Five Serial Killers Who Could Have a Cult Revolve Around Them: Or How Fox’s The Following Could Have Been a Real Thing

Two TV seasons ago saw the debut of a rather well received show about a serial killer with his own cult and the FBI profiler trying to hunt him down (played in order by James Purefoy and Kevin Bacon). It’s a formula that’s been done a few times before in film and television, the killer and the cop playing a game of cat and mouse. What made this incarnation different was that this particular serial killer has an entire cult of devoted followers who feel the need to kill in his name. So while the FBI agent has to unravel the plans of the brilliant sociopath, he also has to deal with a long line of killer wannabes who are just as vicious as their mentor.

Of course while watching this brilliant written and acted (there’s a reason people play six degrees of KEVIN BACON, not six degrees of Gary Sinise) a part of us wonders why such an idea has never occurred before. The world has had cults, the world has had serial killers, one would think that the two mixing together would be like chocolate and peanut butter (extremely bloody chocolate and peanut butter). Certainly this show is not that far fetched. Certainly most cult leaders are ruthless enough to be serial killers just as most serial killers could be charismatic enough to be cult leaders.

The easiest thing to do is examine various serial killers and see if they have what it takes to endear them to an entire following (hence the name of the show) like that of Joe Carrol in the fictional TV show.

5.) Ed Gein

Perhaps the most popular film ever made about serial killers is the movie Psycho. Norman Bates killing his mother and keeping her in his house is truly chilling. But what most people don’t realize is that the film Psycho is based on a book by the same name and that book was inspired by real life serial killer Ed Gein. While one can not ignore the amazing filmmaking skills of Mr. Alfred Hitchcock, without the source material, such a film would never have been made. And Psycho has gone beyond being simply a mere film. It is a pop culture phenomenon. There has been not only a prequel series (Bates Motel) but also a film about the making of the film (Hitchcock).

In the series The Following, Joe Carrol is seeking a sense of fame from his killings. Also he seeks to inspire people to follow in his footsteps in his serial killing ways. While Joe Carrol wrote his own novel about his killing, I doubt he would object to someone else chronicling his exploits and he certainly would not object to having a major motion picture adapted from that book. He would see it is an honor.

4.) H.H. Holmes

Perhaps not a household name as some of the other members of this list, H.H. Holmes is a figure of infamy among people who are fascinated by murder and mayhem. Not quite famous for who he killed but more for how. H.H. Holmes built elaborate traps and mazes for his victims. He would rig an entire hotel with the intention of luring multiple victims (estimates place his final tally somewhere close to 200 though he only ever confessed to the deaths of 27 people).

Joe Carrol would probably open a bed and breakfast with H.H. Holmes. Like Holmes he wanted to rack up a sizable body count and also like Holmes he treated his kills like an art.

3.) Jeffrey Dahmer

On the show the Following, Joe Carrol wants to make his name synonymous with murder. In the real world, Jeffrey Dahmer’s name has been made synonymous with cannibalism. The only person who perhaps rivals Dahmer in his recognition with the subject of cannibalism is the fictitious character of Hannibal Lecter.

When you read a biography of Dahmer and look at the character of Joe Carrol, you can certainly see some similarities. Both seem to be fascinated with the workings of the human body. Both come from an educated background, almost driven to their killings out of curiosity than an actual pathology. Certainly Dahmer was about more than just killing as it has been documented he engaged in acts of necrophilia. Certainly there have been hints of necrophilia tendencies on the show The Following, though not by Joe Carrol himself but certainly his followers.

2.) Aileen Wournos

Serial killers are typically considered male, so for a woman to join the ranks of the multiple kill club is quite an impressive feet. And being a killer is not just all there is. Aileen has inspired multiple documentaries and films, one of which earned an Oscar (the film Monster starring Charlize Theron). Aileen Wournos has reached a pop culture level of fame, even though she only killed seven people and claimed self defense for all of them (a defense that did not work and she was executed). While Aileen’s fame came as an after affect of her killing, Joe Carrol kills specifically because he wants fame. So what Carrol works towards through hard work, Wournos stumbled upon by accident.

1.) Jack the Ripper

The name is practically synonymous with the term serial killer. Although the true identity of Jack the Ripper was never discovered (and I’m sure that sentence will have angry Ripperologists sending me angry letters) the very idea of the character has inspired books, movies, and any number of speculations and theories about his life and motivations. The very fact that the term “Ripperologist” exists should show how much of a following Jack the Ripper has.

A similar trait between Jack the Ripper and the fictional Joe Carrol seems to be the desire to cause some sort of inspiration in others. While Joe Carrol was seeking to teach his followers, the infamous Jack was notorious for leaving cryptic messages and sending letters to the press all claiming some sort of unique world view he was trying to share with the world. Certainly both figures are seeking a sort of infamy for their actions. And like the Ripper, Joe Carrol has not gone on massive killing sprees. Jack originally only killed five people and over a long period of time. Similarly on The Following, Joe Carrol does not seem to get his hands dirty, preferring to let his followers kill in his name and only killing when he has to. It’s not the amount of people killed, it is the violent way in which they are dispatched that matters.

Why Doesn’t the Army Have Giant Robots?

