Humans have a morbid fascination with the suffering of others. Stories about shootings, murders, fires and accidents always garner the most attention; because for some reason, we love to read about death and destruction.
Netflix has found a trend with this disconcerting obsession, and has been able to tap into it. There’s been an increase of content released on the streaming service that deals with murderers, serial killers and kidnappers.
Recently, me and my roommate sat down one afternoon and decided to watch “Don’t F*** With Cats,” out of boredom. The first episode was so disturbing and so enthralling we ended up watching the whole series in one go.
I remember there were points where we both had to turn away from the TV, or mute it, because what was being shown was so gruesome and unsettling. I actually had trouble falling asleep that evening. Yet, to this day, we still think it is one of the best documentary series we’ve watched, and continue to recommend it to our friends.
Why do humans have such a fascination with the dark and twisted? A lot of it has to do with the minds of serial killers. Most normal people possess emotions such as empathy, love and remorse; and so we can’t comprehend the workings of someone’s mind that might not have these emotions, and kills, abducts and tortures other people because they feel like it. We are drawn to the violence because we don’t understand it, and this compels us.
We can’t wrap our heads around the act of murdering someone else, and it drives us crazy. We want to pick apart serial killers brains and find the answer to our burning question: Why did they do it?
Serial killers also appeal to the darker side of human nature. They are real life, walking and talking versions of the unspoken desires of humans.
It’s a common phenomenon though. Don’t feel guilty when you turn on the newest Netflix crime documentary. They were created for a reason, they cater to what the public is interested in watching.
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