By Netflix released its new true crime drama this month co-created by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, DAHMER – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. The 10-part series stars Evan Peters as Jeffrey Dahmer, the serial killer, paedophile, necrophiliac, and cannibal who murdered and dismembered 17 people over 13 years.
Over the weekend, the show shot to No. 1 on Netflix’s most-watched list in countries around the world. However, the show has received criticism and backlash for its approach to the families of Dahmer’s victims.
Dahmer’s victim Errol Lindsey’s cousin Eric Perry tweeted that his family had not been notified about the series in advance, and sister Rita Isbell said watching the show “felt like reliving” the trial
I’m not telling anyone what to watch, I know true crime media is huge rn, but if you’re actually curious about the victims, my family (the Isbell’s) are pissed about this show. It’s retraumatizing over and over again, and for what? How many movies/shows/documentaries do we need? https://t.co/CRQjXWAvjx
— eric. (@ericthulhu) September 22, 2022
“Like recreating my cousin having an emotional breakdown in court in the face of the man who tortured and murdered her brother is WILD,” Perry wrote. “WIIIIIILD.”
“I was never contacted about the show,” Isbell said in a personal essay published on Insider. “I feel like Netflix should’ve asked if we mind or how we felt about making it. They didn’t ask me anything. They just did it. If the show benefited them in some way, it wouldn’t feel so harsh and careless,” Isbell said. “It’s sad that Netflix is just making money off of this tragedy. That’s just greed.”
Many viewers have taken it to social media to express their discomfort:
One viewer said, “I’m nearly done with the Jeffrey Dahmer show on Netflix and I just need to know why they continue to humanise and even victimise these murderers, every single time???”
Someone else said, “Wait?? Why Netflix remade a documentary over Jeffrey Dahmer as if there’s not already 3 previous documentaries over it? Capitalism is sick and this really disturbing to the victims.”
The cast and crew have defended the show, claiming that they never intended to humanise Dahmer, but rather to show the perspectives of the victims and explain that race and sexuality played a role in many of Dahmer’s killings.
Evan Peters who portrays the killer said in a video; “So, we had one rule going into this from… it would never be told from Dahmer’s point of view,” Peters said.
“As an audience, you’re not really sympathising with him, you’re not really getting into his plight, you’re sort of watching it from the outside. It’s called the Jeffrey Dahmer Story, but it’s not just him and his backstory. It’s the repercussions. It’s how society and our system failed to stop him multiple times, because of racism, homophobia…It’s just a tragic story,” he said.
There has also been a backlash from viewers after they noticed that the show had been tagged LGBTQ on the streaming site, resulting in Netflix removing it from that category
Image: Netflix
