Why are women turning serial killers into wistful lovers? Bizarre fan fiction stories about sick murderers, often written by FEMALE authors, may be motivated by a desire to ‘rescue’ monstrous men, psychologist claims
- FEMAIL delves into the bizarre type of fiction shared in online forums
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The well-documented stories of dangerous serial killers remain largely uncontested as the world remains horrified by their monstrous crimes.
But for a small online community, the personal stories of such violent criminals is open to interpretation – and in many cases, the inspiration for romantic plotlines.
A community of amateur true crime fanatics is writing real person fiction (also known as fan fiction) about mass murderers including Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer and the Columbine shooters.
The disturbing tales thought up by the writers, many of whom are women, include X-rated sex scenes between Bundy and Dahmer, as well as Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold who murdered 13 of their classmates in 1999 before turning the guns on themselves. Other distressing excerpts, seen by FEMAIL, re-imagine some of Ted Bundy’s sickening crimes.
Toby Ingham, UKCP registered psychotherapist and author of Retroactive Jealousy, has explained why amateur writers are drawn to such dangerous criminals as subjects – and suggested women in particular may be motivated by a desire to ‘rescue’ the monstrous men.
Real person fiction (or fan fiction) is a phenomenon where amateur writers create stories about people who exist, or have existed, in real life. FEMAIL delves into the dark side of the online trend where serial killers and violent criminals become the subject of twisted love stories such as Ted Bundy (left) and Jeffrey Dahmer (right) forming an illicit romance
Real Person Fiction is a phenomenon in which fans write fictional stories about public figures – often focusing on their favourite celebrities.
Examples of themes that have been explored in depth by fans include romances between bandmates such as Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson in One Direction, when the boyband was still together.
However, stories written by amateurs in online forums also explore much darker themes, with a particular focus on serial killers who have gone down in history for the most sickening crimes ever recorded.
Toby explained the obsession with violent criminals is not uncommon, as many people are ‘drawn into the darkness and the taboo’.
He said: ‘For an author, the murderer’s mind becomes somewhere we can project all kinds of ideas, fantasies and thoughts onto.
‘As we do so they become more compelling and, for some, more attractive. The murderer’s power, their capacity to manipulate and deceive, to act where ordinary citizens would not, is an irresistible subject.’
As for the female obsession with such dark subjects, he said it could be motivated by ‘vicarious power by association’.
He explained: ‘The killer as subject, maybe seen as someone who can go beyond the ordinary moral codes that the rest of us live by, and their capacity to do so is appealing. They are a kind of dark superhero, an irresistible partner.
‘There may be a kind of seductive satisfaction in become absorbed in these themes.’
One notorious criminal who has been the subject of hundreds of fan fiction stories is Ted Bundy, the murderer, rapist and necrophile believed to have had more than 30 female victims.
Another criminal of interest, with dozens of fan fiction stories written about him, is serial killer and sex offender Jeffrey Dahmer, who killed and dismembered at least 17 men for more than a decade until he was finally caught in 1991.
Elliot Rodger, who murdered six people and injured 14 by shooting, stabbing and running them over in 2014 is depicted as a lonely boy struggling with his sexuality
Ted Bundy, who kidnapped, raped and murdered women between 1974 and 1978 taking at least 30 victims, is depicted as a lovesick puppy in some disturbing works of fiction
Between the two monstrous criminals, a specific genre of fan fiction exists called ‘Teffrey’ – which explores a sexual relationship between the pair as they secretly pursue a romantic relationship.
The disturbing depiction of the relationship shows Dahmer falling for Bundy by looking into his blue eyes and imagining what it would be like to kill him in a twisted sexual fantasy.
Another theme explored in the bizarre stories is a close friendship between Jeffrey Dahmer and UK serial killer Denis Nilsen, both of whom ate their victims after killing them.
One story delves into the twisted friendship between the serial killers as they bond over their violent crimes and disgusting desires, in what has insensitively been dubbed ‘cannibroism’.
In one particularly bizarre and offensive theme, known as ‘cannibroism’, Jeffrey Dahmer and Dennis Nilsen, serial killers who both ate their victims, form a friendship over their shared sick interest
Elsewhere, there is a theme of empathy for Ted Bundy, who raped and brutally murdered more than 30 women and girls between 1974 and 1978, and is believed to have had more victims than he admitted to.
Fan fiction stories explore his childhood through a lens of understanding, depicting scenarios in which he might have been teased at school while wanting to be loved – whereas other sickening tales suggest scenarios in which he falls in love with some of his victims.
Elliot Rodger, the so-called ‘incel’ who killed six people and injured 14 others by shooting, stabbing and running them over in an attack driven by misogynistic motives, is depicted as a closeted gay man who struggles to grapple with his sexuality in several of the stories about him.
Dozens of fan fiction stories explore Rodger, who took his own life after his killing spree in 2014, as a troubled young man who wants to be loved, in a twisted re-imagining of the horrific crimes he committed.
Toby said the approach of empathy when dealing with such monstrous killers is no doubt ‘creepy’, but also ‘sets free’ the narrative of people who have been locked up.
He argued it was a type of ‘saviour complex’ in which ‘the writer is able to nurture the killer and turn them around’.
‘Through writing, they can act out a need to help, heal or rescue the damaged men and play with the pathological idea that they can empathise with the killer,’ he said.
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