Murders and Acquisitions: Representations of the Serial Killer in Popular Culture - Paperback

by Alzena MacDonald (Editor)

The 'serial killer' has become increasingly prevalent in popular culture since the term was coined by Robert Ressler at the FBI in the mid-1970s. Murders and Acqusitions explores the social and political implications of this cultural figure. The collection argues that the often blood-chilling representations of the serial killer and serial killing offered in TV series, films, novels and fan productions function to address contemporary concerns and preoccupations. Focusing on well-known popular culture texts, such as The Wire, Kiss the Girls, Monster, the Saw series, American Psycho, The Strangers, CSI and Dexter, this electic anthology engages with a broad spectrum of cultural theory and performs critical textual analysis to examine the sophisticated ways the serial killer is deployed to mediate and/or work through cultural anxieties and fears.

Author Biography

Alzena MacDonald is a Lecturer in Communication and Cultural Studies at Curtin University, Western Australia. She teaches extensively in the area of Literary and Cultural Studies. Her research interests include representations of crime/horror, Indian nationalisms, and postcoloniality.