#DEXTURE TV SERIAL#

The wings made of blood in poster 1 reveal how sometimes the media can make a distinction between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ violence (Arsellano 2015). 391) as where “Our darkest, most brutal, and vengeful desires are fulfilled this is a world where an eye for eye is literalised and right, even righteous and pleasurable.” Dexter’s vigilante behaviour of killing with a code, and righting the mistakes of the formal justice system is described by Smith (2011, p. Dexter depicts the societal fear of the fragility of the justice system as it portrays murderers and other criminals slipping through the justice system on technicalities or due to the limitation of police powers (Green 2011). The media have always idealised vigilantism, with Spina (2019) noting the prevalent theme of revenge permeating popular culture. These visual techniques make the violence within Dexter “compelling and interesting, if unnerving,” demonstrating the very view the media and the public possess on gruesome crime. Smith (2011) comments on the careful lighting, saturated colours and arrangement of crime scenes that make an artistic spectacle of violence. The Dexter posters provide an example of the aestheticsation of blood and violence within visual media, reflecting society’s obsession with gruesome crime (Smith 2011). Many derive their knowledge and fear of crime from the visuals in film (Oleson & Mackinnon 2015). Shows like Dexter amplify societal fears of the “killer at large” sometimes having real world consequences of increased “punitive attitudes” within politicians and the law “as a means to mediate anxiety” (Oleson & Mackinnon 2015, p.

#DEXTURE TV SERIAL#

The focus on serial killers in the media (including fictional media forms) distorts the public’s opinion, over-representing serial killers’ prevalence despite their rare frequency (Oleson & Mackinnon 2015). Rafter (2007 cited in Martin 2018) states portrayals of crime in popular culture are a potent source of (mis)information for individuals.

Serial killers are a common subject in media as well as fiction as the gruesomeness of their crimes and the event driven stories add to the public appeal, making the serial killer a profitable subject (Martin 2018).

However, portrayed in Poster 2, Dexter deviates from the dominant serial killer narrative by rejecting masculine forms of violence and manufacturing the viewer as a ‘silent accomplice.’ Serial killers are a socially constructed modern phenomenon that is sensationalised in the media (Haggerty 2009 cited in Martin 2018). The promotional poster 1, illustrates society’s obsession with violent crimes and the idealisation of vigilantism, creating distinctions between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ violence. The popular television show, Showtime’s Dexter (2006-2013), demonstrates how serial killers are visually portrayed in the media. As such, it is unsurprising the media have fixated on the contemporary monster – the serial killer. They have featured heavily throughout mythology, literature and popular culture. Monsters have always been a subject of macabre fascination since the ancient times. “The monster is the embodiment of a certain cultural moment…the monster’s body quite literally incorporates fear, desire, anxiety and fantasy’” (Cohen 1996, p.

Dexture tv