True Crime Community
| RPF Fandom | |
|---|---|
| Name(s): | True Crime Community, TCC, True Crime, Serial Killers Fandom |
| Scope/Focus: | violent criminals |
| Date(s): | |
| See also: | Serial Killers, Columbiner |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
This article or section needs expansion. |
The True Crime Community is the fandom centered on notorious criminals, particularly serial killers and mass murderers. The fandom focuses on real lives and events as well as media based on true crime.
These fans are sometimes known as "groupies" of criminals. "True Crime Community" is the name preferred by members of the group.
Serial Killer Fandoms can be considered a subsection of True Crime fandoms and many regard these fans negatively and controversially.
Fandom
True crime is a popular non-fiction genre, and some fan-produced media in this genre have developed their own fandoms. For example, My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast with a fan following that call themselves, Murderinos. BuzzFeed Unsolved is another example: roughly half of the show's episodes, including the first few to air, center around real-life unsolved crimes.
Popular activities in the TCC include reviewing the details of crimes, learning about details of the criminal's background and early personal life, and understanding the criminal's psyche and motivations by reading/watching their statements, manifestos, trials, etc. With unsolved murders or disappearances, true crime fans often review and discuss details of the crime and theorize about who may or may not have been responsible. WebSleuths is one such community of ordinary people discussing clues or details in ongoing missing people cases or unsolved murders.
Some believe that these fannish activities are overly sympathetic towards criminals, or sideline the victim's narrative. Many fans of True Crime do not view these activities as humanizing murderers or condoning the crimes committed. In fact, there have also been criticisms of true crime fans been overly flippant about death penalty or the punishment murderers should receive. [1]
There are different groups within the TCC interested in different kinds of criminals. A focus on Serial Killers or School Shooters are common. Columbiners are the biggest school shooter fandom.[2]
There are also well known murderers/criminals who have large fan followings. These include Charles Manson, Ted Bundy (whose fandom is known as Tednation), Jeffrey Dahmer, Richard Ramirez, John Wayne Gacy, etc.
Attraction
Fans of True Crime are sometimes referred to as "groupies" of criminals. There have been widely publicized cases in which criminals in prison received fan mail and some even married female fans after corresponding with them through letters.[3] These real life events may have influenced the usage of this term. Fans who write letters to serial killers are often discussed in true crime online communities, with many true crime fans confused or disgusted by the actions of groupies.[4]
Some people question TCC fans interest in True Crime stories and struggle to understand the appeal of the genre.
Relation to Fiction
There are many works of fiction that center on criminals and killers, and also many works that are based on real killers. See Serial Killers for more on specific fandoms.
Controversy
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Example Fanworks
| Examples Wanted: Editors are encouraged to add more examples or a wider variety of examples. |
Links & Resources
References
- ^ The My Favorite Murder Problem: The stories we tell about crime too often prop up fantasies about law enforcement and justice, New Republic article, published Nov 22 2019.
- ^ Inside the World of Columbine-Obsessed Tumblr Bloggers a Vice article published February 24, 2015.
- ^ Mass Murderers who wrote fan letters
- ^ Killers' Groupies discussion at r/serialkillers, March 2019.