Bianca Harkless
Editor-In-Chief
A couple of days ago, on my 30-minute commute to school, my twin sister, Victoria, and I listened to a couple of radio hosts talk about their thoughts on the new Richard Ramirez docuseries, Night Stalker: The Hunt of a Serial Killer, on Netflix. The hosts were quick to accuse the documentary of being too gruesome and glamorizing the heinous crimes, but I could not disagree with them more.
If you are one of my friends or part of my family, you know there are very few, if any, serial killers I loathe more than Richard Ramirez. My disdain for him has even turned into somewhat a joke by my family, getting me books that include sections talking about his crimes or making off-handed comments just to see my reaction. From his 13 counts of murder, 5 attempted murders (including children), 11 sexual assaults (including children), and 14 burglaries, I feel like it is clear why I detest anyone who has ever tried to excuse his behavior. But if I have such a great aversion towards the famed Night Stalker, why did I watch the docuseries?
I have a great love of true crime and all things horror related, so when I heard the news that Netflix would be taking on the taxing task of making a documentary discussing the Night Stalker crimes and trying their hardest to not glamorize or romanticize a killer that so often is, I was ecstatic. We often see depictions of Ramerize as a broken lover who someone might be able to fix, like in American Horror Story:1984, due to some finding him attractive. Still, Netflix shied away from this idea, oftentimes making it clear that the man stunk and had rotting teeth, doing their best to make him not a serial killer sex symbol, but give an honest depiction of who he was.
Another part of the series that I took notice of was the fact they showed blood spatters, real crime scene photos and reacted to some of the more well-known murders in order to show the viewer just how terrible it was. Due to my love of true crime, I can say confidently that I have stumbled over my fair share of grotesque crime scene photos and terribly graphic autopsy reports, but I can also say that the documentary is very tame in what it shows compared to what is actually out there on the internet.
Long story short, I honestly loathe Richard Ramirez for the heinous crimes he committed. He was a cruel murderer, and it did not matter who was in his way. He seemingly killed without reason and with pointless recklessness. He sexually assaulted several women and children, without a care for their future. He was a terrible person, and I believe that Netflix did a good job of showing people just how cruel this man was. If you are going to complain about the gore in a show about a gruesome killer, maybe spare everyone the stupidity and do not watch it.
Image Credit: Netflix.com
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