Is Netflix’s New Show a Representation of Reality?

American Horror Story producer Ryan Murphy tells the story of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, portrayed by Evan Peters. Peters did an amazing job studying the body language and tone of Dahmer, making the character even more believable. But what did Netflix leave out? 

In his time, Dahmer was responsible for the murders of 17 men and boys between the years 1978-1991. His crimes involved many gruesome techniques that Netflix portrays. The show omits certain aspects of Dahmer's childhood, crimes, and the contents of his apartment. Some of the detail that wasn’t included provides deeper insight into the life and actions of the killer. Dahmer’s childhood was plagued with misery and injury. From the age of 14 onward, Dahmer drank alcohol regularly at school and had terrible grades, despite his exceptionally high IQ. 

There has also been some backlash regarding the portrayal of Dahmer and how many documentaries have been made romanticizing the notorious serial killer's actions. People claim that the more he is spoken about and portrayed in the media, the more attention and fame he will get, which was his intended goal all along.

Cosmopolitan states that  he victims' families are speaking out and “People are calling the dramatization “retraumatizing” for the victims’ families.” It is argued that the series humanizes the true crimes of the notorious serial killer. Others claim that it is inappropriate that Netflix has remade a series about Dahmer. 

A family member of Errol Lindsay, one of Dahmer’s victims, spoke out against the show saying that Netflix did not notify the victim's families, ask for permission to film the series, or give the families any income from the show. They also claim that the portrayal of the story is disturbing to their family to have to relive. 

Although the show was incredible and Murphy and Peters did an excellent job, there is still a lot of backlash and hate. 

Critics and viewers have nothing but positive things to say about Evan Peter’s performance as Jeffrey Dahmer, but some people have a hard time distinguishing between an actor and the person they are playing on the screen. 

Peters is a conventionally attractive person and a talented actor, making the lines between the character he plays and his own self a bit blurred in the eyes of young viewers. In one TikTok about the show, someone writes, “Like I know Dahmer is about [a] serial killer… but the clutch Evan Peters had me in with this scene.” 

Some tweets have gone viral in which users talk about their realization that Jeffrey Dahmer is attractive, brought on by the show’s popularity. The New York Post published an article last week with the title “People are thirsting for Jeffrey Dahmer after Netflix show turns killer into sex symbol” with links to tweets that show off what people are truly thinking after watching Peters in Dahmer. We saw the same thing happen in 2019 when Zac Efron played Ted Bundy in the movie Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile. 

These shows and movies about past serial killers can be entertaining and fascinating to watch, but at what point do we need to draw the line between romanticizing and admiring because of their “good looks” or the people that play them on television? Should we be ignoring what a person did so we can express our attraction to them online? Or should we maybe just keep it to ourselves?