[crabapple]

I think there is also a factor that I will call "Lazy Suspension of Disbelief."

Serial killers really exist in real life + they are horrifying. Therefore, as opposed to a fantasy character like Freddy Krueger or Zombie Jason, less effort has to be expended to "sell" the idea that the bad guy is real.

This works in two clever ways. First, the writer doesn't have to try very hard to convince the audience that the threat is something plausible. Second, the audience doesn't have to work very hard to believe the threat is plausible. So, this serial killer mythos encourages laziness on both sides of the coin.

This is just a rant, my opinion means nothing, I just wanted to ramble on about how bored I am with the typical product from this subgenre.