Super Frat

Running now on Netflix is Interview With a Serial Killer. This documentary focuses on Arthur Shawcross, a serial murderer who killed 11 women in Rochester, NY.

Probably one of the worst interviews ever, considering the subject matter. The English interviewer was worried Shawcross would bolt if he got the wrong question, but his interview skills were lacking. He didn’t seem to follow up when follow ups were clearly called for. Probably the most striking moment of the documentary (which you can see in it’s entirety above) is when it is revealed the serial killer has a long lost daughter.

The daughter not only visits him, but also brings her kills to meet him. There is some evidence presented that Shawcross is brain damaged, mentally ill and that he comes from a very abusive childhood. But it’s just as likely that his stint in Vietnam made him come unglued, where he murdered locals and claimed to have barbecued and eaten one.

Probably the most striking thing about the story is the ineptitude of the cops investigating him. Shawcross was caught by accident, despite the fact he lived nearby and dropped the bodies where he liked to fish. Although, to hear the cops tell it, it all was a bang-up investigation. Someone should really do a documentary about how often the police catch a real case like this and drop the ball since they seem to be so used to solving a crime within minutes of arriving on the scene. Perhaps that speaks about law enforcement as a whole, but this documentary doesn’t explore that.

If you want to see a pretty boring documentary on a serial killer, this it. It’s also running on Netflix.