Everything about this book excited me, the title, the cover, the blurb... until I started reading it.

One of the most ANNOYING things about this book is even about this book, it's the fact that the author mentions time and time again that they've also written another book!

I'm a big true crime fan and can quite happily sit engrossed in a true crime book for hours but in all honesty I'd only heard of the few of the killers mentioned in this book.

I stuck with it, I ploughed on through but i could have easily have just given up. I think I was secretly hoping it would get better.

Did I enjoy it at all.... no, sadly it just didnt do anything for me. I didn't enjoy the writing style, I didnt enjoy the near on constant reference to his previous book and to be frank it bored me.

I really don't like giving a negative review but I've been asked for my honest opinion so here it is.

Thanks to netgalley and Ad Lib Publishers for the ARC.

I am not a big fan of Berry-Dee, but this was alright. I love reading about serial killers and it was great to read about the real life inspirations for the movies. Some of them I knew already, some of them I did not know, but both kinds were fascinating to read about.

I received a free ARC by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I've read a few Christopher Berry-Dee books and I've liked them all so far, but this is my favorite! I loved the insight into classic horror films and how they link to real life cases. It's so interesting (in a non weird way 👀) to see how real life is portrayed on the but screen and also get Christopher's insight into how well the films are done compared to what he's experienced meeting the subjects of the screen.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Ad Lib Publishers for allowing me to read this book for free. Mr. Berry-Dee, a criminologist, analyses twenty movies based on books about serial killers. He believes it’s important for people affected by the killings to have books and movies relating the crimes contain facts about what really took place. Movies like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Amityville Horror are not based on fact. The writers and directors just wanted to make money. Movies like The Stranger Beside Me and Monster are much more based on fact. I liked this book and felt the author has a pretty good sense of humor. I also like that he listed movies at the end of the book that were based on real events.

2.5 stars - rounded up to 3.

I’m struggling to review this book, as my thoughts about it are as all over the place as the content in this book is.

Christopher Berry Dee is happy that you’re reading this book, but not as happy as he would be if you read his other book ‘Talking with Serial Killers’; which he happens to mention in absolutely every single chapter. It got to the point I was actually waiting for it with every new chapter ...’wait for it, where’s the reference....oh there it is!’ Here’s one of the many, many references to it:
<i> These are the questions I began ruminating over as I wrote a single chapter on Lee for Talking with Serial Killers – first published in 2003 and still going great guns in paperback even today.” </i>
Eek. Cringe.

Berry Dee also seems to have a lot of controversial feelings and isn’t afraid to let them pour out all over his chapters. He does this about: people being interested in serial killers, the penal system, criminals themselves, and even the police. It’s often hard to know whose side he’s on as he contradicts himself so much. On the one hand, he explicitly hates films that focus on murderers that exploit the tragedy for entertainment and for financial gain...and on the other he’s writing multiple books about exactly the same thing for the same reasons. Did I mention he has another book...’Talking with Serial Killers’?? Here’s a snippet of his explosive feelings on the subject:
<i> “What a morbid exploitation of a real-life mass murder The Amityville Horror and all of the sequels truly are. It is akin to desecrating the graves of the dead and upsets me deeply. I sometimes wonder whether, if some of these exploitative filmmakers had lost a loved one under such terrible circumstances and viewed the broken body in a morgue, they would have been so quick to exploit the deaths of others.” </i>
hmm, although I’m sure your books on the same incidents are better right?

He also believes prisons are ‘too nice’ and everyone wants to be in them:

“The problem in the UK these days is that prisons are made so comfortable that many of the inmates are anxious to return.”
Not forgetting also this nugget:
<i> “Some would argue that it’s only since the removal of hard labour that a culture exists where a little, mindless thug who is in prison for almost beating a granny to death, is up on the roof having been denied his TV privileges with a lot more like-minded cretins ripping off the slates, behaving like monkeys in a zoo and pissing over everyone who is trying to put out the fire they have just started.</i> “
I feel like I’m engaged in a conversation with a skinheadded far right know it all down the pub at this point.
These are his feelings about homeless people preferring to have somewhere safe to stay at night:
<i> “Just before Christmas each year it’s not uncommon for the courts to see an increase in down-and-outs heaving bricks through off-licence windows or some similar premises. Off they go to prison where a warm bed awaits; Christmas dinner with all of the trimmings; a medical check and treatment ‘as required’; dentistry; a new set of civvies and a nice handful of cash plus a travel pass to wherever they want to go upon their release.</i> “
I’ll be honest, I struggle to feel warmly about anyone who feels this way and I really don’t see what the relevance is to movies about serial killers. He does have another book though...’Talking with Serial Killers’.

