While it's still difficult for detectives to hunt serial killers on the loose, they are blessed with years of research of how murderers act and what motivates them.
While some personality red flags might be obvious, others were only uncovered because authorities interviewed imprisoned killers and worked out how they tick.
John E Douglas was one of the first people who began speaking to murderers and later set up the FBI's Criminal Profiling Programme. He's spoken to the worst of the worst, including Ted Bundy, Charles Manson, David Berkowitz and many more. It was from those interviews and carefully examining crime scenes, that he was able to develop a system that helps detectives catch serial killers.
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Warning: Footage might be disturbing to some viewers
Netflix's new drama MINDHUNTER is based on Douglas's work as well as his struggle to get the FBI to believe that his work was necessary.
Check out the incredible trailer here:
Credit: Netflix/MINDHUNTER
Set in 1979, Jonathon Groff and Holt McCallany play two FBI agents, John E Douglas and Robert Ressler, who try to talk with imprisoned murderers in order to crack ongoing cases.
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It's similar to the plot behind Silence of the Lambs, where the FBI recruits Hannibal Lecter to help find serial killer Buffalo Bill. That's because Douglas was the inspiration for the character Jack Crawford, who is Jodie Foster's fictional boss in the thriller.
Ressler was also a pioneer of psychological profiling, after dealing with cases involving Ted Bundy, Richard Chase and John Joubert. He interviewed 36 imprisoned serial killers in order to draw up profiles of people who typically select their victims at random.
Groff says during the trailer: "You want truffles? You got to get in the dirt with the pigs," which perfectly encapsulates just how difficult it is to set up a psychological profile of a potential serial killer.
Credit: Netflix
The original series is set for released on October 13 (yes that's a Friday) this year and the streaming service has already commissioned a second season.
David Fincher and Charlize Theron are the executive producers behind the show, who have used the information from Mark Olshaker and John E Douglas's book Mind Hunter: Inside FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit.
Fincher is the man behind such incredible films as Se7en, Fight Club, The Social Network and Gone Girl. That alone should dictate that this series should have you both amazed and on the edge of your seat. Fincher and Theron initially pitched the project to HBO in 2009 but obviously things didn't work out and now Netflix has its hands all over it.
Featured Image Credit: Netflix