TRAILERS

1

The book is excellent. Highly recommend it.

JC on Jul 7, 2016

2

It looks good, I like the atmosphere created by this trailer. But why is there so many serial killers in US?

shiboleth on Jul 7, 2016

3

The DC Snipers were the last major ones. It was really in the 70s and 80s when there were a pretty dramatic swing of serial killers.

DAVIDPD on Jul 7, 2016

4

Well, you certainly know better than me. But, that's still scary thing... Europe has some of those, too, but it's very rarely. As for US, it looks like there are some deeper reasons for it in American society. Despite the movies and all the information you can get about it, it still is hard to understand ...

shiboleth on Jul 8, 2016

5

Really shiboleth? Europe had many serial killers....Fred West, oprienko, the vampire of Dortmund, koos H...

ari smulders on Jul 9, 2016

6

Hey Ari! Comparing to US, we are babies. Yes, if you add, for example, Chikatilo you can enrich European basket of mad killers, but US has multiplied that. Definitely, nothing to be proud of, but then again, let's not exaggerate ...

shiboleth on Jul 9, 2016

7

or is the influence of the media that there are more serial killers?

ari smulders on Jul 9, 2016

8

Media definitely take their toll, but then again, where's smoke there's also a fire. I mean, to be honest, I haven't been counting and comparing serial killers between US and Europe, but I always knew much more about American serial killers. There are some sinister mad bastards in Europe, no question about (I remember one of them being in Northern Italy, killing women as long as twenty years and I'm not sure if he ever got caught). And that's one of the media story from Europe (besides those mentioned) But stories like that from US have been multiplied by ten at least. So, do media really support American popular culture when it comes to serial killers? I'm not quite sure, that would be too gruesome and not very convincing. They might go along and comment on it, but boosting up such stories ... I find it hard to believe ... But, bottom line, I'm not interested in numbers anyway, what I am interested are deeper social and cultural reasons for it. And I think that American ones are much more interesting then European (although, those could be also discussed). ...

shiboleth on Jul 9, 2016

9

I partley agree with you. And yes there are more serial killers in the US as it seems. But like you i am very interested in serial killers because the nature /nurture question. The serial killer in the US has just one big advantage. The vastness of the state's, and his highways. In the 70 and 80 there where 3 serial killers in California on the highways, dumping body's besides the roads. So the disposal of corpses is just more easier than in Europe. Germany knows a big history of serial killers, and also England. But the USA has more inhabitants, so the chance of finding a serial killer in USA is bigger...

ari smulders on Jul 10, 2016

10

I think we can drop that 'number question' and take more seriously that 'nature/nurture questions' of serial killers. To be honest, it's kinda strange that we, two Europeans, discuss such question since being serial killer is through media and by large almost branded as US question. But anyway, I think it's not just a matter of technical opportunity (easiness to drop bodies) but a lot of serial killer has to do with US political and economic culture. A lot of uncertainties and cruelties in social communications with dispossessed and people in precarious situation. I believe media culture in US is also a bit aberrant and much more aggressive if you compare it to European. A lot of insecurities and a lot of aggressiveness brought through media mostly owned by powerful and rich is not really a healthy societal situation for many displeased and disillusioned people. I can only imagine what many desperate are living through and what they might wish to do to make a statement about heir miserable lives. I think Ari, that some of those things nurture serial killers and I think those are the reasons why it happens more in US than in Europe. I think, in fact, that serial killers are signs how much those (and other) societies are sick in their core. Unfortunately ...

shiboleth on Jul 10, 2016

11

dear shiboleth. I not fully agreeing with you. Because the serial killer issue is a global issue and has nothing to do with society, but only nurture and a little bit genes. A serial killer always comes from a broken family, but not every broken family produces a serial killer. Pedro Alonso Lopez killed in Peru 350 young children, but it's also known that Pedro Alonso Lopez was abused at a young age. 90% of all pedophiles are in abused in there younger years.