This isn’t where his opinions stop though, whether welcome or not. Next up is women’s looks:
<i> “ disfigured women will most like commit suicide, especially if the damage is really severe. Although I believe that millionairess Jocelyn Wildenstein, aka ‘Catwoman’, is still modifying her bizarre facial appearance to this very day, I’d put money on it that when the sun starts to rise in the morning she truly wishes she could reset her face to its factory settings – proving that money cannot buy everything.” </i>
Wow.

His thoughts on ALL serial Killers:
<i>
“Fully emerged criminal psychopaths have no conscience because, in place of a moral compass, there is a black hole.They are unable to feel any compassion at all for other human beings and they kill with the same lack of concern as one might swat a fly. Furthermore, they do not genuinely regret any of their dreadful crimes, rather they boast about what they have done and revel in the attention caused by their sins.” </i>
Really....literally all people who kill are exactly the same?

Don’t worry though, Berry evens his feelings out with his thoughts on the cops that hunt these morally devoid humans down:

<i> “Homicide cops never admit their mistakes – even those that have cruelly sent innocent people to their executions, and that is a fact, too.” </i>
Right. A fact. Mhmm.

You maybe wondering at this point whether there is any reference to any serial killers or movies in this book. There are, and there are some good bits on how real life crimes (potentially) inspired some of the big films about famous killers. A lot of this is just the author’s own thoughts though, rather than definite fact. Some bits were easier to get on board with, like the background of The Silence of The Lambs film and some similar true life crimes, but others were just really random conjecture by the author and tedious at best. At one point he can’t remember if he is saying Se7en is based on true life crime...or not...
<i> “Seven , like The Silence of the Lambs, is a compilation of true crime, real-life events all rolled into a cinematic feast of horror.” </i> ok so it is?
<i> “Somewhat unusually for Hollywood, what we have here is not a compendium of real-life murder, but a selection of Biblically alleged sins that can hasten one’s demise.” </i> oh wait...so it’s not?! Right.

When talking about the movies he references, we get a little bit of a reference to a real crime and then a lot of Christopher Berry-Dee’s personal review/critique of the film itself. At the end, the movies he starts reeling off with reviews aren’t even about serial killers any longer...just films with a Bit of crime in them that he personally likes. To be honest I come to goodreads for reviews, I don’t really want to read books full of one persons personal reviews.

Similarly when discussing crimes in the book, it doesn’t always relate to any form of movie. In fact it often veers off into the author’s memories of meeting with murderers and serial killers. All of them available in his other book ‘Talking with Serial Killers’ no doubt. In fact, if that’s the case why aren’t I just reading that one...rather her than reading about how good the book is with all the information that isn’t in this book, the one I’m actually reading...?

In fact some of this shameless recounting of his memories and bigging up of himself, is just so outright cringey it’s hard to read. I’ll give you some snippets:

<i> “Over the years, I have written extensively about Mr Gacy, the result of which the Des Plaines PD presented me with a beautiful blue crystal mug decorated in gold – something not every writer receives.” </i>

And this

<i> “This particular case brought tears to my eyes. In fact, so upsetting was it that I took to the bottle, and everything taken together it made me quite ill. Now you don’t hear that from a former Royal Marine ‘Green Beret’ Commando every day, do you? Indeed, at one point during this time I asked myself, ‘Could this be a man/woman sentimental issue clouding my otherwise very detached thinking?’ </i>

In fact, perhaps the cops should be listening to Berry-Dee more, considering he knows best:

<i> “From the very moment Dennehy entered prison I have warned the authorities that she will try and kill again. I believe it is only a matter of time before she does. I base this on her track record of violence.” </i>
Thank god you’re around Berry-Dee, I’m sure they wouldn’t have a clue otherwise right?

The book feels rushed together, and loses focus all over the place. At times it’s about movies, at times it’s about serial killers and at other times it’s just Berry-Dee talking about himself and recounting his experiences. Which all incidentally are covered in his other book - ‘Talking with Serial Killers’. The focus on whether he’s talking about the movie or the real crime is sometimes completely blurred and mashes together which makes it very difficult to keep up and the paragraphs are all over the place. There was often no real evidence or substance to the claims he was making, However, I kind of enjoyed the bits that were clearly attributable between real killers and the famous movies about them.

I have a big list of movies to watch now anyway....and I have a strange urge to read another book...titled ‘Talking with Serial Killers’....weird? Must have read about it somewhere.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for my honest (sorry) review. As Hitchcock once said, and is quoted in this book:
<i> “‘Ask a working writer what he feels about critics is like asking a lamppost what it feels about dogs.’ “ </i>

This is a great novel written by a criminologist. It focuses on serial killers, and their on screen adaptions.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this ebook to review via Netgalley.

