Who doesn’t love reading about serial killers??! I have read a few of the other books by this author and I love how he really captures the people in the book in the ways he tells the stories. Love it and will be front row to more of his books!

The idea of the book seems quite attractive to me, and the comments made by the author seem very accurate. It makes you see things from another point of view, in addition to examining the origins of the films themselves, offering an interesting look at production issues, script, even the effects that some had when they hit the screens.

Full review scheduled for March 18: https://tintanocturna.blogspot.com/2021/03/resena-review-serial-killers-at-movies.html

I love all things true crime. TV documentaries, films, and a lot of books. When I saw this book was coming out, I knew I had to get my hands on it. It sounded so intriguing and right up my alley.

This story is conversations with serial killers about how their crimes became inspirations for movie and a little comparison to the real thing. I love hearing from the minds that committed these terrible crimes. I’ve always been interested in the thought process or the reasoning behind why murderers commit crimes and hearing from them about their own crimes is kind of interesting.

My only issue was the beginning of the book kind of jumped around and so I struggled to stay interested at first. I had to stop and then come back to it before I got hooked in. Otherwise it was intriguing and any true crime lover should absolutely check this out.

I will be checking out more books by Christopher Berry-Dee as I have recently learned he has a ton of amazing sounding books about true crime and the sales to back up the quality of these works. I cannot wait to read them all.

This one was a bit of a mixed bag, honestly. Anyone that knows me knows I LOVE all things "true crime" and I love horror movies. So this should have been a home run for me. Alas, I often found it boring and long winded. You can't love them all, right?

Unfortunately I couldn't finish this book because it got archived long before I could finish it so I am going to talk about those first two chapters I read!

Author's work is commendable especially when he literally tells that all those serial Killers we watched in movies are actually inspired from real life. I was completely hooked to the pages whenever I read those chapters! They were thrilling and horrifying and gave many goosebumps! I wish if I could read it further.

Let me begin my review my telling you that Christopher Berry-Dee has written another book about serial killers, called Talking with Serial Killers. Mr Berry-Dee would like that. He's very proud of that book -- so much so that he mentions it and how great it is at least once a chapter in this book. Would you like to know about John Wayne Gacy? There's a chapter on him in Serial Killers at the Movies, but the one in Talking with Serial Killers is much more complete and detailed. Mr Berry-Dee definitely thinks you should read that one. I'm starting to think he wrote this book just to tell us all about that one.

But on to the book at hand, which has me feeling so conflicted. The cover is great. The premise sounds really interesting. The first chapter on the inspirations behind The Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal Lecter is so well done, I was sure at that point this was going to be a five-star book review. And then...

And then, Mr Berry-Dee seriously (I think) suggests that while there is NOTHING supernatural about the backstory behind The Amityville Horror, his friend seems to be in possession of some photographic evidence that the police deny knowing about which has somehow magicked itself into existence. (I kid you not.) I was willing to play along with that, after all, we're talking about Amityville here.

And then the wheels really start to fall off. It seems to stop mattering if the real life serial killers have actually inspired the authors or screenwriters. If Mr Berry-Dee thinks they have, then they have. If there's no serial killers that fit the movie, that's okay too. I'm not sure this would bother me as much if he hadn't set his bar so high in the well-researched first chapter. The story of Aileen Wuornos (the inspiration for Monster) made him cry, but we never find out why - unless it's in the other book, I forget. He also has some pretty strong feelings about what movies should be seen, and which are a waste of time, even shoe-horning some into the books when they barely fit the premise. Spoiler Alert (not really) - He's a big fan of American Mafia movies. There's a strange "Intermission" about what makes good movies. And that's perfectly fine, but that's not why we're here.

Mr Berry-Dee's misogyny and ego are on full display here. For him, women are to be things of beauty, and more likely to commit suicide when ugly and disfigured, Aileen Wuornos' unfortunate appearance (in his eyes) takes up a chunk of her chapter. We're reminded many times that he's not like other writers. He's gotten gifts from police departments. He's brought down serial killers.

I wanted to like this book more, but I was left feeling a bit underwhelmed. I wish the author would have edited the list of movies and focus, going into more detail on less movies. He clearly knows his stuff when it comes to serial killers, but it seems like he tried to jam so much into the book that it was a bit scattered and disjointed.

Thanks to NetGalley and AdLib Publishers for the opportunity to read Serial Killers at the Movies in return for my honest opinions.

Thank you to Netgalley, Ad Lib Publishers and Christopher Berry-Dee on the arc of Serial Killers at The Movies.

