ITV to dramatise one of Britain's most prolific serial killers

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-12207687

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_West

What is to be gained from making this? Can't we just be content with dramatising fictional psychopaths?

 

That's entertainment, that's enterta----inment----ahh ahh ahhh...

 

The funny thing is, I bet no-one complains about it, yet everyone complained about the fictional baby snatching story in Eastenders recently

 

When my friend brought an Ed Bundy (Married with Children) video round to my house I was more than happy to pop it on and watch it with my girlfriend and a couple of female friends...2 hours of silence followed by me saying, "don't bring anything like that round here again mate"...it was of course Ted Bundy (Serial killer). Never cross the 2. One is for laughs...the other...well I didn't see the point really. It was all from his perspective, great idea for a fictional serial killer film..but a real life crime? I just thought it was sick.

 

Just noticed what you said at the bottom of your first post! Yeah exactly that.

 

I don't have a problem with it, it's about his last days in prison before he committed suicide. It'll probably be shit.

But is there anything to be gained from making this and giving these people celebrity status? One of the things that motivates these sick fucks to do this kind of thing is that they know that they will be remembered for it.

 

That's why I hated the Tod Bendy film or whatever his name was!

 

I think it's a bit stupid of someone with the same surname to play him...eventually people will forget he was just portraying the part. He'll be mobbed and taken down in approximately 5 years I reckon.

 

I dont really think that was West's motivation ! Given the choice, I'm sure he'd have prefered to continue following his chosen path anonymously.

All the time good old Fred [and it should be remembered just how many people thought he was a great bloke...before he was found out] was doing his thing, I lived in the same area - no more than 10 miles from Gloucester, closer at times.

I certainly knew people in the Cromwell Street area of Gloucester, though not as far as I can remember in that particular road itself.

So I took more than my usual interest in the West case - when you know most of the places mentioned in the books about West [but not any of the people] it does kind of bring it home to you - all the people who go missing every year... how many of them are in some other cellar someplace ?

How many "really nice blokes - would give anyone a hand" - and their wives ! - are persuing their little hobbies right now ?

Funnily enough, Rose West again lives near me, albeit in Durham jail.

Incidentally, people from Gloucester are quick to point out that West was actually an in-comer... from Much Marcle, in Herefordshire. Quite a few dark secrets in those rural places...

 

Interesting...and unhinging. What is an in-comer?

 

Know what?

It's not A Serbian Film.

So it's fuckin' Sesame Street.

 

Not native born... came in from across the county line.

Lets face it - would you want to be associated, however obliquely, with the Wests ? No, he came from Herefordshire, and we all know what kind of primitives they breed there, dont we [even if it is only 15 miles distant...]

 

they are gonna connect the program to DIY sos ... so not only will we learn a little of the insight into the brain of such murderous fuckwits as the wests... but we'll also be shown how to rebuild the conservatory after the police have finished digging it up lookin' for victims :mickey:

rose west is about four mile from where i'm sat, horrible creature

 

I once had the pleasure of serving drinks to the family of a notorious psychopath who had previous convictions and had spent time for murder at a birthday reception. He was there. They threatened me because I didn't smile at them when they rude to me, and the manager drove me home afterwards to make sure I didn't get jumped by any of them outside. He didn't realise who they were when he booked the event.

 

Ah I see. I can only assume that you've fallen out Herefordshire as a county after they're offering to your home county Gloucestershire...and who can blame you? Fred West is not the best contribution that one county can offer another.

 

In North America there's been movies made about Ed Gein (the "inspiration" for Leatherface 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' as well as the influence for Buffalo Bill in 'Silence of the Lambs') Ted Bundy, Jeffery Dahmer, John Wayne Gacy, Ted Kaczynski (UNABOMBER), Gary Ridgway (Green River killer), Zodiac (never caught), Black Dahlia murder (never caught), and probably more.

Doesn't seem to be a big deal over here. Mind you aside from the last two I mentioned and the fictional 'Texas Chainsaw' and 'Silence of the lambs', none of the movies did very well or are even that well known.

 

I can't believe they're digging this one up again

 

The Boston Strangler springs to mind...

 

Eh ? Not sure I understand that statement.

Herefordshire is still a very rural county and also borders onto Wales [there be dragons...]. You can either see the inhabitants as the last vestiges of a wise and ancient England, dancing round the maypole, etc... or a bunch of inbred halfwits straight out of Deliverence or something.

Check out the novels of Phil Rickman, which are mainly set in Herefordshire and explore many of these themes. In fact in one - The Lamp Of The Wicked - Fred West plays a pretty big part, albeit from beyond the grave.

Your local library should have them if its any good... usually his titles seem to be split between the Horror and Crime shelves [while not being either entirely].