Hermanning's criminal tried theory and the the Spider movie

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 PhD student in Criminal Law and Criminology, Faculty of Law and Political Science, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.

2 Assistant Professor, Department of Criminal Law and Criminology, Faculty of Law and Political Science, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.

3 Professor, Department of Criminal Law and Criminology, Faculty of Law and Political Science, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran

Abstract

Psychological approaches to crime in cinema as a manifestation of popular criminology have always been among the purest and most important approaches. movies, with their ability to depict the simultaneous functioning of several psychological factors effective in committing a crime, play an important and influential role in introducing and developing psychological approaches to crime. With a reflection on Iranian cinema in recent decades, it seems that psychological theories of crime are gaining strength in public discourse, especially cinema. The Spider, with a psychological-criminological reading of the serial murders of the famous killer named Saeed Hanaei, reflects Hermanning's criminal triad theory and thereby contributes to the development of popular criminology. This research, with the general theoretical framework of popular criminology and focusing on the film Spider from the cinematic semiotics method, shows how psychological theories of crime in Iranian cinema are emerging with new interpretations and are also compatible with existing theories in academic discourse. This research also shows that Spider presents its own criminological theory for other crimes, from robbery to prostitution, and depicts the strain theory.

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References

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Criminal Law Research
Volume 16, Issue 2 - Serial Number 32
Papers
December 2025
Pages 111-124

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