Netflix’s “Monster” series, starring actor Evan Peters, is a dramatized autobiographical show about the serial killer Jeffrery Dahmer and the people he affected.  It hops between the perspectives of different victims, allowing the storyline to touch on (or attempts to) more nuanced topics and problems in today’s justice system and society.

Jeffrey Dahmer was a notorious serial killer, primarily known for eating his victims. He was active from 1978 – 1991, having killed 17 men that he would often pick up from local gay bars. Dahmer was eventually killed in prison in 1993 after angering another inmate.

“Monster” begins in a suburb of Akron, Ohio, where we see the struggles of Dahmer in his dysfunctional middle class family.  It manages to capture him and his peers alienation. “Monster” captures you within the first few episodes with the serial killer’s backstory, wincing during his hardships and feeling a sense of dread as Dahmer falls further and further into isolation.  Whether it is good storytelling or glamorization The setting gives off a melancholy, foreboding tone. Instead of the in-your-face gore and horror you might expect from the writer Ryan Murphy and his works like American Horror Story and Ratched, most acts Dahmer commits are implied rather than shown, leaving a sense of unease that follows you along the storyline. 

“I was never interested in Jeffrey Dahmer, the monster. I was interested in what made him.” Stated Ryan Murphy in an interview by Netflix. “I think that the fact that all of the characters in this are seen as true humans makes some people uncomfortable.”

Jeffrey Dahmer was a notorious serial killer, primarily known for eating his victims. He was active from 1978 – 1991, having killed 17 men that he would often pick up from local gay bars. Dahmer was eventually killed in prison in 1993 after angering another inmate.

“Monster” is centered on the victim’s perspectives, such as Tony Hughes, an aspiring model that was one of the over a dozen men murdered by Dahmer. Murphy uses this plotline to expose the harsh reality of the killer’s crimes, showing the life Hughes had for himself and the adversity he had faced in his life as a gay, deaf man in the 70s. With each victim, “Monster” told a short story about a person every time, feeling more like a collection than a continuous plot to me. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as it was refreshing for the attention shine on the people who probably need it the most. 

My main problem with this series is the hefty amount of Dahmer’s backstory it gives in vivid detail. It takes time painting the future serial killer as an ostracized, depressed teenager the world has wronged. This isn’t necessarily bad, as painting Dahmer as a merciless, stone cold killer doesn’t help anyone. But there’s a certain element of danger that comes with recreating real life events in Hollywood this influential, and the people the show may attract. Monster makes him relatable, a symbol for other ostracized teens watching the show. Members of the “true crime community” were reported to have shown up at the old Dahmer residence in flocks, ogling at the home and stalking his father. It brings up the question of whether we should continue mythologizing figures such as Dahmer with media like this, or take the spotlight off of them and allow the victim’s of these crimes to move on.

“Monster” touches on important but often unspoken topics, emphasizing how easily Dahmer was able to get away with his crimes as a working white man in a primarily Black community. Systematic racism peppers our justice system to this day, and this should be shown to the general public, whether it be on the news or in media such as this. If you’re interested in true crime and other crime dramas by Netflix like “Night Stalker” or other Ryan Murphy works like “American Horror Story”, you’ll enjoy this. Though I wouldn’t recommend the show for people with weak stomachs or who are sensitive towards heavy topics (cannibalism, SA, death) in any way, I very much enjoyed this show.