A new Netflix show just released, it’s all the rage, and it has unsettling content that is perfect for the fall season that is upon us. It seems like the perfect show to binge-watch with your bestie after making sure the doors are locked and the curtains are shut, but there are repercussions to creating a show like this.
Firstly, we need to talk about the people having to relive this traumatic experience. There are family members of Dahmer’s victims who are portrayed in the show without their consent and who will more than likely be exposed to these dramatized scenes leading up to their loved ones’ horrible deaths and the dreadful grief they experienced after. Is entertainment enough of a reason to use a person’s image while they are experiencing the worst tragedy imaginable? How many times must they see themselves face the unthinkable to satisfy the morbid fascination with a serial killer? Some family members have even taken to social media to voice their disdain for the show, with support being shown in droves from sympathetic bystanders.
Another issue with not only this new show but the fascination with morbidity and serial killers, in general, is the vulnerable populations that begin to obsess over the killers in question. Presumably, the fascination originates from the casting decisions made to portray killers. In “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story,” Evan Peters plays the titular character, Ross Lynch plays Dahmer in the 2017 film, “My Friend Dahmer,” and Zac Efron plays Ted Bundy in “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile” in 2019. There is a connection between these actors selected to play some of the most disturbed people in history: they are or once were, teen idols. The choice to pick attractive and beloved actors to play these terrifying criminals creates an opportunity for them to become seductive and mysterious instead of disgusting and outcasted. Young girls seem to be the most vulnerable demographic to this phenomenon, as they are the population most likely to idolize these actors. Some cannot separate the character from the actual killer and develop a fascination, sometimes of a romantic inclination, with these criminals.
I get it, I really do. It’s a new Netflix show that is all anyone is talking about and it seems like the perfect time to get immersed in a real and frightening story. But please remember that these people that are featured in the show aren’t just characters. They are victims who were raped and brutally murdered, not to mention the people that are still living that should not be made to experience this tragedy again. So, while the appeal might stand, maybe skip this one this spooky season.