True Crime
Reflections on the True Crime Genre
“Is Today's True Crime Fascination Really About Justice?”
Read Jennifer M. Wood’s article on true crime from WIRED magazine (external link) for further perspectives on the true crime genre.“I think this explosion is due in part to the aesthetics of true crime storytelling: Crime stories, especially ones that involve a trial, have perfect dramatic structure—there is a clear beginning, middle, and end to the story,” Berlinger says. “Something horrific occurs, there is a search for the guilty person, a conclusion to the legal proceeding, and then hopefully justice is served.”
See also:
“Is Our Obession With True Crime Morally Irresponsible?” by Molly Fosco, Huffpost.
“The Ethical Dilemma of Highbrow True Crime” by Alice Bolin, Vulture.
“The Enduring, Pernicious Whiteness of True Crime” by Elon Green, The Appeal.
Policeman posing with prisoners. Photo from Burns Collection
Interesting article in The New Yorker about photography and crime. Read Alexandra Schwartz’ “The Long Collusion of Photography and Crime.
True Crime and Gender
Read the Mother Jones article “True Crime is Cathartic for Women. It’s Also Cop Propaganda” by P.E. Moskowitz about fixation with true crime.
Opening paragraph:
I was walking down the street wearing big headphones. I wear them everywhere, like many women, trans, and queer people I know, to avoid hearing men’s street harassment. And in my headphones I was listening to a Dateline NBC podcast episode about a woman being murdered. It struck me as kind of sick—listening to stories of women’s suffering for my enjoyment in order to avoid a milder form of suffering in the real world. But that’s the appeal of the true crime genre: We like it because it confirms that the world is dangerous and bad. But unlike the real world, in which men harass and assault and murder women, true crime can always be switched off.
Read the The New York Times essay “Why Do Women Love True Crime?” by Kate Tuttle.
In Cold Blood
Interview with Truman Capote about In Cold Blood (poor audio quality, though).
Beyond In Cold Blood
In his research and travels, Truman Capote was joined by childhood friend (and bestselling author of To Kill a Mockingbird) Harper Lee. Later, she would work on her own true crime book that she never finished. See the report below.
And hey, go further and read Casey Cep’s Furious Hours which works as both a true crime book, a biography of Lee, and a discussion of the true crime genre in general.
Click on the cover and be forwarded to Saxo.com
The Staircase
Trailer for the Netflix version of The Staircase.
Digital special about a theory that was not included in the show (spoilers for the show).
House of Secrets: the Burari Deaths
“House of Secrets” (Leena Yadav: 2021) is a docuseries that investigates the complex realities behind the Burari deaths.
Kingston Trio. Such gruesome songs!
Murder Ballads
Here follows examples of murder ballads that you can listen to and analyse. To get some proper background information about the genre, you could check out journalist Paul Slade’s extensive research about classic murder songs. Click here to go to his site Planet Slade.
Also, Wikipedia has an interesting introduction here.
Women and Murder Ballads
Check out an interesting article about the female artists who “flipped the script” on the traditional murder ballads where women were often the victims.
From SheShreds.com, the article “The History of Murder Ballads and the Women Who Flipped the Script” by Karen Hogg.
From British Library
https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/broadside-account-of-a-cruel-and-inhuman-murder
Regarding sexist use of of the word ‘shrew’ :
https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/broadside-ballad-on-the-cruel-shrew
On original murder ballads as a form of journalism
Read the points here at Planet Slade.
Also, listen to Dolly Parton’s America, episode 1: “Sad Ass Songs”. Timestamp 21:00 til 27:00.
“Tom Dooley”
Arguably one of the most famous murder ballads. To get some background info, we refer you to Paul Slade’s research here and a Wikipedia article.
Kingston Trio performs “Tom Dooley”. Read one version of the lyrics here. And hey, there is a Danish version of the song as well!
Different Versions of “Stagger Lee”
From PlanetSlade about the background of the song.
The James Brown version (link to YouTube).
Samuel Jackson version from the movie Black Snake Moan (link to audio on YouTube).
Nick Cave’s version (trigger warning! Lyrics are absolutely NSFW! - But the dancing is quite contagious).
Neko Case performs “Deep Red Bells”. Read annotated lyrics here (from Genius.com).
More Illegal Activities …
True crime articles
“The incredible True Story of the Collar Bomb Heist” by Rich Schapiro, WIRED: 27 December, 2010
“Murder by Craigslist” by Hanna Rosin, The Atlantic: Aug. 2013
“What made this university researcher snap?” by Amy Wallace, Wired: February, 2011
“What If Your Abusive Husband Is a Cop?” the New Yorker: Sept. 2019
“Rebecca Coriam: lost at sea” by Jon Ronson, the Guardian: Nov. 2011
“The murderers next door” by Jenny Kleeman, the Guardian: 15 Oct. 2014
“Their trauma, our entertainment: What happens to documentary subjects when the cameras leave?” by Tim Adams, the Guardian, Feb. 12 2023.
Documentaries
The Act of Killing, dir. Joshua Oppenheimer, Final Cut for Real: 2012
The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst, dir. Andrew Jarecki, HBO documentaries: 2015
Capturing the Friedmans, dir. Andrew Jarecki, HBO documentaries: 2003
O. J.: Made in America dir. Ezra Edelman, ESPN Films: 2016
The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley, dir. Alex Gibney, HBO documentaries: 2019
Mommy Dead and Dearest, dir. Erin Lee Carr, HBO documentaries: 2017
Evil Genius: The True Story of America's Most Diabolical Bank Heist, dir. Trey Borzillieri and Barbara Schroeder, Duplass Brothers Productions: 2018 (see also the WIRED article above which is about the same case).
Making a Murderer, dir. Moira Demos and Laura Ricciardi, Synthesis Films: 2015
Tickled dir. David Farrier and Dylan Reeve, A Ticklish Tale, et al.: 2016
Podcasts
Murder and missing persons
Serial (season one) hosted by Sarah Koenig, This American Life, 3 Oct. 2014
Missing & Murdered: Finding Cleo hosted by Connie Walker, CBC Radio, 2018
The Assassination, BBC World Service, 27 Dec. 2017
Someone Knows Something (season 1), CBC Podcasts, 14. nov. 2016
Sexual assault and #metoo
Believed, NPR, 22 Oct. 2018
The Catch and Kill Podcast by Ronan Farrow, Pineapple Street Studios, 26 Nov. 2019
Terrorism
Economic crime and fraud
Gangster Capitalism, C13Originals, 14 May 2019
The Dream (season 1 about MLM’s and season 2 about the wellness industry), Little Everywhere & Stitcher
The Dropout, ABC News Nightline & ABC Radio, 15 Jan. 2019
Slow Burn (season one – about Watergate) hosted by Leon Neyfakh, Slate, 28 Nov. 2017
Systemic issues (racism, criminal justice system, etc.)
In the Dark (season 1 or 2), APM Reports, 7 Sept. 2016
The Queen, Slate, 13 May 2019
The Last Days of August by Jon Ronson, Audible, 11 April 2019