Psycho Paths: Tracking the Serial Killer Through Contemporary American Film and Fiction

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Summary: COULD HAVE BEEN A KILLER
Review: THE AUTHOR HAD A GREAT IDEA TO WRITE A BOOK ABOUT THE RISE OF THE SERIAL KILLER IN RECENT ('80s AND '90s) POP CULTURE, MOST NOTIBLY IN LITERATURE AND THE CINEMA. THE BOOKS HE CITES ARE THE RED DRAGON, THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (BOTH BY HARRIS), AMERICAN PSYCHO (ELLIS), THE ALIENIST (CARR), AND ZOMBIE (OATES). ON THE VISUAL SIDE, HE DISCUSSES MANHUNTER (MANN), TSOTL (DEMME), SEVEN (FINCHER), NATURAL BORN KILLERS (STONE), KISS THE GIRLS (FLEDERS), AND HENRY:PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER (McNAUGHTON). THIS IS A GREAT SELECTION OF WORKS TO USE TO ILLUSTRATE THE RISE IN POPULARITY OF THIS UNIQUE GENRE AS EACH HAS SOME NAME RECOGNITION OR NOTORIETY TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC. WHY THEN DO I ONLY REWARD THE AUTHOR'S WORK WITH 3 STARS? WHILE READING THE BOOK, I GOT THE DISTINCT FEELING THAT SIMPSON WAS TRYING TO IMPRESS ME WITH HIS DEGREES. TO COMPOUND MATTERS, HE MAKES IT HARD TO FOLLOW HIS DISCUSSION ON A CERTAIN NOVEL OR FILM IF YOU HAVEN'T READ OR SEEN IT. THE WORST PART WAS HAVING TO SLOG THROUGH 8 PAGES OF PREFACE AND THEN 25 (!) PAGES OF INTRODUCTION. I'M NOT ONE TO PUT DOWN A BOOK WITHOUT COMPLETING IT BUT IN THIS CASE I WAS SORELY TEMPTED BEFORE THE FIRST CHAPTER. HAVING SAID THAT, I'M GLAD THAT I PERSEVERED TO GLEAN THE GOOD PARTS OF THE BOOK. IT'S NOT OFTEN THAT I FIND SOMETHING ON MY FAVORITES (THE RED DRAGON, AMERICAN PSYCHO, AND MANHUNTER). THE OTHER BRIGHT SPOTS IN THE BOOK WERE THE 15 PAGES OF NOTES AND 10 PAGES OF WORKS CITED. WHILE NOT FOR MASS CONSUMPTION, THIS BOOK WILL REWARD THE PERSISTENT READER WITH SOME OF WHAT YOU'RE SEARCHING FOR ABOUT THIS GENRE.