Some “serial killer media” does more than satisfy our morbid curiosity
In September of 2022, amid much controversy, Netflix released their show Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. The premise was the story of the serial killer and sex offender Jeffrey Dahmer. It is not, however, an educational documentary that reveals the whole story and serves only to inform audiences about the crimes. Many details were added and ignored to frame this horrific story to feed into our society’s morbid curiosity. As with any other release on Netflix’s platform, it was created to drive a profit for the streaming company.
The initial release was met with criticism because the families of victims were not contacted or compensated for the release. Specifically, the sister of one of the victims expressed that seeing a clip from the show where an actor played her brother felt like reliving the trauma – the trauma of losing her brother and then confronting his killer in the courtroom. If Netflix can afford to commodify this trauma to boost its viewership and the producers’ pockets, the least the company can do is offer some profits to those families directly involved.
A month after the show was released, it was renewed for more seasons. These will shift the focus from Dahmer’s crimes to other serial killers within our history. That’s right: more screen time for perpetrators of violence. It would be easy to justify the constant production of ‘true crime’ media by claiming it is for informational purposes, but wouldn’t a memoir or documentary serve that purpose better? Does turning these acts into thrilling ‘crime dramas’ not change the focus from education to entertainment?
The repercussions of the television show have not stopped at just being unfair to victims’ families. Video edits were made of Evan Peters, who stars as Dahmer, and posted across social media platforms. Not only that, but it has become a joking trend on TikTok to do the ‘Jeffrey Dahmer dance,’ a move that Peters did on the show. Instead of chatting about the horrific things that Dahmer did or learning about the victims, people are recreating scenes from the show – a show about a notorious serial killer, sex offender and cannibal.
If that wasn’t appalling enough, people chose to dress up as Dahmer for Halloween – even parents dressing their children up in an ensemble meant to represent the killer. Netflix’s show did not act as a mechanism to inform people about an American tragedy, create social change or relieve some trauma for those involved. It just gave Dahmer’s name more power and popularity in our society. There are, of course, some people who learned from the show and did not make jokes about it. The problem is they do not cancel out everyone else.
Instead of helping victims’ traumas, “serial killer media” is stealing their voices and pain for easy-to-consume media. Our screens focus on the perpetrators rather than the victims. Claiming that the show did not intend to be from Dahmer’s perspective does not change the fact it is his name in the title. We are memorializing serial killers. We are giving them popularity. We are sending the message that if you want to live forever – if you want to be played by a handsome actor on a popular Netflix series, you only need to be a serial killer.
Just because someone’s crimes are in the public domain does not mean that victims and their families are not entitled to a level of privacy when it comes to their trauma. Netflix has decided to renew Monster to focus on more serial killers. In turn, it will cause more trauma to be experienced again, more edits to be sent around the social media sphere and more costumes to be created. If the goal is to educate people about the crimes and failings of the justice system, show creators could start by working with those directly affected by the criminal.