Alice Oscura, Featured Writer
Invisible Monsters: Serial Killers in America is the latest addition to the long list of true crime docuseries released so far for 2021.
It’s the first series of its kind, as we’ve never had any docuseries or documentary gather five of the most prolific serial killers in America together for common analysis in such a detailed manner. The private lives and horrific crimes of Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, Jeffrey Dahmer, BTK Killer (Dennis Rader), and the Green River Killer (Gary Ridgway) are held under a microscope in this six-part docuseries. The timeline is referred to as “The Golden Age” of serial killers and it displays a vicious overlapping of their crimes. The series was released on both A&E and ET as a three-night special event on the 15th of August.
Loaded with interviews from experts, past law enforcement officers, and even the only surviving victim of the Green River Killer, the docuseries shines a light upon an ill-equipped system. Crimes of this calibre were occurring in different states of America and without the existence of a criminal database, lack of knowledge on the processing of DNA evidence, and failure of communication between inter-state police forces the serial killers were able to run circles around law enforcement.
But criminal psychologists were able to find common threads in their personalities upon closer analysis of these five killers. They were all narcissists and enjoyed being talked about in the media. Gaining fame over the savage crimes they committed meant everything to them as they showed absolutely no mercy to their victims. In their private lives, they would give the appearance of seeming to be quite ordinary and unsuspecting, even managing to have families of their own.
It was mind-boggling how these killers showed absolutely no remorse for their crimes. As time passed and they gained more media attention their crimes became more violent to satisfy their sick fetishes and fantasies. The series also touched on the point that in the ’70s people were more trusting of each other and would even accept lifts from strangers, which would make them prime bait for any one of these five psychos. I guess that they may not have been able to rack up such a high victim list in this day and age where the population is infinitely more suspicious of strangers.
Another common issue that was brought up is the glorification of these killers. Ted Bundy was seen constantly smiling and posing for the camera as he defended himself in court as his own defense lawyer while empty-headed young girls would wait outside the courtroom with signs showing their support.
Although the series is highly captivating, I would not suggest binge-watching it in one sitting. It’s a lot of information to process and the details of the crimes can be a bit much if you are sensitive to that sort of stuff. It weighs heavy on the mind because the crimes were so savage and animalistic. How does one detach oneself to commit such terrible acts to another human being without feeling any remorse? One will never completely understand, but as a true-crime fanatic it is the sort of information extravaganza that we crave from time to time.
Alice’s Score: 9 out of 10
So what’s your favourite true crime doc? And you can check out more true crime reviews below:
Dark Alice has an old soul and a curious mind. I believe that anyone can be a hero and that the good guys should always win! I dislike cruelty to animals and think that they have far superior qualities to humans. My motto is there is no future without the past. I also have a weird penchant for Paranormal TV shows even though the slightest sound makes me jump. I enjoy writing reviews and throwing in fun facts to pique the readers’ curiosity. My ultimate goal in life would be to become a published writer one day. Read More