The Jeffrey Dahmer Story – The Horror Blog

The new series, Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story released on Netflix on September 21^st. While some criticized the show, it ended up being the streaming service’s best series debut to date. With Ryan Murphy masterminding the show, this is absolutely no surprise to me. Personally, I am a huge fan and anything he releases shoots itself right to the top of my “must watch” list. I fell in love with his work; more specifically with his plastic surgeon characters from Nip/Tuck. I remember being so consumed by these flawed and tormented souls. His character development is unmatched. Because of that show and the complexity he built around the two surgeons, I will always look into what he is putting out. He has been at the forefront of pushing boundaries on network television for over a decade. His most well known show is arguably American Horror Story. It’s no surprise that people flocked to the streaming service to binge every single one of the ten episodes released for this limited series.

Now, let me start out by saying a few things. Did we need more Jeffrey Dahmer content? No, we didn’t…There have been plenty of shows, interviews and movies and documentaries put out about the murders and events that took place… not to mention the sickening amount of media coverage archived about the serial killer. I am sure anyone who lived through this with the victims or Dahmer himself are probably sick of seeing new life breathed into the tragedies and atrocities that took place. I will also say that this is a horrendous piece of history, as is every case involving a serial killer…but at the end of the day, this story, it is a piece of history. I think there can be importance in coming back and revisiting the events that had taken place. There can be importance re-examining elements of a story and seeing what happened, particularly with Dahmer or events of the same sensitivity.

 I also know that there has been some bashing of the show because they think it’s idolizing or romancing his crimes. Let’s face it though…the media did that. When they arrested Dahmer and word got out, the media does what it does best with every tragedy in this country. They sensationalized it…and hyper-fixated on it. They added their own opinions and fed the frenzy. They looked into every nook and cranny possible and exploited the shit out of the events and the people involved.  The media coverage of any sensitive topics (missing peoples, murder, ect..) in this country is sensationalized and exploitive with little regards to anyone’s feelings or trauma. It’s disgusting, and should change but it’s a vicious cycle that I don’t think will ever cease.

I have also heard people upset at the potential that people may sympathize with Dahmer. They’re concerned the show somehow made him someone to feel sorry for. I could see how that could be assumed. I felt bad for the child Dahmer that was portrayed. I felt bad for the abandonment of teenager Dahmer. But, although I felt bad for the younger Dahmer portrayed in the show. I don’t sympathize at all.  A monster is a monster… Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but my big take away from this series, and this representation of the events and story was how disgustingly negligent the authorities had been with Dahmer. How many times could someone have stopped him? How was everything handled so poorly? How could the neighbor’s calls, complaints and pleas go ignored over and over again?

Bringing these atrocities back to life could be traumatizing and heart breaking to the families of the victims. That’s something that will never go away, and it does suck. This is all public record, which means no one is required to reach out to the families to gain any type of permission. Do I think they could have? Yes, absolutely I do, and it may have been the right thing to do. Whether they gave permission or not, I think that victim’s loved ones and families could have got a heads up. They may have been able to brace themselves or to mentally prepare for this to once again be in the spotlight.

Now that my disclaimer is out of the way, here are my thoughts. I loved it. Niecy Nash as Glenda Cleveland is just outstanding; her performance was wonderful and heartbreaking. Evan Peters as Dahmer was also fantastic. His quiet and somber performance was creepy; which we needed in this portrayal of Dahmer. From what I seen from interviews with Dahmer himself, there wasn’t particularly anything charming or inviting about the guy, he was just average and oh-so creepy. So, for me this was important.  As someone from the rust belt and very close to where Dahmer grew up he nailed the dialect and speech mannerisms. As soon as I heard him talking I was like ”ugh that damn accent”. It morphs more mid-west but that rust-belt Ohio accent is there. I’m not the least bit surprised that Peters did a good job, but his portrayal exceeded my expectations. There’s also Richard Jenkins as the father, whom I love, and I mean I wasn’t expecting anything but a good performance from the guy.

I think that the show did a really great job at showing what he was- a predator. He was violent and dangerous but plain and almost invisible. They did this in a way that was subtle, without being over-the-top or disgustingly exploitive. There were plenty of cringe worthy and horrifying moments without being excessively disgusting –which I appreciate. I think there needs to be a level of respect to the people still affected by these events…and to your audience. It’s already a hard line to walk when representing real people who were killed, and I think the show did a good job of not being disrespectful or gratuitously graphic in that respect. There was a lot of violence, and I’m not saying there was no gore or blood…there was, but it wasn’t in a way that was offensive…if that makes sense? I will say I enjoyed the first half of the series more than the last couple episodes. I appreciated the time shifts in the beginning, the weaving of timelines.  I found some of the latter of the series drawn out. We do need to keep in mind too, that while this is based on true events and a lot is accurate, it is still a show, and there are fictionalized or dramatized elements and pieces. The main one that comes to mind is the parts with the road kill adventures young Dahmer had with his father. His dad wasn’t aware of that fixation with dead animals until later on. It wasn’t the father/son activity the show portrayed it to be. They also had the mother much more extreme in the series and really dramatized her mannerisms and made her more of a “character” than the portrayal of a real person. While this has more truth than the type of “based on a true story” we are used to getting. It is still a show that required writers, actors and a production staff that used some artistic liberties.

There was really a lot to love with the storytelling ability of this show, and the way the creators and characters portrayed the story. I’m not insensitive to how delicate the line can be between right and wrong when it comes to portraying real people who were murdered. I think they did it as tasteful as possible. I really give them a lot of credit in that respect. I say this isn’t a show that is for the faint of heart just because of the nature of the Jeffrey Dahmer murders. I think if you are into true crime, and that’s your cup of tea, that this will be right up your alley.

As always, thank you so much for reading. It’s wonderful to have a place to come and share my thought and ideas. I will always ask you to give me a follow on Twitter, and on goodreads. You can find the link to either in my drop down menu. Please, let me know what you thought about the series! Or let me know your favorite Ryan Murphy projects. I am always down to talk Ryan Murphy! Thank you again.