The American culture’s perspective on the serial killer phenomenon has changed drastically throughout time. When the number of serial killing increased in the 20th century, it created fear in each and every American household. Now, American culture has a new perspective on the phenomenon. The number of serial killer themed films has sky rocketed in the 21st century, thus showing how American culture is intrigued by the phenomenon. Why has American culture accepted the existence of the serial killer phenomenon and turned it into a popular genre? One particular television series has grown in popularity since 2006. Showtime’s Dexter is a hit television series that portrays a serial killer as a vigilante of justice. The protagonist of the show,…show more content… By the time Dexter’s story begins he has already become a serial killer, claiming to be different from others because he obeys a strict moral code called “The Code of Harry.” The code “compels Dexter to select as his victims only proven evil-doers who have somehow escaped the law” (Green). Dexter does not kill innocent people. Paradoxically, Dexter adheres to the strict moral code imposed by his foster father Harry and harnesses his homicidal impulses and puts it to good use. He uses his homicidal impulses for the service of society, cleaning up the murderers who were able to lie beneath the radar of the Miami Metro Police. Dexter also uses his advantage of working with the Miami Metro Police to cover his tracks. He uses their supply of atropine to help subdue his victims. Dexter at some point presents that he is empty and unable to feel anything. He is a “master of disguise” and must fake human interactions. Dexter must play the game in order to look normal. Dexter, however, plays the game very well, giving a first impression to the audience as a likable person as well as to the other characters in the hit series. Because the series enables the audience to get into the mind of Dexter, it allows the audience to understand the thought process behind Dexter’s every move. The audience eventually becomes informed that Dexter does, however, have “feelings” for his sister Deborah and a woman named Rita, including her