5 Star read- Another Immense superb book from Christopher Berry-Dee about Serial killers! He has written many books about serial killers and knows what he is doing when writing about them! This new one targets Hollywood's obsession with serial killers! and it analyzes which movies are accurate on them and which are just a fail and shambles... and he goes into details hit films such as Silence of the Lambs to Zodiac, Pyscho and even The Amityville Horror! he goes deep into details on what serial killer they could have been focusing the film about to delving deep into what elements are facts, I loved hearing about the lesser known serial killers as well as the poor popular and well known ones this was such a great read and such written so well I love his movie analysis's in this book as there so detailed and factual!

Totally Recommend- 5 Stars!
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I love a good crime book whether it’s fiction or non-fiction, especially if it involves serial killers. The writer is a criminologist and has interviewed countless criminals and serial killers in his time so he does provide insight into the criminals and the circumstances of their crimes at times. There are recommendations for some great movies here and condemnation for others that have strayed from fact for entertainment purposes. Some of the crime details are truly fascinating but some are not as in-depth as I would have liked. Some were very detailed but brief. I felt like the author was so intent on including so many films that he didn’t spend enough time on any of them. Towards the end of the book more and more films were mentioned without much discussion of the true crimes. I got the sense that the author was for more punitive actions for prisoners so that they wouldn’t want to return after there time was served. The author believes that the younger generation is committed to finding the facts over opinions. I hope he’s right because in this day and age facts seem to hold less weight. The author is British and I sometimes didn’t understand the vernacular. I also felt that he was often promoting his previous book. There were some typos and errors often found in ARC’s that will hopefully be corrected at time of publication. Overall I liked the book but think it needs more fleshing out. A good editor would do this book a lot of good. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

The degree to which crime stories saturate our cultural (re)productions, especially in North America, is alternately fascinating and troubling. As writers and directors adapt from real-life tragedy, what do their films lose or gain in eliciting fear and revulsion in their viewers? What are the ethics of this complex process? Christopher Berry-Dee’s Serial Killers at the Movies: My Intimate Talks with Mass Murderers who Became Stars of the Big Screen (Ad Lib Publishers 2021) investigates the fraught relationship real-life killers and their crimes have with Hollywood and popular culture.

Films about serial murder/heinous killers are, historically, major blockbusters. They have the ability to generate cult followings and large international audiences. These films can even, in the case of a film like The Silence of the Lambs (1991), win coveted awards. However, where did the ideas or inspirations behind such iconic movie villains come from? Christopher Berry-Dee, an accomplished true crime researcher who has had an extensive film, television, and writing career in part through interviewing serial murderers, argues that we can trace the sources for these films back to the real world. Berry-Dee talks the reader through some of history’s most iconic cinematic products. He recounts the ethical and stylistic aspects of each film at the same time that he details the real crimes that inspired them.

Although short, Berry-Dee’s book packs a punch. While I am not a horror fan, I truly think there is a story for everyone in this book. Hearing the stories behind so many of these films was truly fascinating, and I particularly enjoyed reading about The Silence of the Lambs, Psycho (1960), The Amityville Horror (1979), and Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974). However, Berry-Dee also discusses films that are directly based in real life, such as Monster (2003) or Zodiac (2007).Many of the films Berry-Dee discusses are hugely influential horror films that changed the genre, and this book is a fresh take on how these films interact with the culture they were produced in. Not only is this book about the intersection between cinematic crime and real crime, but it is also about how these films were made, and the often-stunning series of events behind why we have the masterpieces we do today. There is something very comprehensive about Berry-Dee’s writing that serves as both true crime, film criticism, and downright interesting storytelling.

I was most intrigued by Berry-Dee’s discussion of ethics. He points out that the troubling world of film often abandons moral obligation or teachable moments in favour of the scare image of a slasher film. I was particularly interested in this discussion in relation to The Amityville murders and Ted Bundy. Both sets of crimes have, as Berry-Dee points out, evolved into their own cinematic industries. The story of Amityville has degenerated, becoming less about a cowardly family annihilator and more about a haunting that does not exist. The mythology around Bundy, Berry-Dee argues, has developed into what he calls ‘Bundy Land,’ a cinematic universe in which various iterations of Ted Bundy exist and evolve in ways that are problematic rather than productive. The industries that profit off of mythologized killers are themselves responsible for the mythology, and this cultural feedback loop generates into the Bundy/Amityville industries of the horror genre.

Berry-Dee also fascinatingly discusses a subgenre of serial murderers in movies by addressing certain films that dramatize criminal environments, such as a mafia film or even a film set in the American prison system. Although he argues that some of these films do better than others, I was intrigued by this aspect of Berry-Dee’s book because it is a different take on the ethics question—if we know the prison system to be a deeply flawed one, how are we then representing it on the screen, and who is that representation serving? All of these questions are debated in Berry-Dee’s book.

