Audiovisual Representations of Serial Killers: Narrative, Discursive, and Visual Analysis Dataset

The dataset consists of a systematic qualitative content analysis of audiovisual productions about serial killers, mainly documentaries, films, and series distributed through streaming platforms such as Netflix, HBO Max, and Prime Video. Each worksheet corresponds to a specific criminal case and records information about how the offender, the crimes, the victims, and the judicial or police response are represented within the audiovisual narrative. The database includes technical information about each production, such as its title, platform, type of adaptation, the serial killer portrayed, and IMDb rating. It also collects relevant phrases and recurring vocabulary associated with categories such as serial murder, homicide, crime, torture, suffering, mental disorders, and other terms used to describe criminal behavior. More importantly, the dataset examines the discursive and narrative construction of violence. The coding categories address how offenders are conceptualized, how graphic or detailed violence is presented, whether stereotypes appear, and whether the criminal is portrayed through processes of heroization, romanticization, or dehumanization. It also considers sexism and gendered representations, especially in relation to the characteristics and portrayal of victims. Another dimension concerns the representation of law enforcement, justice, and the media, including police investigations, institutional responses, judicial processes, media coverage, and possible institutional failures. Finally, the dataset records visual and aesthetic characteristics, such as setting, landscapes associated with crime and death, color palette, lighting, archival footage, interviews, and other stylistic devices used to represent violence and mortality. Overall, this dataset can be understood as a coding corpus for studying how contemporary audiovisual true-crime productions construct narratives around serial killers, violence, victims, criminality, and justice, combining linguistic, narrative, ideological, and visual dimensions.