The Arab artistic scene, especially Egypt, is witnessing a remarkable rise in the presentation of dramatic works inspired by true crime stories.
Among the most prominent of these anticipated works is the “The Complete Story” series, which was announced by director and producer Magdy El Hawari, and is inspired by the program of director and content presenter Sameh Sanad, which deals with the stories of serial killers and famous crimes that have shaken society in recent years.
For his part, producer Ayman Youssef announced his new project entitled “Assembly killer” Which will star the artist Ahmed El-Fishawy, and is inspired by the stories of serial murders that occurred in the Fifth Settlement area in the Egyptian capital, Cairo.
It seems that the series has been a huge success “The Butcher of Giza” Last year was a major impetus for more productions in this context, as the series admired the audience and received wide praise thanks to its exciting story and the performances of the actors.
Does crime attract viewers?
Film critic Tarek El-Shenawy told Al Jazeera Net that abnormal characters usually attract the audience, as they represent a strong source of excitement and suspense at the level of drama. “The public is naturally inclined towards this type of work because it reflects complex psychological conflicts that we do not see in daily life.”
He adds that the success of “The Butcher of Giza” represented an indication to drama makers of the necessity of continuing work in this direction, just as is the case in international dramas and cinema that have reintroduced characters such as “The Joker” multiple times due to the great popularity he enjoyed.
El-Shenawy continued, citing old cinematic works, such as “Rayya and Sakina” and “The Thief and the Dogs,” which presented realistic stories about crime and became icons in Arab cinema. These works, according to him, succeeded because the audience is naturally drawn to stories that deal with the dark side of the human psyche.
Foreign influence on Arab drama
As for critic Omnia Adel, she in turn pointed out that the recent increasing interest in presenting dramatic works about crimes and serial killers comes as a result of the success achieved by foreign works that dealt with this genre. “Foreign films and series that focused on serial killers, such as the series “Mindhunter,” The series “Dexter” attracted global attention, which prompted Arab drama makers to copy the idea.
She adds that modern broadcast platforms have contributed to the promotion of this type of artistic work, as the audience turns to these stories because of their exciting and exciting nature, even if the artistic work is not characterized by high artistic quality.
Does repetition make drama lose its effect?
For his part, critic Ihab Al-Turki believes that repeatedly presenting dramatic works revolving around the world of crime may lead to a loss of distinction in this type of production. “After the great success achieved by ‘The Butcher of Giza’, it is likely that the market will witness many similar works, which may “It loses its luster over time if you cannot provide something new.”
Al-Turki added that some previous artistic works that dealt with characters such as thugs lost their appeal after the idea was repeated and presented in an exaggerated manner, making them not as effective as they were before.
The psychological dimension of the killer's personality
Despite the great appeal of true crime stories, critics point out the importance of focusing on the psychological aspect of the characters, which critic Omnia considers the key to success in foreign works.
“Arabic works may sometimes lack focus on the psychological dimension of the serial killer, unlike foreign works that highlight the psychological aspects that drive a person to commit horrific crimes,” according to Amina Adel.
