Darker types of entertainment have always captured my attention because it’s so far removed from my own comfortable, safe world. For me, it’s interesting to learn and think about events that have or could have actually happened, and how humans are so complex and nuanced.
My four favorite forms of true crime and gore are the Netflix shows, Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes and You, the Instagram account @crimescenecleanersinc, and the podcast My Favorite Murder.
Credit: Netflix
There’s nothing like being scared to go to close your eyes while showering to bond you and your roommate together, which is what happened to my roommate and me after watching The Ted Bundy Tapes.
Switching back and forth between time periods, the show includes Bundy’s perspective, as well as acquaintances and friends from his childhood. Seeing the discrepancies between his own view of himself and how others viewed him is fascinating because it allows you to get in the head of a serial killer.
Plus, the fact that he targeted female students at the University of Washington, and it’s enough to make me look behind my shoulder multiple times while walking down Comm Ave after 6 p.m.
Credit: Netflix
It was impossible to avoid seeing huge banners for You every time I logged into Netflix, so eventually, my roommate and I decided to give it a try. We’d try to limit ourselves to one episode every night but always ended up watching multiple (RIP consistent sleep schedules).
In the show, Penn Badgley is Joe Goldberg, a bookstore manager who falls for aspiring writer Guinevere Beck, played by Elizabeth Lail. However, it’s not a traditional love story, as Joe becomes obsessed with her and goes to sinister lengths to ensure she falls in love with him as well.
While the show focuses mainly on Joe’s point of view, I would be interested in seeing an edit with just Beck’s limited point of view.
This account is definitely not for the faint of heart. It’s also on private so it doesn’t come up in the explore feed.
Based in the Bay Area, California, the Instagram features pictures from real crime scenes, including murders, suicides, and decomposition. The images are gory and sometimes hard to stomach, but it’s one of those things that you can’t look away from even when you want to.
Because I’m from the Bay, it adds an extra layer of interest, because I’m always wondering if any of the crime scenes are places I’ve been to before.
Credit: My Favorite Murder
Anytime I bring up my fascination with murder and darker entertainment, people always recommend the podcast My Favorite Murder.
I enjoy the lightheartedness of hosts Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark, especially as they’re discussing such a heavy topic. It’s easy to listen to while I’m walking to my next class or at FitRec, and weirdly educational as well.
Personally, I find true crime so interesting because it’s so foreign to me. I can’t put myself in the mindset of what would motivate someone to kill another human in cold blood, so hearing about how people are able to murder others is fascinating.
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