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Why do women love watching true crime murder shows?

I have dated a few women in my time and one trend I have picked up is that they are obsessed with shows about real life murder. They binge watch them late into the night and all I can think is, how can you watch this stuff before going to bed? Especially since it’s all true. I haven’t met any guys that enjoy these types of shows but women flock to them and I can’t understand why? Has anyone else noticed this in their wife or girlfriend?
 

Durask

Member
I have dated a few women in my time and one trend I have picked up is that they are obsessed with shows about real life murder. They binge watch them late into the night and all I can think is, how can you watch this stuff before going to bed? Especially since it’s all true. I haven’t met any guys that enjoy these types of shows but women flock to them and I can’t understand why? Has anyone else noticed this in their wife or girlfriend?

Yes.
Serial killer shows - Criminal Minds, The Mentalist, Silence of the Lambs, you name it. Real life - not as much but definitely some.
It's not recent.
 
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INC

Member
I have dated a few women in my time and one trend I have picked up is that they are obsessed with shows about real life murder. They binge watch them late into the night and all I can think is, how can you watch this stuff before going to bed? Especially since it’s all true. I haven’t met any guys that enjoy these types of shows but women flock to them and I can’t understand why? Has anyone else noticed this in their wife or girlfriend?

.........I watch all the real life murder shows, not sure where porn comes into it tho

Not bothered about fiction murder shows, apart from hannibal
 
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I've had the same experience, most of my exes would watch those kind of shows almost daily as well as hospital documentaries/dramas.

I could never understand how they could sit there watching someone's mauled limbs hanging off by a thread or open chest being operated on while eating their dinner.
 
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Sidney Prescott

Unconfirmed Member
That would be an ideal girlfriend for me. I'm honestly fascinated with True Crime. I watch a ton of the documentaries Netflix puts out, and I enjoy a lot of Podcasts centred around the subject. I guess it's just interesting to understand what drives some people to commit such terrible crimes.
 

PSYGN

Member
Things my girlfriend watches:
  • Murder Mystery and Makeup (something like that on YouTube)
  • Makeup artists on YouTube (Jeffrey Star, etc)
  • Pimple popping vids on YouTube :sick:
  • Criminal Minds
  • NCIS
  • Satisfying vids (where they squish putty, knead different colors, etc)
  • Anime ("nothing stupid like One Punch Man" :pie_diana:)
  • and now, TikTok :LOL:
A lot of criminal stuff there in my book :pie_thinking:
 
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Sorcerer

Member
Maybe it's just another form of horror, a more realistic form of horror that is extremely close to reality. Maybe that's the draw for females. Can't relate to Jason, Fred Krueger or Michael Myers, but perhaps the idea that someone they work with or know could have a few screws loose is fascinating. It's always these type of shows at work put on by the girls, sports by the guys, and an unknown group that loved Family Feud for a spell. LOL!!!
 
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Sidney Prescott

Unconfirmed Member
Is this really a thing? I know my best friend avoids things like this as much as possible- We both end up getting very upset usually because we can't help imaging the horror the victims must have gone through.. :messenger_anxious:
I can understand that, it's certainly not easy watching. I have to take breaks when I watch/listen about a true crime case, there are some really disturbing ones I couldn't sit through the whole way.

I think as a horror fan, I sometimes struggle to feel scares from actual horror and I have experienced everything a director can throw at me. Hearing about more real cases is scary because it actually happened, and someone did that.
 

Fbh

Member
Reminds me of my mom.

"I don't like these videogames young people play now, they are all so violent"
-Goes back to watching some show about a murderer skinning people alive, cutting them to pieces and sending them to police or something like that.
 
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poppabk

Cheeks Spread for Digital Only Future
My wife falls asleep to Forensic Files pretty much everynight. The narrator for Forensic Files is a bona fide insomniac cure though - so that is part of the reason. We also met while doing the same Masters course in Forensic Science so it is not as weird in our case.
 

Men_in_Boxes

Snake Oil Salesman
i've seen it too, i think it's a recent fad with the popularity of those kind of shows

The same way they all wanted to be tied up and beaten 5-10 years ago

I think South Park had a murder porn episode 5-10 years back.

That Serial podcast also seemed to reignite a lot of interest too.

I'm on team "He did it" too, with regards to Serial.
 
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Sidney Prescott

Unconfirmed Member
My wife falls asleep to Forensic Files pretty much everynight. The narrator for Forensic Files is a bona fide insomniac cure though - so that is part of the reason. We also met while doing the same Masters course in Forensic Science so it is not as weird in our case.
I used to watch those a bunch before Netflix removed them all on UK Netflix. Peter Thomas was a great narrator. It is very interesting to see how they use forensic science to catch people and solve cold cases.
 

UnravelKatharsis

Gold Member
My wife watches this stuff. She says she doesn't know why she just is intrigued by it.

I wonder though if some women are watching so they can better learn to look for the signs 😳
 
Worried about what you watch before bed lol. Afraid you're going to wet yourself or have a bad dweam?

