Netflix was roundly criticized after it released the trailer in January for its upcoming Ted Bundy biopic, “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile,” which has Zac Efron playing the infamous serial killer. At the time, critics feared the true crime thriller would only romanticize the rapist and murderer. But this phenomenon isn’t just happening on-screen. Notorious killers have long attracted certain women, and the phenomenon continues to this day. Look at all the love letters Chris Watts, the Colorado man who admitted to killing his wife and daughters, has received in prison.

Netflix Zac Efron as serial killer Ted Bundy.

Even though the phenomenon of women being attracted to killers isn’t necessarily new, it’s remarkably understudied and ignored. Sheila Isenberg, the author of “Women Who Love Men Who Kill,” completed one of the most substantial surveys of women who fall for killers, and that was 30 years ago. Today, the book remains one of the most vivid descriptions of the minds of these women. “Most of them had jobs, many of them had families,” Isenberg explained. “One woman had a PhD and was a college professor.” Many of the women Isenberg interviewed were intelligent and friendly. What distinguished them was their history and psychology. “Every woman had been abused in her past,” said Isenberg. Essentially, by getting involved with a prisoner, these women were regaining control in their relationship. They dictated when prison visits were made. They would put the money in his canteen. The killer would then be dependent on them, appearing to reverse the power dynamic. But are there are other factors that influence these women? Isenberg believes the same element that encourages these women to seek out killers in prison also inclines women in general to love true crime. Her upcoming book, “Mad, Bad and Dangerous: Women’s Fascination with Crime and Outlaws,” explores these factors.

SuperStock via Getty Images Classic American cowboy as an outlaw hero.