While I found this book very entertaining, I would point out that it is not for the faint of heart. In his ambition to showcase the links between real-life criminals and their on-screen counterparts, Berry-Dee recounts the crimes of these killers in explicit detail. While I knew many of the details already, I did not relish in reading them again. I’m not sure a book like this could be written without many of these kinds of facts, and certainly Berry-Dee’s firsthand experience with these murderers plays into many of these accounts but be forewarned: this book is dark. That said, I did learn about several serial offenders I had not encountered before, so I want to avoid giving the impression that Berry-Dee is covering well-trodden ground. If he repeats anything, it appears to be mostly necessary for the book’s analysis.

Overall, I felt that this book was an interesting intervention into the true crime genre and reexamining the serial murderer in the context of film is a worthwhile endeavor. I recommend this book for any horror film buff looking for more insight into the origin of films and the details of the crimes that inspired them.

Please add Serial Killers at the Movies to your Goodreads shelf and have a look at Christopher Berry-Dee’s Website.

Don’t forget to follow True Crime Index on Twitter and please visit our Goodreads for updates on what we’re reading! You can find Rachel on her personal @RachelMFriars or on Goodreads @Rachel Friars.

About the Writer:

Rachel M. Friars (she/her) is a PhD student in the Department of English Language and Literature at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. She holds a BA and an MA in English Literature with a focus on neo-Victorianism and adaptations of Jane Eyre. Her current work centers on neo-Victorianism and nineteenth-century lesbian literature and history, with secondary research interests in life writing, historical fiction, true crime, popular culture, and the Gothic. Her academic writing has been published with Palgrave Macmillan and in The Journal of Neo-Victorian Studies and is forthcoming from Crime Studies Journal and Edinburgh University Press. She is a reviewer for The Lesbrary, the co-creator of True Crime Index, and an Associate Editor and Social Media Coordinator for PopMeC Research Collective. Rachel is co-editor-in-chief of the international literary journal, The Lamp, and regularly publishes her own short fiction and poetry. Find her on Twitter and Goodreads.

A digital copy of this book was graciously provided to True Crime Index from Ad Lib Publishers in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very difficult book to review. There was so much packed into the pages and some of the chapters were more interesting than others.

This is a non-fiction book based on real-life serial killers who were based on movies we watch such as “The Silence of the Lambs”, “Texas Chainsaw Masaacre” and “The Amnityville Horror”.

The book goes through several movies and delineates which ones are based on fact and fiction. Since I have seen all the movies referenced and read several of the books there was an expectation that this would be a great book.

The opening chapters started strong and the author made some interesting parallels between movies and true crime. The inspiration for “The Silence of the Lambs” killer surprised me the most.

It did seem to me like the author was trying to cram as many killers into the book as possible and it seemed a bit scattered. It would have been better for the book to focus on a handful and really delve into those in greater detail.

This is not a light read and it is not for everyone. I love to devour everything on serial killers and true crime. Warning that this book does have some gory scenes and disappointed that it was a bit dry at times. It is a good reference to many beloved movies and if you read it, I guarantee you will learn something.

Serial Killers at the Movies is perfect for readers who have loved horror and thriller movies! If you were a fan of the famous movie killers like Hannibal Lecter, Norman Bates, or the killer from s7ven and wanted to learn how writers came up with these twisted foes, this book is a perfect starting point!

Anyone who is a true crime buff will be familiar with about 80% of the killers profiled in the story. Since Berry-Dee is giving readers a tiny glimpse into lots of killers and movies, you don't get a lot of deep information. However, if you are new to true crime, this is perfect for you. Even me, an admitted true crime addict, enjoyed connecting some of the killers I have read about previously to movies that I hadn't realized were connected.

Serial Killers at the Movies will appeal to those who love scary stories-be it movies or non-fiction! The book touches on many movies, several I hadn't seen (I love true crime; I do not love scary movies). If you are a movie buff who wants the real deal on the "inspirational" killers, you must add this to your TBR!

As an avid horror movie fan and true crime buff, this book totally "hit the spot". There were a few film and TV movie references that I hadn't heard of, which was all the more intriguing because it's been a while since I've been able to add to my to-be-watched list. I appreciated Berry-Dee's opinions on how true-to-life some of the documentaries and fiction adaptations were, and I took in his suggestions as to what was worth my time and what I should avoid watching. Other horror movie and true crime devotees will find details they have already heard, but Berry-Dee does a great job weaving in his own experiences interviewing various serial killers and his extensive research to add in tidbits many may have never known. For example, I was already aware of some of the Silence of the Lambs real-life connections, but the author still managed to surprise me. It definitely made for interesting reading! Just keep in mind that this is not an objective investigative piece -- Berry-Dee is very forthcoming about his opinions and how they factor in throughout the book. This work is not necessarily meant as a reference piece but instead an interesting look into several movie adaptations and the killers who either inspired them or whose lives were portrayed on film.

