What is it that turns someone into a cold blooded killer?It is more than evil, more than bad genes, more thanhorrible childhoods.In this volume the stories reveal the complexities ofabnormal human behaviour. In some cases the reasonappears to be psychosis or demonic voices, for other over-powering compulsions with deep psychological roots, andfor some killing is foreplay to sex.BORN TO BE KILLERS includes Ted Bundy, Jack the Ripper,Lizzie Borden, Robert Durst to name afewhellip;
They were born into this world as innocent children. They ended up as merciless killing machines. How to Make a Serial Killer leads the reader on an insightful, scary, and often disturbing investigation into what made these infamous murderers go bad. Is there really a 'demon seed'? Do genes play a role? Was it their family background? How did pe...
This original screenplay offers fans and film buffs the opportunity to compare Tarantino's original vision with Oliver Stone's version of the story of Mickey and Mallory, outlaw lovers on the run.
Jeffrey Dahmer. Ted Bundy. John Wayne Gacy. Over the past thirty years, serial killers have become iconic figures in America, the subject of made-for-TV movies and mass-market paperbacks alike. But why do we find such luridly transgressive and horrific individuals so fascinating? What compels us to look more closely at these figures when we really want to look away? Natural Born Celebrities considers how serial killers have become lionized in American culture and explores the consequences of their fame. David Schmid provides a historical account of how serial killers became famous and how that fame has been used in popular media and the corridors of the FBI alike. Ranging from H. H. Holmes, whose killing spree during the 1893 Chicago World's Fair inspired The Devil in the White City, right up to Aileen Wuornos, the lesbian prostitute whose vicious murder of seven men would serve as the basis for the hit film Monster, Schmid unveils a new understanding of serial killers by emphasizing both the social dimensions of their crimes and their susceptibility to multiple interpretations and uses. He also explores why serial killers have become endemic in popular culture, from their depiction in The Silence of the Lambs and The X-Files to their becoming the stuff of trading cards and even Web sites where you can buy their hair and nail clippings. Bringing his fascinating history right up to the present, Schmid ultimately argues that America needs the perversely familiar figure of the serial killer now more than ever to manage the fear posed by Osama bin Laden since September 11. "This is a persuasively argued, meticulously researched, and compelling examination of the media phenomenon of the 'celebrity criminal' in American culture. It is highly readable as well."—Joyce Carol Oates
It's an age-old question: is it nature or nurture? Can there really be a 'demon seed' that causes serial killers to act the way they do? Or is it an unfortunate combination of influences and events during their formative years that has turned them into such monsters? But no matter how many people they have killed, no matter how many lives they have ruined and whatever the nature of their sickening crimes, serial killers are still human. Analysing the early years of the lives of men like Jeffrey Dahmer, who abused and killed 17 young men, offers a fascinating insight into the effects of a dysfunctional or abusive childhood. Criminologists Christopher Berry-Dee and Steven Morris have spoken and corresponded with killers all over the world in a quest to discover what made them the way they are. For the first time, the inner workings of the minds of the most destructive individuals on the planet are revealed in shocking detail. Born Killers shows, through a sophisticated system of psychological profiling, how the potential serial killer develops. Read it and you too may be able to spot the signs...
Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis star in this startling film about serial killers. Natural Born Killers is the inside story of Mickey and Mallory, two devil-crossed lovers who come close to destroying the American Dream. Scheduled for release in August 1994, the film is directed by Oliver Stone.
Former cemetery tour guide and reluctant medium Pepper Martin is thrilled when she gets her job back—with a promotion. But her new position is turning out to be more than she can handle, especially with the dead clamoring for her attention… As Garden View Cemetery’s new community relations manager, Pepper is feeling overwhelmed with planning the annual party to attract new sponsors. Luckily, some of the cemetery’s permanent residents have volunteered to give Pepper a ghostly hand, and she’s not about to turn away the help. But when a murdered ghost starts leaving puddles everywhere, Pepper quickly finds her newly acquired free time occupied. The dead man is her ex-boyfriend Quinn’s former partner Jack Haggarty—and he isn’t going away until Pepper figures out the real reason behind his murder. And while Quinn recently had a brush with the afterlife, he still isn’t ready to accept Pepper’s abilities—or offer his skills as a detective. Now, Pepper has to convince Quinn she’s the real deal and investigate Jack’s death—before someone else meets their end in a watery grave...
When Sandy Fawkes met a tall, handsome American in a hotel bar in Atlanta, she could never have dreamed what lay in store. The man told her he was completing a 20,000-mile journey across America. As he was going her way, Sandy accepted his invitation of a lift and they quickly became lovers. What Paul John Knowles failed to tell her was that he had left a trail of bloody murder along his route, a trail which had yet to end. Natural Born Killers is the astonishing true story of one woman and an 18-time killer, how he charmed her, and how she nearly became his 19th victim. This is the intimate account of one of the most gruesome and terrible serial killers in history, told by the woman who survived his fearsome attentions.
Fresh out of film school, aspiring producer Jane Hamsher and her partner Don Murphy stumbled onto a screenplay by a geeky filmmaker-wannabe named Quentin Tarantino. For $10,000, Jane and Don optioned Natural Born Killers and set off on a two-year roller coaster ride no classroom could have prepared them for. With an outrageous cast of real-life characters including Oliver Stone, Woody Harrelson, Robert Downey, Jr., and Juliette Lewis--along with a slew of film-crew leeches and behind-the-scenes studio pitbulls--Killer Instinct rivals the most mesmerizing, gut-wrenching movie scenes. A wild joyride like no other, Hamsher's tale provides a fresh, insider's perspective on stardom and the real balance of power in Hollywood.
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A twisting, haunting true-life murder mystery about one of the most monstrous crimes in American history, from the author of The Wager and The Lost City of Z, “one of the preeminent adventure and true-crime writers working today."—New York Magazine • NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST • NOW A MARTIN SCORSESE PICTURE “A shocking whodunit…What more could fans of true-crime thrillers ask?”—USA Today “A masterful work of literary journalism crafted with the urgency of a mystery.” —The Boston Globe In the 1920s, the richest people per capita in the world were members of the Osage Nation in Oklahoma. After oil was discovered beneath their land, the Osage rode in chauffeured automobiles, built mansions, and sent their children to study in Europe. Then, one by one, the Osage began to be killed off. The family of an Osage woman, Mollie Burkhart, became a prime target. One of her relatives was shot. Another was poisoned. And it was just the beginning, as more and more Osage were dying under mysterious circumstances, and many of those who dared to investigate the killings were themselves murdered. As the death toll rose, the newly created FBI took up the case, and the young director, J. Edgar Hoover, turned to a former Texas Ranger named Tom White to try to unravel the mystery. White put together an undercover team, including a Native American agent who infiltrated the region, and together with the Osage began to expose one of the most chilling conspiracies in American history. Look for David Grann’s latest bestselling book, The Wager!