Rewatched Pacific Rim recently and that movie is awesome. If you’re not familiar, basically giant monsters (Kaijus) are rising from a dimensional rift in the Pacific Ocean and the world creates giant robots to deal with them. While the movie goes into length about why giant robots are better suited to deal with these monsters than tanks and missiles, I couldn’t help but wonder why such technology has not been widely developed in real life. Having watched a lot of sci-fi and anime, I know I am not the only one who thinks giant robots make excellent weapons of war.

First of all, let me be clear when I say “giant robots” I am not talking about Transformers. Giving robots artificial intelligence is a bad idea (I talk about that here). I am talking about human piloted robotic weapons, like mech suits or better. Something that is completely in control of a human pilot. I don’t want to give robots intelligence. Like the brilliant Elon Musk I agree that machines that can think will be the end of humanity. But I have no problems with tanks or planes or cars all of which can be piloted by humans. So robot war machines (not unlike War Machine from Iron Man) are cool in my book.

Speaking of Iron Man, that’s another thing the army should work on. Kevlar doesn’t really cut it on the field of battle anymore. We need repulsor technology and metal suits. I’ve always said that Iron Man is a more plausible super hero than Batman. And as mentioned we already have a Tony Stark in the form of Elon Musk. I’m sure he could come up with some sort of experimental fighting suit (with or without flight capabilities) that could be used on the field of battle.

Or perhaps something that is familiar to most people, a plane that could turn into a robot. No, I am again not talking about Transformers. I already said that. I am talking RoboTech (for the anime fans, I know RoboTech is a combination of two different anime series, but I’m only familiar with how it was aired in the States). RoboTech had planes that could transform into robots in order to fight giant aliens. But since the fighting was only part of the show the planes could be, well, planes in order to maneuver and fly.

Of course if I am mentioning giant robots and Anime, I can’t leave out Gundam. Gundams are what most people imagine when they think of Japan and giant fighting robots. There have been multiple Gundam series, each featuring different variation of the titular giant robot with its own strengths and weaknesses. Gundam seems to imply that the only way we can fight the giant robots of our enemies is by having giant robots of our own. Which just means America needs to build giant robots before anyone else does because someone else will.

To me that seems to be the real reason the army doesn’t have giant robots. It’s not that no one wants them, they just don’t want to be the first to start developing them. It’s kind of like when you go out to dinner and they pass around the desert menus and you don’t want to order desert if no one else does. But as soon as that first person bravely orders something, then everyone else feels like getting something. I see giant robots as that. They’re the desert of armed combat and we are just waiting for someone else to order first so we don’t feel as guilty about it.

Comic Books for Kids

Recently a friend of mine asked me for some advice on what comic books she should purchase for her young son. He loves the cartoons featuring super heroes, so she thought it might be great to expose him to the source material these shows are based on. And as the wheels in my brain started spinning I realized, I had no idea how to answer her question.

Sadly, I have spent so much of my life trying to convince people that comic books are NOT just for kids that part of me has kind of ignored the comics that are aimed at a younger audience. Most of the titles in my weekly pull list would be positively traumatic for a young child to read. I dare say if I let my friend give some of my favorite comics to her little boy I would probably both lose her as a friend and traumatize the child.

The truth is, there aren’t a lot of comic books for a young audience. So many of the core comic book fans are people who have been collecting for years. It’s hard to attract new readers when in order to understand a character you need to be versed in years of history and storylines, not to mention the different continuities a particular character might exist in. Beyond just content of most comics, some of that is far too confusing for a young reader. How can I explain to a young child that in one version of Spider-Man his identity is Miles Morales because that universe’s Peter Parker died when the regular Amazing Spider-Man title he is an adult Peter Parker? And let’s not even try explaining Superior Spider-Man. That might put a kid off of comics forever (not me, I loved that story line).

Most people now only know most of these super heroes because of the various films and TV shows that are showcasing them. Some kids might not even be aware that The Avengers exist as a comic (and that both Spider-Man and Wolverine are members because that’ll never happen in the films, but that’s another issue for another day). I certainly have several friends who were not familiar with the Marvel verse prior to viewing the cinematic offerings and bombarded me with questions afterwards (“Who’s that pink guy at the end of Avengers?” was one I heard a lot).

And I can’t really complain about that fact. I love the slew of film adaptations being made. If you told me ten years ago I could look forward to a movie adaptation of The Suicide Squad (coming 2016) and a movie about the Infinity War (part 1 coming 2018 and part 2 2019) I would say you were mad. Now I am wondering what comic book characters AREN’T getting an adaptation. I also would be shocked to learn one of my favorite TV shows would feature Green Arrow. And that show would spinoff a Flash series as well. And of course I would have just had a stroke hearing about how cool Guardians of the Galaxy was.

A saddening fact is that we need these kids to get into comics. With the films and TV generating so much revenue, it could be easy for these companies to eventually just ditch the source material and make only movies and TV. The only thing that will keep comics published is if there is demand for them. And that means fans. People who read comics get older and a percentage of them will abandon the hobby as they pursue other interests. Without new fans to replace them, the demand for comics will diminish. That is why I am so glad to hear a young kid is interested in comics. But also why I am so dismayed by the fact that I could not readily suggest any titles for a young kid to read. In a way I am just as much a part of the problem as the publishers who don’t produce enough young content.