Are serial killer shows problematic?

Does the new show on Dahmer reignite a cult worship or does it inform a new audience of his horrendous crimes?

Released: September 21, 2022

Starring: Evan Peters, Richard Jenkins, Niecy Nash, Molly Ringwald

Created by: Ryan Murphy, Ian Brennan

What’s it about? The story of one of the most notorious serial killers in the United States, largely told from the points of view of his victims.

IMDb Score: 8.5/10

Full disclosure: I have not seen Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, and I do not plan to watch it. Though I hear it's very good, I am choosing not to expose my mind to the disturbing, traumatic content. Some minds are stronger and can handle watching, but not me.

Violence is heavily imbedded in American culture, and has been since the literal foundation of this country. So many of us are thrilled by criminal content, as was made clear by the intense viewership of OJ Simpson's infamous police chase and his 8-month long trial.

Following the OJ trial, there was a significant shift in the ways news and crime are consumed.

What does that do to someone's mind, all the constant consumption of serial killers, police brutality, shootings in the news, etc.?

Specifically as it relates to shows about serial killers, I do wonder if media executives are being responsible with these storylines. With the Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story in particular, there are several valid critiques as to why it didn't have to be made:

1. It is not considerate of the victims and their families

The victims' families were not informed that this show would be made. Since the events were public record, they didn't have to be informed (or Paid). Eric Perry, family member of Dahmer victim Errol Lindsey, urged people on Twitter not to watch, as the show is triggering and re-traumatizing for the family. He tweeted:

"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?"

Like recreating my cousin having an emotional breakdown in court in the face of the man who tortured and murdered her brother is WILD. WIIIIIILD."

Twitter

After seeing the response to his original tweet, Perry added:

"Ok, I did not expect that tweet to get this much attention. To answer the main question, no, they don’t notify families when they do this. It’s all public record, so they don’t have to notify (or pay!) anyone. My family found out when everyone else did...

So when they say they’re doing this “with respect to the victims” or “honoring the dignity of the families”, no one contacts them. My cousins wake up every few months at this point with a bunch of calls and messages and they know there’s another Dahmer show. It’s cruel."

2. The content is not new

As Perry tweeted, Dahmer is one of the most notorious serial killers of all time, with many podcasts, films and television shows already being made about him. If this is really supposed to be from the victims' point of view, why were their families not notified? Was there a better way to honor their memory?

Aside from the ethical issues with this show, fans are even worrying about Evan Peters' mental health, as he has portrayed several killers and psychopaths in various seasons of American Horror Story, which is also produced by Ryan Murphy.

Mashable

3. People are having inappropriate reactions

There are serial killers who crave public notoriety, so much that there has been criticism of the way news outlets should cover these scenarios. So a whole TV show production has to be weary of encouraging a cult following.

It also blurs the lines further when attractive actors are cast to play serial killers. It's not historically accurate (because they were not that attractive) and then viewers start thirsting over serial killers (both the actors AND the real serial killers). This also happened with Zac Efron's portrayal of Ted Bundy in Netflix's Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile. This 2019 film followed the story of Ted Bundy's longtime girlfriend, who refused to believe he is guilty of the kidnappings and heinous crimes against women he was accused of. I'm not sure what purpose it served. Though it was a different perspective, there was no new important information shared, as several productions have already been made about Bundy as well.

In reaction to Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, people are literally tweeting things like "Jeffrey Dahmer kinda hot ngl" and "he would've got me". Someone even wrote a blog entitled, "5 Ways I'm Similar to the Notorious Serial Killer Jeffrey Dahmer, and You Might Be Too." It's sick, and people need to have some decorum (and common sense).

At the very least, people are being entertained off of this. Netflix is literally profiting off of people's trauma and death. If people really wanted to be informed, they could read an article or watch one of the other adaptations already made.

Splash Report

Do we really need to see Dahmer murder people with drills and acid, and then practice necrophilia and cannibalism? And for those that find that entertaining, maybe that should be evaluated as well?

I hope that the critiques of this show allows Hollywood to reanalyze the ethics of true crime stories, and dial back on telling them altogether.

Has any resolve come from this uneasy retelling of horrendous murders?

If anything, the series (whether intentionally, or just by Twitter discussion) has made people aware that Dahmer was not some mastermind killer, but able to commit 17 murders because of police negligence. His victims were mainly gay men and boys of color, one of who was deaf, which is a factor in the police negligence.

One victim, Konerak Sinthasomphone, was attempting to escape, but Milwaukee police officers Joseph Gabrish and John Balcerzak took the naked, bleeding 14-year-old back Dahmer, which resulted in his murder. Even after Dahmer’s arrest and the controversy that ensued, both men went on to enjoy lengthy careers in Wisconsin law enforcement.

Netflix event made a cringe tweet referring to this real life moment as a "scene", further proving their unseriousness about respecting the victims and their families.

People are also learning that Dahmer was killed by Christopher Scarver while in prison, and have been praising Scarver, who is still serving multiple life sentences for murder in Canon City, Colorado.

Monster may have informed a new audience on Dahmer's killings, and how the politics of classism, racism, desirability, homophobia, and the AIDs epidemic influenced how long he got away with his killings, but at what cost? Maybe with all the dialogue around the painful truths of how these cases were handled, there will be some accountability with the police that were involved. Maybe viewers will get to know who the victims were outside of the tragedies that happened to them.

Again, I hope that Hollywood rethinks the ethics of these kinds of shows and how we as a society can critique the police as a failed state.