In popular culture, Jeffery Dahmer has been referred to in a multitude of instances. Song lyrics hint at his cannibalistic tendencies and when conversations pertaining to serial killers arise, he’s commonly mentioned.
Dahmer became an active killer in 1978 and was responsible for the deaths of 17 men and boys over a 13-year period. His crimes brought national attention due to their brutality as Dahmer raped, engaged in necrophilia and was a cannibal. In addition to the aforementioned offenses, Dahmer’s case brought forth outrage as he was able to evade police attention before his 1991 arrest.
Following his arrest on July 21, 1991, several films and true crime documentaries detailing Dahmer’s crimes and childhood have been released. There are over seven pieces of footage with the most recent being a 2017 movie adaptation (of a graphic novel) titled My Friend Dahmer starring Ross Lynch.
The debut of Ryan Murphy’s and Ian Brennan’s Netflix series DAHMER – Monster: The Jeffery Dahmer Story on Wednesday, Sept. 21, adds another to the list of Jeffery Dahmer-centered true crime media. The show features 10 episodes detailing Dahmer’s childhood, his victims, his 13-year reign of terror and the events that led to his summer arrest.
Following the series’ release, controversy first arose due to Netflix tagging the series as LGBT. DAHMER is seen as a large contrast to series and films typically found on Netflix’s LGBT tags. It is dark, there are violent scenes, and it is often distressing. Shows like Heartstopperand Sex Education are regarded as more positive and lighthearted in comparison.
Tweets such as the one above were commonplace when it came to criticizing Netflix’s tagging.
In a TikTok with over 354.8 thousand views and 24.6 thousand likes, user @lizthelezbo stated that Dahmer being LGBT was “…technically true” but was “… not the representation that we’re looking for.”
The top two comments on the post counter Liz’s video. One user states that it could be used for “educational purposes” while another wrote, “You’ve got to take the bad along with the good.”
Amidst the public’s reaction to DAHMER’s status as an LGBT work, Netflix officially removed the tag on Sept. 23.
Currently, DAHMER is one of Netflix’s most trending works with about 169.2 million viewer hours and as of Thursday, Sept. 29, the series is number one on Netflix.
Alongside the issue of its LGBT tagging, there is additional controversy regarding the ethics of true crime dramas and whether it is necessary to watch or create them.
Many individuals believe that true crime is informative, and its purpose could be cautionary. There could also be attention brought to the victims affected and it could be a method to honor their memories, so their stories are told.
Others see true crime as exploitative, re-traumatizing and a possible money grab on Netflix’s part.
The divide between defenders and critics of true crime dramatizations widened as Eric Perry, cousin of Errol Lindsey (one of Dahmer’s victims), wrote of his opinions regarding the show in a retweeted Twitter post.
In a comment replying to himself, Perry stated “…recreating my cousin having an emotional breakdown in court in the face of the man who tortured and murdered her brother is WILD.”
Perry’s cousin and Errol Lindsey’s sister, Rita Isbell, conducted a conversation converted to an essay through Insider.
In the piece, Isbell provided further details surrounding the highly viewed footage of the trial in 1992. She also expressed her discomfort with Netflix’s production of the mini-series. As implied in Perry’s tweet and confirmed in the essay, none of the victim’s families were aware of DAHMER’s making, nor was permission requested to display its contents.
Isbell also suggested that her disapproval of the show could have lessened if the children and grandchildren of the victims were considered.
She stated, “If the show benefited them in some way, it wouldn’t feel so harsh and careless.” Isbell sees no need to watch, as she lived the events, and knew “exactly what happened.” Isbell and Perry’s statements provide personal perspectives on those directly affected by the hands of serial killers.
Since the series’ release on Netflix, millions have tuned in to watch and the series was applauded for its work with its sixth episode, “Silenced.” This sixth episode immerses viewers into the life of Tony Hughes, Dahmer’s twelfth victim. Hughes was deaf and “Silenced” emphasized this as various segments of the episode were muffled or had unclear sounds.
Fans applauded the episode for humanizing Hughes. The episode was emotional and brought many to tears. Yet, it also begs to question the necessity of dramatizations.
Jeffery Dahmer has been repeatedly immortalized via popular culture. Ryan Murphy’s DAHMER is not the first biopic film surrounding Dahmer’s childhood and crime released to the public. There are varying opinions, debates and backlash. However, it is unlikely that this will be the last true crime dramatization of Dahmer to be released.
No matter the stances that are taken, the Netflix series is trending and topics for discussion will continue to emerge as the show is viewed.
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