Videographer Thomas Flight has given us an interesting look inside the Mindhunter interview of serial killer Ed Kemper in particular. Using real-life footage of the interviews the FBI conducted with Kemper, Flight synched up the killer’s answers with the depiction of similar (or even the exact same) questions on Mindhunter. Suffice to say, the results are chilling, and you can watch them via the YouTube player above.
Much of this has to do with the shocking nature of Kemper’s crimes themselves. An abnormality even among serial killers, Kemper is large, imposing but very intelligent and well spoken. Supposedly boasting an IQ of more than 140, he was first imprisoned as a teenager for killing his grandparents at the age of 15. After convincing the state of California of his rehabilitation, however, Kemper was released back into society in his 20s, where he embarked on a spree of killings that involved female hitchhikers, and eventually his own mother. The details are grisly, and we don’t need to go into them here.
What we should note is the masterful performance by actor Cameron Britton as Kemper, somehow conveying both the killer’s cunning, intelligence and supposed regret for his actions. It’s disarming how convivial he sounds—like a guy you might meet on the stool next to you at a bar, and spend the night chatting with. Truly, a disturbing real-life story, and a brilliant portrayal by Britton and Fincher as director.
Mindhunter is currently available via Netflix, and makes for some pretty obvious pre-Halloween viewing.
