“Inspired by a true story.” September 19 on Netflix, the anthology Monsters will deliver its second batch of episodes. After a season dedicated to Jeffrey Dahmer, who confessed to having murdered seventeen young men between 1978 and 1991, creator Ryan Murphy aims to tell another crime story that marked the 90s. This time, it is the Menendez brothers and their murder of their parents which are at the epicenter of the story. The platform hopes that this new vintage will attract many eyes around the world. After all, Dahmer : Monster is in third place in the company’s historical ranking and has over 115 million views. This release is highly anticipated, but also relaunches the debates regarding the genre of “true crime” and the public’s fascination with these formats?
A genre with many facets
Although the term has not yet been included in the French dictionary, it is already present in the English versions. According to the definition proposed by Cambridge Dictionary, the term “truecrime” describes films, series or books that involve true crime stories et protagonists who are just as much. Unlike detective novels, some of which are inspired by news stories to reinvent them, true crime aims to reflect a certain truth. The names of all people involved are citedplaces and contextual elements too.
Rather than a rereading of an event, productions of the genre present themselves as the fruit of a research workin order to present a semblance of truth. If series of the genre adopt the codes of fictionwith the same narrative structures and plot patterns, true crime can be as close to journalism as documentaries get. Yet, at the helm are often showrunners and screenwriters, who rely on the research of their teams. In form as they do, the majority of productions meeting these criteria constantly play with fiction and reality. Actors are called upon to lend their features to real characters while real archive images (from news or articles) are used to punctuate the scenes.
This ambiguity between invention and investigation is sometimes even evoked in the series or the film, as with Inventing Anna Who opened with a warningt. Netflix warns viewers that, although adapted from true events, The series features many completely fictional sequences. Most often, it is a question of using these elements to support the point of the story.
All detectives?
One of the reasons that drives viewers to watch true crime, and more generally to investigation and murder mystery stories, is undoubtedly to be able to make hypotheses concerning the identity of the culprit(s). Like all stories, it is the mystery that captivates. But in the case of a real fact, where the real names and circumstances are not disguised, this can pose some problems. Viewers invent themselves as detectives and conduct their own research. Recent examples include: My Little Reindeer. A few days after the release of the series, even though the name had been changed, thousands of Internet users shared the Facebook account of the woman behind the character of Martha.
On social networks, there were many videos dedicated to this, to the point of calling into question the methods used by Netflix to protect the subjects of its productions. These internet detectiveswho are found on forums and groups, are also at the epicenter of the documentary Don’t F**ck With Cats. It traces the story of the Montreal skinner, who was spotted on the internet, mutilating cats. A group was then launched to find him, it had more than 15,000 members. Two years later, another video was published, in which we see the man mutilating his victim. The police intervened after these events, arresting Luka Magnotta in Germany. Quickly, the involvement of internet detectives was questioned, particularly on how this notoriety could have pushed him to commit his crime.
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These internet detectives also represent, according to some experts, a danger to the smooth running of investigations. According to a study conducted by Guilford College of Law, 70% of truecrime consumers believe that the evidence collected by these “internet sleuths” should be used in court. Ally White, a former detective and professor at Guilford College of Law in England, explains that such an idea is:
“concerning from a criminal justice perspective. This practice can be flawed in many ways: bias, misinformation, mishandling of evidence, to name a few. By sharing information about a criminal case, you not only risk jeopardizing the entire case, potentially risking an acquittal, but you also run the risk of being prosecuted or at least having to pay a hefty fine.”
The study adds that only 40% of respondents do not know that sharing details of a legal case online can lead to prosecution. In France, the dissemination to a third party of a document from an investigation procedure is an offence punishable by 10,000 euros fine.
What are the consequences for the victims’ relatives?
Beyond the potential legal ramifications of such infatuation with criminal cases, there is the question of the impact these stories have on the victims’ loved ones. Annie Nichol is the sister of Polly Klaas, a little girl who was abducted and murdered when she was just 12 years old. In an opinion piece published by the New York Times In January, she discussed how the story was used to entertain crowds, but also how it was instrumentalized by politicians. She explains that many books and productions have been devoted to this case, without her family’s consent being sought. Years later, she confides that she was contacted so that these memories could be used to create productions. Annie Nichol regrets that these conversations have once again confronted her with things she prefers to forget.
In addition to the victims’ relatives, Local residents are sometimes affected by this attraction to the macabre. In Lorraine, for example, the places that were the scene of the story of little Gregory were stormed by tourists shortly after the start of the affair. Sébastien Liarte, Professor at the University of Lorraine and specialist in “dark tourism” interviewed by France 3 Grand Est, explained earlier this year that the increase in visits to these places is closely linked to the release of series and reports.
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