These shows have appeal for men and women. Reality is usually more fucked up than fiction. Plus, we haven't had a compelling serial killer since Dahmer. BTK was a pussy.
 
when i was hanging out with friends one of my boys sisters had a bunch of her girlfriends over and they were watching pimple popping videos the same way i watch videos of people cooking steak

women are fucked up bro
 

Kimahri

Banned
Never met a woman in my life who's been into that, at least not someone who's told me, and I've lived with quite a few.

My wife loves it and I thought nothing off it........till I found the cheese cutter next to my wife's bed.
You sleep in separate beds?
 

Peggies

Gold Member
As for myself, I just don't see any point in watching stuff where no one dies. I'm really into serial killer stories and find some of them quite entertaining (Ed Kemper for example).
I guess it is some kind of "preperation mode"? As long as you watch all the terrible things that can happen, you are prepared.
 
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As for myself, I just don't see any point in watching stuff where no one dies. I'm really into serial killer stuff and find some of them quite entertaining (Ed Kemper for example).
I guess it is some kind of "preperation mode"? As long as you watch all the terrible things that can happen, you are prepared.
"Why can't we just admit it?
Why can't we just admit it?
We won't give pause until the blood is flowing" - Tool
 

Peggies

Gold Member
"Why can't we just admit it?
Why can't we just admit it?
We won't give pause until the blood is flowing" - Tool
Maybe it's a form of voyeurism that lies in all of us. Why do people stop and watch car accidents?
It's not even a question of male or female behaviour. They just like different kinds of violence (I can't watch "Fightclub" for example but don't mind the blood eagle scene in "Vikings")

We're all bloody bastards in the end ;).
 

Goro Majima

Kitty Genovese Member
Yeah my wife loves watching Dateline and listening to the Dr Phil podcast about criminals. Also Law and Order SVU.

Honestly I think she just like murder mysteries more than anything.
 
Maybe it's a form of voyeurism that lies in all of us. Why do people stop and watch car accidents?
It's not even a question of male or female behaviour. They just like different kinds of violence (I can't watch "Fightclub" for example but don't mind the blood eagle scene in "Vikings")

We're all bloody bastards in the end ;).
Maybe you don't listen to tool? The lyrics of the song I posted were from a song called "Vicarious" meaning that we as a society (and even extended to human nature itself) can not get interested in a story without violence or conflict. We never want to commit the acts ourselves but watch in glee from a distance when we are not personally affected. :messenger_ok:

Song for context:



"Eye on the TV 'Cause tragedy thrills me. Whatever flavour It happens to be like: "Killed by the husband", "Drowned by the ocean", "Shot by his own son", "She used a poison in his tea", "And kissed him goodbye". That's my kind of story. It's no fun 'til someone dies"
 
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Peggies

Gold Member
Maybe you don't listen to tool? The lyrics of the song I posted were from a song called "Vicarious" meaning that we as a society (and even extended to human nature itself) can not get interested in a story without violence or conflict. We never want to commit the acts ourselves but watch in glee from a distance when we are not personally affected. :messenger_ok:

Song for context:


No, I don't sorry. But it seems Tool and I think alike ;).
Smashing lyrics!
 
No, I don't sorry. But it seems Tool and I think alike ;).
Smashing lyrics!
You should absolutely check them out. I saw you posted in the metal thread before and they are a prog metal band with a focus on thought provoking lyrics, and complex instrumentation. They are so uniquely themselves and the deeper you go into their music and lyrics, the more rewarding the experience.
 

Peggies

Gold Member
You should absolutely check them out. I saw you posted in the metal thread before and they are a prog metal band with a focus on thought provoking lyrics, and complex instrumentation. They are so uniquely themselves and the deeper you go into their music and lyrics, the more rewarding the experience.
Just listened into it but I'm afraid it didn't meet quite my taste. I'm more of a Pagan-, Blackmetal listener.
 

VulcanRaven

Member
I'm not a woman but I like watching crime documentaries too. They are interesting because they really happened and you want to see how they catch the bad guy.
 
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NeoIkaruGAF

Gold Member
They want to learn how to kill you and what mistakes to avoid to get away with it if the need arises.

Protip: watch the shows with them and take mental notes.
 

Rat Rage

Member
I have dated a few women in my time and one trend I have picked up is that they are obsessed with shows about real life murder. They binge watch them late into the night and all I can think is, how can you watch this stuff before going to bed? Especially since it’s all true. I haven’t met any guys that enjoy these types of shows but women flock to them and I can’t understand why? Has anyone else noticed this in their wife or girlfriend?

Mostly the type of women, who don't have much going in their souls/brains and otherwise are bored to death by their own shallow existence are fascinated by stuff like this.
 

DunDunDunpachi

Patient MembeR
Maybe it's related: in my social circles, I know a lot of women who love horror movies but only a handful of guys who are as interested.

I dunno. Women like mysteries and drama. Those shows fit the bill.
 
I don’t know the stats but there are plenty of males who are interested in even more extreme stuff like real life gore, accident and murder videos.
 

Dr. Suchong

Member
Womens magazines are always stuffed with grim tales too.
Front covers plastered with soul crushing stories.
A few were scattered in my workplaces staffroom. I had a peek out of sheer boredom on my break. Wish I hadn't. Desperately miserable stuff.
 

Tesseract

Banned
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Outlier

Member
Drama and social scheming.

It's generally in their nature to be keen on these two things.

It's could be a strength or weakness.
 
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