The author is a criminologist with a handful of TV credits to add to his bibliography, which includes 'Talking With Female Serial Killers' and 'Talking With Psychopaths and Savages.' His newest release's focus is comparing serial killer films to their real-life inspirations and chewing the chud on the serial killers he's interviewed in his career. In the preface, the author states that he's not a film critic but contrarily spends the majority of the book criticizing the films and their writers (for either not being accurate or being insensitive). He also spends most of his recollections reminding readers of his accomplishments and major clout.

This is an acceptable jumping pad for those who don't know a lot about horror movies or serial killers, although the voice and tone is very casual and doesn't really have an air of professionalism. The descriptions are skim on both the killers and the films, with the meat of the book coming from the author's own oddly phrased musings. I say odd but really I mean eye-rolling. For example, this is a quote from his entry on Ed Gein and his remaining legend in WI...verbatim.

"At the bar sat a gorgeous twenty-something girl dressed in a skirt, cowboy boots, and gingham shirt tied at the waist. Sitting next to her was a 35-stone heavily bearded redneck."

This, and other entries, are so problematic. How is it relevant to ANYTHING in this book on how this woman (not girl, thank you) looked during your brief encounter? And when did calling someone a "redneck" become socially polite? It seems the author is more concerned with reliving his erection than actually transcribing information on how Ed Gein still has a hold on his home state.

Another entry is as follows: "....in fact, so upsetting was it that I took to the bottle, and everything taken together it made me quite ill. Now you don't hear that from a former Royal Marine 'Green Beret' Commando every day, do you?"

Call me "woke" or a "feminist" but how did the publisher okay this? All this is reinforcing is toxic masculinity. All I see is, "I'm perceived as a strong, emotionless male because I was in the armed forces. This tragic case made ME, of ALL people, sad. Isn't that crazy?" Please stop perpetuating the notion that men aren't supposed to feel and that you're a "tough guy" for drinking away your problems.

There are so many other true crime writers out there that translate information in a neutral, non-cringey way.

This was an interesting read, with fascinating insights into serial killers and our cinematic preoccupation with them.

Serial Killers at the Movies
My Intimate Talks with Mass Murderers who Became Stars of the Big Screen
by Christopher Berry-Dee
Ad Lib Publishers
Nonfiction (Adult) | True Crime
Pub Date 05 Feb 2021 | Archive Date Not set

I cannot explain my interest in true crime. I was drawn to this book because of the title. This was a good read and I enjoyed it. Thanks to AdLib Publishers and Netgalley for the ARC.

4 stars

First off I want to give a big thanks to the publisher Ad Lib, the author: Christopher Berry -Dee, as well as to NetGalley for letting me read and review it. Because as soon as I saw it on NetGalley I knew instantly I wanted to read it .And here's why :
Serial killers
Movies
Two of my all time favorite things put together in a well written and informative book about both because the author knows his serial killers and it shows though out this book . So if your like me then you might want to give this one a try .

In this novel, Christopher Berry-Dee talks to the serial killers whose stories have thrilled and fascinated everyone. He gets a chance to interview the mass murderers who provide him with their stories. Some of these stories have helped to make some of the best movies in history. The book takes the reader on a roller coaster of darkness and unforgettable murders.

This novel was a little boring for me. I didn't like the writing style. The information and details were a little too detailed. Some of the information was interesting but it was nothing new and exciting. I think I was more looking for a story than the real information. It was also very annoying that the author kept referring to his other books. This book annoyed me bored me and confused me a little. I really love the cover tho and the idea. But It wasn't for me.

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I'm a bit torn on this one. 3.5 stars I think is what I'd give it.

It started out REALLY strong -- I mean, you can't go wrong with Silence of the Lambs. And the Amityville Horror chapter was super interesting too.

However, as the book continued, I found myself getting bored. It felt like the author started name dropping just to give himself credibility, but the credibility had already been established. Plus, half the time the names he dropped really didn't add a lot to the chapter. He also often referenced his other book, but then left it at that, making me feel like I should have been reading the other book rather than this one.

I also felt that as the book went on, the chapters started to become about real life cases that were sort of related rather than what the movie was based off of. Part of the draw of this book for me was that I was going to learn a lot about how real life cases inspired movies, but I ended up not feeling that way at the ended.

Overall, I have respect for the author and love his stance that a movie is only good if it is based in fact without exploiting the victims just to make a quick buck. However, this book was a bit of a miss for me, and definitely a let down. There were parts I really enjoyed, but parts that I really didn't.

