The Monster's Lair: Gendered sets in true crime dramas

<p dir="ltr">True crime dramas have become a rising genre of film and television in recent years. Recreating events that occur surrounding murders and other horrific crimes can be considered controversial as it can bring up unresolved trauma for victims and their families. When retelling these stories, they are often told from the point of view of the character who commits the crime as opposed to the victim, this gives the audience an insight into the mind and experiences of the perpetrators often referred to as “monsters”. From reading Gilmore’s Monsters: Evil beings, mythical beasts and all manner of imaginary terrors, it is clear that a common aspect of a monster’s story is their lair, a physical landscape to explore and reflect their psychological and emotional state, giving a deeper understanding of the character to the audience.</p><p dir="ltr">Netflix’s Dahmer – Monster; The Jeffrey Dahmer Story (2022) and HBO’s Love and Death (2023) are two of the most recent true crime adaptations where both main characters, Jeffrey Dahmer and Candy Montgomery were both considered monsters. It is evident that both were affected by their upbringing and the environment around them. The production design of these shows and the monsters’ lairs plays a huge part in expressing their differences, but also their similarities. The idea that their true self is expressed through these settings is clear from the actions that take place within their ‘lairs’. The tactics and reasoning behind their actions can be seen as a reflection of monsters in folklore and history.</p><p dir="ltr">The aim of this thesis is to understand if the recreation of horrific events on screen can make us question, as a society, how we define a monster and how the production design and habitus play a part in how it is depicted on screen.</p>