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“Serial Killers at the Movies” is a must-read for fans of serial killers, in both literature and on the big screen. This book gives a breakdown of what Hollywood did right (and where they chose to twist the storylines for their profit). Thank you @netgalley for my ARC!
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Recently I have become more interested in true crime and serial killer stories. I was never a fan of those movies growing up and still not but reading about it is different.
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This was a hard book to digest at times. In detail are the murders of some of the most well known serial killers come to life on the pages. I enjoyed reading more about serial killers and how they became to be in the movies that we know today.
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Some are:
Amityville Horror
Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Ted Bundy
Charles Manson
Boston Strangler
Zodiac
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A lot of research went into this book. It is not for the faint of heart. A lot of triggers are in this book so be aware! Some are murder, rape, dismemberment, shooting, stabbing, burial.

This feels like such a hard book to do a review on. On one hand, I really enjoyed getting kind of a list of different real-life events that inspired slasher movies and their serial killers. On the other hand, being that there is a lot of true crime information you’re given, it would’ve been easier to read and digest if there were fewer movies being referenced and instead going into more detail of the true crime itself and how that particular movie was inspired by it. The author is a criminologist so there are a lot of really interesting points he makes in relation to his profession and his knowledge. There is a lot of social commentary in how the public view serial killers based on how they are portrayed in the movies and how there is most definitely a commonality of romancing their crimes within documentaries and the such. Very interesting in that regard.

If you’re looking to just see a lot of serial killer name drops then you’ll definitely get that in here. From the more well know like Ted Bundy and John Wayne Gacy to the more obscure (unless you’re a true crime fan) like Ed Gein.

ARC via Netgalley

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read this book.

This book was fascinating. I enjoyed it and will look for more by this author. If you’re a true crime reader you will enjoy this book.

This book was definitely not what I was expecting. My expectation: movies about serial killers. The reality: serial killers in various types of media, plus some killings that don't exactly fit the definition of 'serial', ex: mafia hits. While I didn't really learn anything new, the book overall was interesting, though it seemed to wander around a bit, especially at the end.

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Taking us on a cinematic journey through some of the most famous films in history Berry-Dee tries to shine a light on the true life crimes and killers that writers and film makers have taken inspiration from over the years. In some instances this is explored in quite gory details, I have to admit some chapters created more of an impact than others.

The author is not shy when it comes to expressing his opinions and at times that can come across as smug but I appreciate the purpose of him writing this book. We as a public have a fascination with serial killers and they achieve a mythical like status in history. But what of their victims or the victims friends and family, what consideration is paid to them when yet another adaptation of their story is given the Hollywood treatment. When entertainment is of more importance than historical accuracy. He is not asking the story not to be told but do it respectfully and with truth.

I have not read Berry-Dee’s book Talking with Serial Killers but by the end of this book I am certainly aware it exists. It is referenced a lot, I’m not joking I was tempted to count at one point. But on a serious point Berry-Dee does also provide a whole plethora of further sources of information to those wanting to know more about the crimes and killers referenced. Which of course has just added to my TBR!

This kept Hannah (buddy read) and I entertained and provided lot of points for discussion. Certainly one for true crime and film fans!

Thank you for @netgalley and @adlibpublishers for this copy.

While this book combines two of my loves in reading: horror/true crime, I felt some of the chapters were drawn out. Also, I felt as if other topics could have been included in the book. I definitely enjoyed the fact that several of the movies included in the box were some of my favorites.

This book brought my two loves together true crime and horror/slasher movies, I couldn’t get enough of it. I highlighted the heck out of this book, there are so many books I want to go read now because of it. Christopher Berry-Dee writing had me hooked and I can’t wait to read more from him. I have heard of some of the crimes in this book and I will be looking up the others shortly. I would be recommending this to all my true crime friends ASAP. Thank you Netgalley and Ad Lib Publishers for letting me read this wonderful book.

An entertaining short read about the serial killers that created the fictional serial killers in movies. The disturbingly long intro that dragged on forever got this book brought down to 3 stars. The stories of the true life serial killers were quite interesting and then, once again, when the book went to describing how they influenced movie serial killers it slowed the pace down to extreme boredom again.