24 - Aileen: Queen of the Serial Killers by Emily Turner

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, we discuss Aileen: Queen of the Serial Killers, Emily Turner’s documentary about Aileen Wuornos, a rare, hands-on female serial killer whose life is steeped in trauma, exploitation, and state violence. We discuss our views on the death penalty and then unpack whether Aileen’s childhood abandonment, sexual abuse, homelessness, and years of sex work made her into a "monster”. We discuss  nature vs nurture, the deeper horror of the targeting of sex workers; misogynistic and homophobic rhetoric, and the way prosecutors, cops, lawyers, and her “adoptive” mother profited from Aileen's story.Content & Spoiler Warning:This episode includes discussion of capital punishment, sexual assault, sex work, misogyny, child abuse and neglect, mental illness, suicide, corruption, homophobia, and of course murder and serial killers in general. We also spoil this documentary. Palate cleanser:The films of Rob Reiner, whose work, such as The Princess Bride, Stand by Me, This is Spinal Tap, and When Harry Met Sally has shaped our cinematic lives almost as much as Star Wars.Other recommendations:Other media covering Aileen Wuornos includes Nick Broomfield’s documentary Selling of a Serial Killer, the Oscar-winning film Monster starring Charlize Theron, the podcast the Last Podcast on the Left (Aileen Wuornos two-parter), the podcast Women and Crime (criminology professors discuss female offenders), and My Favorite Murder (episode 96).Dateline & 13 Alibis – for exploration of wrongful prosecutions The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog – ongoing recommendation if you want to learn more about the impact of childhood trauma.S-Town (podcast) – a portrait of a damaged, brilliant man Shiny Happy People and The Righteous Gemstones – to explore evangelical excess and hypocrisy.The Crucible – for witch-hunt logic, moral absolutism, and judges who sound a lot like Aileen’s.Betrayal (podcast, not the documentary) – a woman uncovering that her teacher husband was abusing students.Our past episodes on Spotlight and Catch and Kill  for the horrific impact of sexual abuse.Dexter - a unique take on a Florida serial killerSons of Anarchy for biker bars similar to the Last Resort, where Aileen was arrested.Making a Murderer for troubling confessions.My Favorite Murder episode 145 on the McMartin pre-schoolThe Green Mile - both the book and the movie for a riveting story of death row inmatesSuper Troopers for highway cops with prominent moustaches. Homework for next episode:Watch: Hereditary (2018)Next up, we pivot from true crime back to horror cinema with Ari Aster’s Hereditary. What's the connection? Shocking violence on a highway. You might want to close your eyes around 33 and a half minutes.And coming up on a future episode, start reading Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno Garcia. Special thanks to Nancy Azano for the podcast cover art (Instagram: @nancyazano) and Harry Kidd for the opening and closing score (Instagram: @harryjkidd, Spotify).