ari smulders on Jul 11, 2016

12

Dear Ari, I, however, see more convergences than divergences between us. Maybe I don't agree on two or three things. First, of course it's globally present, of course, since we were talking just about the cases mostly represented by media or by film or by literature; but then, what are we talking about? Are we also talking about deranged people like serial rapists and murderers or about violent dictators? They are all serial killers to me. So again, it is social, cultural and political question. As for the families, they are reflection of the society and that's why all of them are not the same. And you might have all: good people from dysfunctional families and quite the opposite which means dysfunctional and deranged people from the good families. However, I agree, it's much greater possibility to end bad if you come from dysfunctional family. But than again, it's also a social issue with individual and social responsibility ... And the third difference is related to genes. Not ever, and Ari, I'm telling that from experience of scientific conferences, did I see any evidence that genes can affect someone's behavior. Genes are affecting our biology, yes, but not our social life. Nobody has psychologically bad genes, that does not make or produces serial killers. Unfortunately, a lot of people believe quite the opposite. I talked about those things with a few geneticists and, when it comes to the influence of genes, they keep the biological side of the personality, but not the emotional, social or cultural one. And I tend very much to agree with them ...

shiboleth on Jul 11, 2016

13

Dear shiboleth. I don't think bad people come from good people, i really don't. So it are always dysfunctional family's who deliver serial rapist and serial killers. The history of serial killerz is big and old but the times are changed. A fierce warrior who liked killing people was praised by there group, but now he is a serial killer. And the genes is indeed a hot topic. But I know autistic people who look sane, but have no empathy for others. What if the autistic guy not is being diagnosed, and walks free around town? And autism is gene related... Love having this conversation. Thanks...

ari smulders on Jul 12, 2016

14

As conversations go, yeah, this is not so bad either. Well, to continue. I guess my point about the functional and dysfunctional families or people was about the fact that there are no good or bad people in the first place. If we have to make such a difference, it's always one's preference, not the state of affairs. If you refuse to see that, you condemn all those people, especially young ones, who struggle to escape dysfunctional environments. Besides, the topic of family can't be so easily classified since some dysfunctional family can be just one person (maybe drunk/violent/psychotic/traumatized father or mother but not both of them; or some other member of it) so you have no clear situation on that either. Sometimes people can be traumatized into becoming serial killers outside family. Your example of fierce warrior is a good example for that. I believe he was always been a serial killer, in every part of the history but it's also true that in some part of the history some serial killers were celebrated as honorable and brave persons. We would arguably agree that Adolf Hitler was one of the worst serial killers in the history but not for most of German population in, say, 1941. Or ISIS fighters. Many of them are serial killers. Can that come from dysfunctional family? Hardly, those states are induced by society. So, it's my conviction that serial killers are induced, among other things, also by state of affairs in every society. As for genes and autism, yes biology affects our relation to our psyche, but there are no biological (genetical) reasons for it so let's not mix up those two together. So, autism does define our relationship to the world but that's defined by our psychology since our psychology would be different if biology of our autism would not exist. But then again, there's some mindset to it, wouldn't you said, which makes more of the people than it does of the animals... Cheers Ari ...

shiboleth on Jul 13, 2016

15

i get where you going shiboleth but with allot of what ifs... I think nurture is the biggest influence on becoming a serialkiller,and i mean nurture from mom and dad,not society. Society is always a reflection of the family life and always comes in second place. Every serialkiller(allot of books) i read about is from a dysfunctial family(dad a drunk,slapping his children,incest etc).So statistics shows us,serial killers have bad nurture. Adolf hitler is dad was a big anti jew person and he influenced him allot,so circumstances onley react to personality. Genes is indeed a diffrent topic,but say genes dont determin our actions is like saying a lion wont bite if he sees a antilope,nurture can do allot but the instinct has also his part.

ari smulders on Jul 19, 2016

16

Not true, Phoenix had two as recently as 2007. There have also been 3 in LA. But few get more than a handful of victims before caught so never quite capture the imagination like the BTK, BUNDY's and the cannibal fella.

harm on Jul 8, 2016

17

well said and true

ari smulders on Jul 9, 2016

18

yup... randy Kraft, kearney, William bioni, btk killer, Richard ramirez, Jeffrey Dahmer...

ari smulders on Jul 9, 2016

19

Yes. We need more Christopher Lloyd.

grimjob on Jul 7, 2016

20

Please let this not be a split personality thing...

DAVIDPD on Jul 7, 2016

21

As long as it's true to the book, nope...it delves into the supernatural, though.

J_Grouchy on Jul 8, 2016

22

same character - young & old!!

Joker's hideout on Jul 8, 2016

23

one of my favorite books of the last five years. Oh please don't let this suck.

harm on Jul 8, 2016

24

This screened at SXSW. Small film, but it's very well done.

Movie Bear on Jul 8, 2016

25

A serial killer in it, i am in...

ari smulders on Jul 9, 2016