True crime formats are a guarantor for success for TV channels, publishers and radio stations. Whether fiction or documentary, every serial killer has their own movie on streaming providers. An interest in crime is part of human nature. The question "Who did it?" keeps the audience hooked to their screens or headphones. Fear and thrills provide an endorphin rush. True crime fans put themselves in the shoes of the investigators and empathize with the victims. They try to learn to arm themselves for their own lives in order to better recognize real dangers. Where does the hype around true crime come from?
Marc Smerling is an American film producer, screenwriter, cinematographer, and director. He was nominated for an Oscar for Capturing the Friedmans in 2003, and co-wrote and produced The Jinx, a six-part HBO documentary on suspected murderer Robert Durst. He directed the FX docuseries A Wilderness of Error based on the book of the same name.