Profile of a Serial Killer: Albert Fish

Name: Albert Hamilton Fish
Date of Birth: May 18th, 1870
Date of Death: January 16th, 1936
Cause of Death: Electrocution

If you know anything at all about real-life serial killers, you know that they are all vicious, monstrous creatures who cannot even be described as human. Even if you know nothing specifically, you understand this fact. But there were none -- and hopefully never will be -- quite like Mr. Albert Fish. He was the craziest, most vile one of the bunch. Not only was he a serial killer, but he was a pedophile, cannibal, and a sado-masochist with some very disturbing quirks. He stated that he grew up in an orphanage that was run with fierce brutality. He was known to scream "I am God!" into the skies, and he later told authorities that the voices in his head made him do it.

By all outwardly appearances, Fish seemed more than normal. He was a grandfatherly figure: a very polite and sweet old gentleman that people trusted and depended on. He was a werewolf, hiding behind a false skin until he found the perfect moment to pounce on his victims. In one case, he employed a young man as a farm-hand. The family loved him, treated him with respect, invited them into their home for lunch, and thought of him as a grandfather to their children. So it was only natural that when he said he had a child's birthday to attend that they agreed to let their young daughter accompany him. She was never seen again, but Fish was kind enough to send a letter to the girl's mother explaining exactly how he cooked her and what she tasted like. He was known to force his six children to beat him with a paddle until he bled, and he also pierced his own skin with long needles--somewhere around twenty of them were found in his pelvic region. He also like to shove alcohol-doused cotton balls into his rectum and light them on fire. When arrested, he admitted to molesting over four-hundred children.

Fish tried for an insanity plea, and despite several psychiatrists agreeing to this statement, he was found guilty and sentenced to death. There are a couple of rumors surrounding his execution. One is that he was not only untroubled by this, but that he liked it and found the idea to be "sexually thrilling." The other is that the execution was not successful on the first try due to the several needles that he'd put inside of his body and left there. It is said that he actually had to be electrocuted twice.

No matter who you hear or read about, there has never been another as terrifying and disturbing as Albert Fish. The scariest part is that he seemed so kind and gentle, and that people trusted their children to this monster. But, yet again, that was his goal.

Profile of a Serial Killer: Jeffrey Dahmer

Horror in any sort of entertainment industry would not exist if not for the horrors of real life. They would have no purpose; there would be no reaction if we didn't understand that things like this really happen. That is why horror movies scare us: because they're relate-able. It is not the case with all horror movies, of course, but we know that these things could possibly happen to us. Here, I will profile the most infamous serial killers in history. Perhaps learning of the horrors in our world, you will be able to better appreciate these movies for what they are.


Birth name: Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer
Date of Birth: May 21, 1960
Date of Death: November 28, 1994
Cause of Death: Murder

Jeffrey Dahmer was a triple threat: serial killer, cannibal, necrophiliac. With his somewhat boyish and nerdy looks, one would not expect him to do the horrible things he did (especially since he worked in a chocolate factory: a real life Willy Wonka). But that is what all horror teaches us: expect the unexpected. He murdered at least seventeen men between the years of 1978 and 1991 (these are the only ones that were confirmed).

I believe personally that this number would have been smaller if not for the incompetence of the police force. One of Dahmer's victims, fourteen year-old Konerak Sinthasomphone, escaped. After Dahmer drilled a hole in the boy's head and poured acid inside (leaving him in a zombie-like state), the boy managed to wander out into the street. He was naked, bleeding, and very much disoriented. Two women saw him and called the police. When the police arrived, Dahmer told them that the boy was nineteen years-old, and his boyfriend. He told them he'd gotten drunk, they'd fought, and he'd wandered outside. The police agreed, and they left the boy with Dahmer. The police actually thought the situation was funny. They were recorded in phone calls and conversations with dispatchers, and they were laughing. Sinthasomphone was murdered only moments later.

Sinthasomphone was Dahmer's thirteenth victim. If the police had investigated this a bit more, and realized that he was an underage prisoner of Dahmer's (drugged, not drunk), that boy would still be alive. They could have also saved four more lives. But what I believe to be an unwillingness to get in the middle of a homosexual domestic dispute prevented them from doing so.

Dahmer liked to keep trophies of his kills. Heads and several other organs and body parts were found in his home during investigation. He would either preserve them to keep as keepsakes, or he would eat them. He was also a known necrophiliac. This was because of what Dahmer himself called "passive sex" where he felt the need to do horrible things to his victims' corpses.

Known Victims
1. Stephen Hicks (18) in June of 1978
2. Steven Tuomi (26) in September of 1987
3. Jamie Doxtator (25) in October of 1988
4. Richard Guerrero (25) in March of 1988
5. Anthony Sears (24) in February of 1989
6. Eddie Smith (36) in June of 1990
7. Ricky Beeks (27) in July of 1990
8. Ernest Miller (22) in September of 1990
9. David Thomas (23) in September of 1990
10. Curtis Straughter (16) in February of 1991
11. Errol Lindsey (19) in April of 1991
12. Tony Hughes (31) in May of 1991
13. Konerak Sinthasomphone (14) in May of 1991
14. Matt Turner (20) in June of 1991
15. Jeremiah Weinberger (23) in July of 1991
16. Oliver Lacy (23) in July of 1991
17. Joseph Bradeholt (25) in July of 1991

Dahmer was found guilty of fifteen counts of murder (reduced from seventeen for reasons I'm not sure of), and was sentenced to fifteen consecutive life sentences: a total of 937 years. However, on November 28, 1994 Dahmer was beaten to death along with another prisoner, by fellow inmate Christopher Scarver.

Dahmer is the only serial murderer, that I have found so far, that seemed to feel remorse for what he'd done. Before being taken to prison, he seemed almost happy because he knew that it meant he couldn't cause any more harm to people. Whether this was a ruse or not, we will never know.