Author Opinions
December 14, 2022
Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story is truly monstrous. The show does not particularly shed new or necessary light on the Dahmer murders, and in fact it perpetuates the glorification of serial killers such as Dahmer just by existing. Dahmer is extremely gory and contains triggering sequences for even the most mature audiences, but none of the content of the show provides a justification for why the show should be so violent.
The gratuitous scenes provide unneeded imagery of heinous crimes that do not deserved to be remembered, at least not in the name of the one who committed them. The victims’ memories are not preserved as much by the series as Dahmer himself is, as shown clearly in the title of the show, which will only lead to more gained interest in the murderer instead of honoring those who were brutally and tragically murdered. Enough movies and TV shows and stories have been created centering on Dahmer, with famous actors from Jeremy Renner to Ross Lynch to now Evan Peters playing the infamous killer, to where real-life murder is being monetized by those who are already rich with no benefit to the victims or their families. Jeffrey Dahmer does not deserve to be remembered and the fact that we continue to watch television that furthers his grotesque legacy is disturbing.
—Camilla Vandegrift
To most, the Jeffrey Dahmer Netflix original is just another show about an infamous killer. To me, the show represents a much larger issue that includes our obsessions with true-crime dramas. There are cable networks and even entire streaming services dedicated to telling true-crime stories. Netflix, though, rules them all. The service has over 100 true-crime dramas, documentaries and even some reality shows. Celebrities like Kim Kardashian have also created their own true-crime multimedia franchises. Kardashian has her own podcast The System, which tells the story of Kevin Keith. If filmmakers continue to make these movies, shows, podcasts, etc., then it is funamentally important that we as a society recognize that behind these shows, there are real victims and victims’ families.
—Nate Williams
