Killer Instinct

A book has been on my mind recently, mostly because I'm currently reading it.  The book in question is Darkly Dreaming Dexter, the book that inspired the hit Showtime series, Dexter.  As of this blog, I'm only about half way through it.  (No spoilers, please.  I'll probably review it at a later date/when I'm done reading it.)  If you don't know the story or series, I'll give you a brief rundown.  The main character is Dexter, a blood splatter specialist for the Miami-Dade Police Department.  If there's blood on a scene, Dexter can tell you how it got there, at least from a scientific standpoint.  However, Dexter also has a dark secret:  he's a serial killer.  He has a bit of a conscience, though, as he only kills people whom he knows are also serial killers.  

I'd say he cut himself shaving, but he obviously still has a beard.

However, Dexter himself isn't the subject of this article.  As I said, we'll get to him at a later date.  Instead, reading this book has reminded me of a certain fascination I've had since at least high school:  serial killers.  Average monsters certainly have their place in horror.  Vampires, zombies, werewolves, ghosts, goblins, all are fascinating parts of the horror genre in their own rights.  Serial killers, however, are worlds above those supernatural baddies.  Serial killers are much scarier.  Why?  Because they are a very real threat in our world.  Jeffery Dahmer, Ed Gein, Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, all were very real monsters that stalked and killed in our world.  

So, why do I find that I'm fascinated by serial killers?  I always thought it was because of some of the entertainment that I take in.  Crime shows on TV are my bread and butter.  I've read mystery novels by the dozens, most of them Alex Cross and Lincoln Rhyme, both cops who specialize in serial killers.  However, I think my fascination goes a bit deeper than that.  I believe I find them fascinating because I'm afraid of them.  And here's where this ties into the Haunted Drive-In.

Here at the Drive-In, we love horror.  I can't speak for Rabbi, but as for myself, I like horror because it is fascinating.  I love watching horror movies and analyzing why certain scenes are scary and others aren't.  I like hunting down the scariest movies and testing my horror limits.  By extension, I like studying serial killers.  I like finding out what makes them tick, seeing how they think.  In essence, I like solving the mystery of the killer.  

Serial killers are just one aspect of horror that have taught me that not all horror elements are fictional.  They can be sadistic, cruel, and uncaring, and they just feel the need, the urge, to kill more and more people.  They are the embodiment of human's evil and cruelty toward other human beings.  And they can be anyone.  The neighbor down the street, the school janitor, your own brother.  Nobody can truly spot a serial killer until they strike.  That is why they are terrifying.  On that note, have a safe night.  Check all the doors and windows.  And don't forget under the bed...