John Chapmen, who were all known to her, Dennehy stabbed Robin Bereza and John Rogers (who both survived) at random.
She was given a whole life sentence, (like Myra Hindley and Rose West). Like Hindley and West, Dennehy had a male accomplice, Gary Stretch. Unlike them, she alone seemed to be responsible for the killings, with Stretch charged with attempted murder for driving her to Hereford to stab Bereza and Rogers, but with Dennehy alone wielding the knife for the actual attacks.
Dennehy was a spree killer, committing the murders over a 10 day period. The attacks themselves were frenzied, with one victim suffering 40 wounds. She was delighted by this level of violence, reported as giggling and telling Stretch “I want my fun”. She posed for photos with knives during the spree and was described as “ecstatic” when she saw news reports that she was wanted by police. She aimed to be like Bonnie and Clyde and wanted to kill 9 men. Mercifully, she was stopped before she got that far.
Just typing this has made me feel a bit sick and frankly, I’m glad Netflix don’t have a documentary on her. Sky Crime do (The Murderer and Me), which primarily looks at the effects the crimes have had on her daughter, as well as the psychological reasons (psychopathy, anti-social personality disorder and paraphilia sadomasochism) that contributed to her urge to commit these crimes.
This is where our fascination with serial killers lies. What has caused this person to go so far from what is considered humane and acceptable? And perhaps also ‘what signs do I look for to stop me becoming their victim? How can I protect myself from the monsters that roam out there?
It is a difficult balance to feed the natural, curious urge to look upon horror (and then run away and think about nicer things) without giving serial killers the fame and status that they do not deserve. Unfortunately, just by mentioning Dennehy, we give her what she craves and risk pushing the names and stories of her victims, Kevin Lee, Lukasz Slaboszewski, John Chapmen, Robin Bereza and John Rogers into the background.
There has been some backlash against the trailers for the new Bundy films, suggesting that although the crimes of serial killers may remain a cause of fascination, we may be tiring of the murderers themselves taking centre stage. As mentioned, rather than focusing primarily on Dennehy, the Sky Crime documentary looks at the effect on her then teenage daughter Shianne, who was left suicidal by her mother’s crimes. Hallie Rubenhold’s fantastic 2019 book, The Five, tells the untold stories of Polly Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes and Mary Jane Kelly, long before they tragically crossed paths with Jack the Ripper. And although the title of the upcoming Ryan Murphy series ‘Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story’ suggests a focus on the man himself, early press suggests it will be told largely from the point of view of his victims, and tackles the police incompetence and apathy that allowed him to offend for so long. Again a source of fascination for us: How could this have happened? Surely there must be someone to blame?
Monster will be released in 2022 and (surprise surprise), is a Netflix series. So it looks like there will be no shortage of serial killer programmes to binge on to our dark heart’s content. We shouldn’t feel shame at giving in to an occasional fascination with crime, murder and the darker side of human nature. But more balanced accounts, looking at the lives of the victims and the wider impact of these crimes, give a realistic view of serial killers and is less likely to glorify them. And if a binge watch of Mindhunter, Sons of Sam or The Fall has left you hollowed out and whimpering, at least Netflix offers plenty of options for a palate cleanse. You are very welcome to join me for something more lighthearted and cheery. Perhaps a bit of Derry Girls or Cat People?
Written by Mel Coghlan
Mel Coghlan is a an exams organiser, event co-ordinator, sometime tour guide and spreadsheet queen from London. When not doing all of the above, she enjoys writing, theatre, wine drinking and anything that staves off anxiety. Mel finds talking about herself in the third person disconcerting, but oddly pleasing.
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