I rounded up a bit because the author referenced how great Dean Koontz was, and he's my favorite author so that pulled my heart strings. ;)

Thank you so much to Christopher Berry-Dee, Ad Lib Publishers, and NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

DNF. I was looking forward to reading this book because it is a topic that interests me. However, I couldn't stand the author! Even his writing is pompous and self-important. I couldn't even finish the first chapter.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected pub date: Feb. 5, 2021
Christopher Barry-Dee is highly knowledgeable when it comes to serial killers. He is a former Military member, and is now a criminologist who has many published novels, and has interviewed at least thirty serial killers. His newest novel, “Serial Killers at the Movies”, targets Hollywood’s obsession with serial killers, and analyzes which movies are accurate, and which ones are exploitive fodder.
Barry- Dee discusses quite a few of Hollywood’s famous serial killer films, such as “Silence of the Lambs” (one of my favourites), “The Amityville Horror (Barry-Dee describes these films as completely exploitive to the family involved, as the story always focuses on a non-existent paranormal element instead of the tragic tale of a family murder), “Zodiac”, and, of course, “Psycho”. He goes into detail about which elements are based on fact, and he even hints at which serial killer (or killers) may have been used as an example in the film’s development.
Of course, infamous serial killers such as Bundy, Manson and John Wayne Gacy are highlighted in this novel, but less well-known killers also play into Barry-Dee’s story. He discusses any and all movies that possibly make mention of a serial killing, even documentaries from the early days of filmmaking, and analyzes each one in short, succinct paragraphs.
I thoroughly enjoyed Barry-Dee’s honest and unpretentious writing style, and it is evident that he is knowledgeable and that his novel is well-researched. Of course, movie analysis is very objective, and Barry-Dee makes it very clear when what he is discussing is merely his personal opinion.
I loved hearing about the known and less well known serial killers of our time, and how they were adapted into film (such as in one of my favourite movies, “The Silence of the Lambs”) but Barry-Dee also takes a bit of a hiatus and starts discussing police procedural and mob boss movies, and any movies where a penitentiary or jail is the focal point (“The Green Mile” and “The Shawshank Redemption” being two). Granted, it is very likely that serial killers exist among the mob and convict population, but Barry-Dee did not discuss a specific offender, and these parts of the novel seemed disconnected.
“Serial Killers at the Movies” is a must-read for fans of serial killers, in both literature and on the big screen, and Barry-Dee gives a realistic and legitimate breakdown of what Hollywood did right (and where they chose to pander to the money-making storylines).

I will definitely be recommending this one to fans of true crime. It was a different concept and I really enjoyed it.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me the chance to read an early digital copy of this book. I am a huge fan of true crime and I knew immediately that I wanted to read this book. Serial Killers at the Movies talks about and focuses on serial killers and the movies that they inspired. One caveat that I would give to readers at the outset of this book is that there are murders that are described in a very chilling and often graphic manner, so this is not a book that is for the faint of heart. If you can handle that, then you are in for quite the journey as the author delves into the realm of cinema. Of course, we all knew of the infamous movie serial killers like Freddy Krueger and Michael Myers, but what about the real life ones that inspired movies like Silence of the Lambs and Se7en? This is where Christopher Berry-Dee comes in to bridge that gap between the movies and real life. Overall, I thought this was a fascinating look at both the fiction and the non-fiction. I was very interested in reading the connections between the movies and the real life cases that inspired them, and I even learned some new facts about cases that I thought I knew everything about. I am definitely going to be recommending this one to my fellow true crime lovers!

This was not my cup of tea. I love true crime but not based at the movies. I thought that I would like it but I didn't quite enjoy movie examples.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me this copy.

Really good, made for fascinating reading, looking at serial killers shown on film and tv and how well they portrayed and how badly in some cases... leaves me with a feeling of unease that no matter if it’s well shown you are still disturbing a victims family and their lives over and over again. But it does make for a rather intriguing book and insight into serial killers and how they are portrayed.

Unfortunately, Christopher Berry-Dee's book, Serial Killers at the Movies, was not for me. The author covers some of the scariest serial killers in real life--murderers he has met and interviewed--as well as fictional characters. Some of the details he went into were too gruesome for me, even in a book that indicates its subject in the title. Also, I felt the author went a bit too far in self-promotion by repeatedly referring to some of his other books. Sometimes women were mentioned in cringeworthy ways, described as "delicious" and so on. Crime buffs who are more used to graphic books may enjoy this one, but I couldn't finish it.

I can highly recommend this book. It was professionally written and researched.

There was some info that I knew already but a lot of it was new to me and very interesting. The Author has had a great deal of experience interviewing serial killers. He quite often linked to his other books as well which has made me want to read them now too.

Thanks to Net galley and Ad Lib Publishers for the ARC.