Memories of a Murderer: The Nilsen Tapes
By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Britain's worst serial killer talks on tape; violence.
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Memories of a Murderer: The Nilsen Tapes
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What's the Story?
In MEMORIES OF A MURDER: THE NILSEN TAPES, British serial killer Dennis Nilsen is a cheerful raconteur of his murderous exploits. Director Michael Harte (director of Don't F** with Cats) plays excerpts from the 250 hours of tapes Nilsen recorded while he served his life prison term as he worked on his autobiography, a compilation of self justifications attached to an indictment of society for its marginalization of gay people. Nilsen is articulate, even eloquent at times, as he tells his story with a measure of self importance and no sign of remorse. As a former police officer and a civil servant, he had the discernment to select his victims from among a large London population of young homeless, runaways, "rent boys" -- male prostitutes -- and people on the margins whose disappearance would likely go unnoticed. He called such people "a unit in the herd," nobodies, abandoned ciphers in life. He objected to being called a "monster," and explains he was molested by a beloved grandfather before the age of 5, as if to blame his proclivities on someone else. He suggests that his view of the dead grandfather's body may have merged his emotions about love and death so that he would go on to have sex and kill and, in at least one instance, masturbate on one of his dead victims. He served 34 years of his life sentence, then died in 2018 at the age of 72. Only eight of his victims were ever identified, ranging in age from 14 to 27.
Is It Any Good?
This documentary is fascinating but also difficult to watch. What Memories of a Murderer: The Nilsen Tapes does a good job of conveying is the way society has demonstrated as little remorse about abandoning runaways, the homeless, and gay people as Nilsen had about killing such marginalized members of the community. For five years, people who seemingly didn't matter to anyone were being killed and dismembered and no one raised a finger to stop Nilsen. Harte organizes the material well, but it's difficult to get past the heinous nature of the crimes and the boastfulness and self importance of the title character.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Nilsen's lack of remorse for his actions. How do you think people who commit such heinous crimes should be treated?
Nilsen looked for victims no one would miss. What do you think his years of undetected murdering says about society's commitment to helping people who need help? Do you think some of the victims might still be alive if they hadn't been marginalized by their status as gay, or drug-addicted, or involved in sex work?
Do you think Nilsen's actions put him the category of mentally impaired? Do you think the law should be applied differently in such cases? Why or why not?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming: August 18, 2021
- Director: Michael Harte
- Studio: Netflix
- Genre: Documentary
- Run time: 84 minutes
- MPAA rating: NR
- Last updated: February 17, 2023
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