What Movies Like ‘The Little Things’ Get Wrong About Serial Killers

The big picture

• Movies make serial killers like Hannibal Lecter out to be geniuses when the reality is that serial killers are usually of average intelligence.
• There is no specific “type” of serial killer. In reality, serial killers are diverse and do not fit a specific mold.
• Serial killers are not loners with high profile jobs. Statistically, they often have families and integrate into society.

Hollywood has a long history of glamorizing serial killers in film, beginning with child serial killer Hans Beckert (Peter Lorre) in Fritz Lang1931 crime drama masterpiece M. And throughout this history, a widespread stereotype of the serial killer in cinema has developed. They are solitary predators with complex plans to ensnare their victims, fueled by a ferocious intellect. They are skilled, charming when they need to be, and pick their targets to taunt the police. And it's a lie. The truth is that Hollywood has only had a handful of movies that accurately portray what we know about serial killersand most, including some of Hollywood's most famous screen villains, don't even come close.

Serial killers don't actually have brilliant intellects like Hannibal Lecter

Anthony HopkinsThe Academy Award-winning performance as Dr. Hannibal Lecter a The silence of the lambs it's warming the bones. The thin and weak smile. The emotionless coldness of his unblinking gaze. The disparity between Lecter's appreciation of culture and art and the relentless, vicious beast that lurks behind that gaze is utterly animal when unleashed. His speech is precise, tinged with scornful scorn towards those he considers beneath his intellect, with only Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) apparently close enough to participate. He is the criminal genius intellect at odds with the reality of the serial killer. Se7enis John Doe (Kevin Spacey) has the same disconnect with reality. Doe outsmarts the authorities as he develops his grand plan to stage murders that represent the seven deadly sins of Christianity: pride, greed, anger, envy, lust, gluttony and sloth.

Doe's planning is intricately planned, with the lazy victim having been emaciated for exactly one year, and has the means to stage the film's iconic ending, pushing Mills (brad pitt) to become the victim of his wrath with the precise arrival of his wife's head in a box in a secluded place. The reality is that serial killers do not have a unique intellect or geniuswhich is often evident with communications full of spelling and grammatical errors (zodiac is an excellent example of this). The IQ of serial killers is on par with the general public, somewhere between the borderline and slightly above average. Canadian Robert Pickton is more indicative of a typical serial killer's intellect, appearing at the very low end of average.

There is no specific “type” of serial killer

Movie serial killers generally have a type. They can be lovely, like Robert Mitchumby Harry Powell The Night of the Hunter. Sophisticated, like Jack (Matt Dillon) of The house that Jack built. Loose, like Scorpio (Andy Robinson) of dirty harryand/or almost impossibly handsome, like Stuntman Mike (Kurt Russell) in proof of death. They all have traumatic childhoods, like the aforementioned Hannibal Lecter, whose serial killer ways date back to his tragic life in Lithuania as a youth, as seen in Hannibal Rising, and its area of ​​operation could be anywhere. the infamous Ted Bundywhich is accurately portrayed by Zac Efron in Extremely evil, shockingly evil and vile, certainly ticked those boxes in real life. However, Bundy is an outlier, a serial killer atypical of most.

Although serial killers have some identifiable personality traits, it is almost impossible to break them down into a specific type, or even a reason why someone becomes a serial killer. The racial diversity of serial killers is very similar to that of the general population. Unlike Bundy, who took his murders interstate, most serial killers operate in a “comfort zone” around an anchor point, according to the FBI. Serial killers are manipulative, obnoxious, egotistical braggarts, without the charm and sophistication of their on-screen relatives. Not all are motivated by sex, i the idea that a serial killer is unstoppable is another Hollywood fallacywith the FBI citing the example of Dennis Raderthe BTK killer, whose period of activity came to an abrupt halt in 1991, with no other victims between then and his capture in 2005.

What's most disturbing is the fact that there isn't a single factor, a turning point, that turns him into a serial killer. Dr. Louis Schlesinger, a professor of forensic psychology, summarizes how trauma and childhood abuse rarely correlate, saying, “Thousands of people have had horrible childhoods. They don't go around killing people in a series.” In this same article, Schlesinger also says how serial killers are not legally insane — not normal, but not crazy either — and reiterates how there is no formula that applies to everyone.

Serial killers are not loners with high-profile jobs

American Psychothe 2000 adaptation of the 1991 novel by Bret Easton Ellisdoor Christian Bale on screen as serial killer Patrick Bateman, a man with a knack for killing and a fanatical devotion to Huey Lewis and the News. His kills in the film are graphic and darkly comical (one of his personal favorites is the chainsaw that fell down the stairs), befitting its acclaim as satire. Bateman lives a double life; a young, wealthy New York City investment banker on the one hand, a ruthless serial killer on the other. The double life aspect of the character is not unusual, but what is unusual is his career. An investment banker is a much higher profile job than serial killers tend to pursue. Jobs such as auto upholsterer, truck driver or gas station attendant allow serial killers to keep a low profile and divert attention to themselves. The television series Dexter He's also not as far-fetched as one might assume, with a career in law enforcement, another common job among serial killers, like former Golden State Killer police officer Joseph James DeAngelo.

This leads to the next point: Serial killers are not social misfits living alone. In red dragon, Ralph Fiennes plays Francis Dolarhyde, aka “The Tooth Fairy” thanks to his penchant for biting his victims. Dolarhyde was born with a cleft lip and palate, which disfigured his face and left him speech impaired. He was also abused as a child by family members (which can be a common thing among serial killers), and when we're introduced to Dolarhyde, he's incredibly shy because of his looks and lives alone . Albert Spam (Jared Leto) of The Little Things he's another eccentric social outcast, who sets himself up as the killer even though he probably isn't. Most serial killers, as cited in the FBI article, they often have families and homes, and blend in as normal members of societythat's why the “I never would have known they were a killer” trope exists.

The real victims of serial killers are often not represented in Hollywood

The same cannot be said for the typical victims of serial killers: the outcasts. People of color, queer people, sex workers, people on the fringes of society who find themselves alone and abused, people who are easy targets who will not generate the same level of attention as higher profile victims. Victims of serial killers in movies are usually noticed quickly, and certainly much quicker than in real life, when the reality is that a serial killer can avoid detection for years by taking advantage of those in a marginalized group.

There are many other examples of the serial killer stereotype that are not true, just as there are parts that do ring true, such as cruelty and lack of empathy. Yet Hollywood will continue to roll out serial killers who can be spotted a mile away, because the truth that you could be sitting next to one of them is simply far scarier than what's on the screen.

The Little Things is available to stream in the US on Netflix.

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