Abigail Breslin has admitted that she’s a huge true crime junkie, even sharing that she and her boyfriend watch Dateline almost every night. And she’s far from alone. True crime is hotter than ever, and fictional crime isn’t far behind. But why are people so fascinated by it, and how is Hollywood making the most of this obsession?
First, it’s worth clarifying what we mean by “true crime.” Technically, it covers all real-life criminal acts, from white-collar fraud like the schemes in The Wolf of Wall Street to organized crime as seen in Black Mass, as well as war crimes and cybercrime. What most people think of, however, are the kinds of crimes that could happen in any neighborhood — murders, assaults, kidnappings. The stories that make the evening news.
Television news has played a huge role in the popularity of the genre. The saying “if it bleeds, it leads” sums it up perfectly. The 24-hour news cycle thrives on shocking headlines, and for many viewers, the fear becomes addictive. Hollywood quickly tapped into that fascination, creating some unforgettable movies about serial killers, from the fictional brilliance of The Silence of the Lambs to the haunting crime puzzle of Se7en. Brad Pitt, who starred in Se7en, once reflected on its concept of basing murders on the seven deadly sins, calling it a very smart and engaging idea that caught him completely by surprise.
While Se7en was pure fiction, there’s often no shortage of chilling true events to inspire stories. Sometimes filmmakers stick closely to real-life cases, and other times they take creative liberties. The film Stillwater, for example, drew heavily from the Amanda Knox case, where an American woman was imprisoned in Italy for a murder she may or may not have committed. Director Tom McCarthy explained that he was fascinated by the premise of an American woman trapped in a foreign legal system and wanted to explore the emotional and personal dynamics of that scenario without directly retelling Knox’s story.
Another reason people gravitate toward true crime is relatability. Viewers often put themselves in the shoes of the victims, thinking how easily the same thing could happen to them. But sometimes they also connect with the darker side of the perpetrator. Woody Harrelson has pointed out that everyone has some degree of violence within them — serial killers simply occupy the most extreme end of that spectrum.
There’s also a more practical side to the appeal. Some studies suggest that watching true crime gives people a sense of preparedness, almost like picking up survival tips without realizing it. This might explain why women, who statistically make up the majority of serial killer victims, are among the genre’s most devoted fans. On the lighter side, there’s the fun of playing detective, guessing who committed the crime before the big reveal. Filmmaker Rian Johnson has said he grew up loving whodunnits, noting that audiences light up at the mention of a good mystery because the genre invites them to participate in solving the puzzle.
With all of these reasons in play, it’s no wonder true crime continues to captivate audiences. Whether rooted in reality or purely imagined, these stories speak to something universal. Darkness exists in everyone, which means there will always be new crimes to uncover and new films to tell their stories.
