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Why the GenZ is loving crime shows

More than physical violence on big screens, psychological thrillers and engaging shows and movies are getting attention
Last Updated 11 July 2022, 10:32 IST

The OTT era has spurred the rise of psycho thrillers and crime stories. The sudden trend is mostly experienced among GenZ. YPulse, through a survey, found out that there has been a subsequent increase in the number of viewers, especially during the pandemic. The number of viewers rose to 25-30% among females and about 20% among males. The effect is more on the GenZ than the millennials or the Alpha generation.

More than physical violence and gang fights on big screens, psychological thrillers and complex mind challenging and engaging shows and movies are getting attention and are among the few all-time trends on OTT platforms such as Netflix.

Some of the shows that are ruling the roost are 'I am Thinking of Ending Things', 'YOU', 'Night Stalker', 'Don’t F**k with Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer', 'Hellbound', 'Squid Game' and 'House of Secrets: The Burari Deaths'. Audiences have evolved from Alfred Hitchcock’s 'Psycho' (1960) and 'Vertigo' (1958) to Stanley Kubrick’s 'The Shining' (1980) and the Oscar-winning Korean film 'Parasite' (2019) by Bong Joon Ho.

So what has led to the popularity of the genre? Is it just the lack of solid content in other genres, or is it the excitement to watch something gore in the name of entertainment and fun? Perhaps it's also the curiosity to experience a different side of society, which is usually described either good or bad.

“Movies are generally keen about portraying the good vs bad concept. This makes me watch these psychothrillers and documentaries because they blur the lines,” says Niveditha, a fan of true crime documentaries. 'Don’t F**k with Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer' is one such documentary.

These shows are intelligent and make you think. Watching Joe Goldberg and Love Quinn in 'You' and their obsession with each other and Goldberg’s obsession with possessing and killing women around him does not mean one will necessarily be influenced by the behaviour. It's the unusual scenes that make people wonder how human mind work in such situations.

You also transformed into a different world. 'Squid Game', 'Hellbound', You', and 'I am Thinking of Ending Things' are fiction that also act as cultural representations. Documentaries like 'Night Stalker', 'House of Secrets: The Burari Deaths' portray the true-crime events and also leave us thinking about its themes.

Sometimes, stars pull in the crowd. Penn Badgley’s character in 'You' might be toxic and dangerous, but fans don't shy away from showing their admiration to him.

Lastly, it shows how people's fascination drives them to watch these crime shows. They might be scary and far from being easy-on-the-eye but people stay persistent with the these shows because of their unending curiosity.

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(Published 05 July 2022, 12:47 IST)

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