Netflix's Monster: The JeffreyDahmer story has great performances by Evan Peters and Niecy Nash, but does it wrongly humanize a notorious serial killer?
There were high hopes for Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, which released its 10-episode series on Netflix in late September. Headed up by Ryan Murphy, who is behind hits like American Horror Story and American Crime Story, Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story promised to tackle the story of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer from a different angle.
The spoon-fed story humanizes a killer Frequent Murphy collaborator Evan Peters captures the essence of the titular character, arguably too well. While the intent was not to make Dahmer come across as a sympathetic character, Peters portrays him as a lost soul who was a victim of his own warped fantasies.
Other scenes, meanwhile, are delivered for shock value, like Dahmer caressing and kissing a decapitated victim’s head, drinking bags of blood he steals from the blood bank where he once worked, and declaring to a potential victim that he is going to eat his heart. It’s difficult not to include such shocking scenes and dialogue considering much of it really did happen. The show doesn’t take a particularly gory or gruesome angle, but some scenes are difficult to watch, nonetheless.
Niecy Nash does a wonderfully convincing job as Dahmer’s neighbor Glenda Cleveland, who many consider to be a hero. In real life, Cleveland actually lived in an adjacent building, not next door . The actors who play the victims and their parents and family members also tug on heartstrings, beautifully bringing to life people who were previously only ever seen in photos and stories only ever told about the gruesome things that were done to them, not who they were prior.
Instead of looking into the situation, checking ID, and Dahmer’s previous record , the officers credulously believe Dahmer’s story that the young boy of 14 is actually his 19-year-old boyfriend who simply had too much to drink. Dahmer later went on to kill the boy and five other victims before being caught.
The political and racial statements the show is trying to make are heard loud and clear, but it’s more angering than cathartic. Injustices occurred and highlighting them so bluntly might not be the best way to honor these victims. It, does, however, encourage a discussion about the potential cost of racism, and that’s a topic worth exploring.
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