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Start Date
24-6-2022 12:00 AM
End Date
24-6-2022 12:00 AM
Abstract
Michelle McNamara’s posthumously released book I’ll Be Gone in the Dark (2018) details the crimes of a man dubbed the Golden State Killer (GSK) who operated in California between 1974 and 1986. It debuted at number one on the New York Times Bestseller list. The success of the book and the story of McNamara’s hunt for GSK inspired the HBO docuseries also entitled I’ll Be Gone in the Dark (2020). It explores the experiences of GSK’s surviving victims, McNamara’s fascination with true crime and GSK specifically, and the process of writing the book for which the series is named. The series is directed by Liz Garbus, whose filmography reveals a focus on true crime and criminal justice as well as the experiences of women. These texts are a productive point of analysis in looking at how women interact with the true crime genre. McNamara is herself a part of this story and the way she positions herself within her writing allows us to consider how the genre served her as a consumer. The documentary series adds an additional layer, in that it is a rendering of McNamara’s relationship with true crime interpreted through the lens of a female filmmaker with a record of working in the genre. Through comparative analysis of both I’ll Be Gone in the Dark texts this essay argues the true crime genre is popular with women because it not only addresses fears of patriarchal power and violence but also navigating the female oedipal experience.
“Adapting to the Dark- Managing Fear Through True Crime”
Michelle McNamara’s posthumously released book I’ll Be Gone in the Dark (2018) details the crimes of a man dubbed the Golden State Killer (GSK) who operated in California between 1974 and 1986. It debuted at number one on the New York Times Bestseller list. The success of the book and the story of McNamara’s hunt for GSK inspired the HBO docuseries also entitled I’ll Be Gone in the Dark (2020). It explores the experiences of GSK’s surviving victims, McNamara’s fascination with true crime and GSK specifically, and the process of writing the book for which the series is named. The series is directed by Liz Garbus, whose filmography reveals a focus on true crime and criminal justice as well as the experiences of women. These texts are a productive point of analysis in looking at how women interact with the true crime genre. McNamara is herself a part of this story and the way she positions herself within her writing allows us to consider how the genre served her as a consumer. The documentary series adds an additional layer, in that it is a rendering of McNamara’s relationship with true crime interpreted through the lens of a female filmmaker with a record of working in the genre. Through comparative analysis of both I’ll Be Gone in the Dark texts this essay argues the true crime genre is popular with women because it not only addresses fears of patriarchal power and violence but also navigating the female oedipal experience.
Bio
Jessica Hoover is a current doctoral student at the University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee studying Cinema, Media and Digital Studies. She previously attended the University of North Texas where she received her M.A in Media Industry and Cultural Studies in 2019 and her B.A. in History and Radio/Television/Film in 2015. Her research focus has been feminist media analysis, humor studies, U.S. television history, and the history of women and minorities in modern U.S.