The glorification of serial killers and other criminals is wrong in a multitude ways. The romanticized versions of heartbreaking stories, portrayed by Hollywood heartthrobs, allow viewers to feel sympathy for the original monster. The Netflix “retellings” about the lives and actions of serial killers, such as Jeffery Dahmer (played by Evan Peters and Ross Lynch) and Ted Bundy (played by Zac Efron), do nothing but retraumatize victims’ families and gain sympathy from viewers. These “true crime stories” are just outright false and make a mockery of actual true crime.

Some may consider the retelling of these gruesome stories as true crime, but they aren’t. They are filled with false information and dramatization. An alternative method for telling these stories is by creating a documentary. Unlike “true crime,” documentaries are defined as being “based on… an actual event, era, life story, etc., that claims to be factually accurate and contains no fictional elements.” There is virtually no dramatization. Granted, there are some documentaries that do abuse the power of saying that everything in it is true, but majority of them are trustworthy.

The best part about documentaries is that they inform the families of their making. Many of these movies and shows that retell what happened, have been known to retraumatize the victims’ families and, in some cases, the families aren’t even told that they are being made. With documentaries, however, the creators go as far as to interview the families for more information on the topic while still respecting their experiences.

With many young people watching true crime documentaries, a lot of teenagers currently are looking forward to some sort of career in the umbrella of psychology and criminology, like myself. These documentaries can give information that helps people understand ever so slightly, why criminals do the things they do and inspire a possible future career.

Watching true crime documentaries on Netflix is what inspired me to pursue a career in Criminal Psychology. It really interested me. They made me wonder why some people do the things they do and how their mind works, they do the same with many other people who don’t know what to do with their future.

So not only does true crime entertain many, they also spark interest within the hearts of young people to start a career in the field. With all of these factors considered though, next time you’re watching a murder or crime retelling, even as for pure entertainment, keep the families in mind and understand that the events portrayed did actually happen. They aren’t just stories, they’re real people.