As fall rolls around, everyone turns on their televisions to sit and watch the horror classics: “Halloween”, “Nightmare on Elm Street”,“Scream” and more get movie lovers in the mood for the scary season. However, this year the attention has shifted away from the gore and fake blood to the real and vile.
On Sept. 21, Netflix debuted “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.” The ten-episode series follows the story of the famed serial killer and cannibal Jeffery Dahmer. Between the years 1978 and 1991 Dahmer assaulted, killed and consumed 17 young boys and men. The series focuses on the effects of Dahmer’s murders on the people around him rather than Dahmer’s personal story.
Writer Ryan Murphy is no stranger to docu-dramas. Having had previous success with “The Assassination of Gianni Versace – American Crime Story” and “The People Versus O.J. Simpson”, “Dahmer” was another example of Murphy’s film excellence. Murphy takes an already twisted story and dials it all the way up to the max.
Actor Evan Peters stars as the murdering cannibal maniac. Peters is known primarily for his work in “American Horror Story” and various “X-Men” movies. Physical similarities combined with Peters’ excellent portrayal of Dahmer’s cynical essence is sure to leave you with chills.
Senior Olivia Rogers felt the show had left a lasting impression on her. “I wanted to watch the show because I like learning and watching things about crime.” She continued, “I thought it was going to be creepy and my impression beginning to end.” Rogers considers herself an avid fan of any sort of crime documentary or television show.
Roger’s opinion is not one that is uncommon. Dahmer quickly rose to Netflix’s chart of most watched series chart in its first week of release, surpassing shows like “Squid Game” and “Bridgerton.” Dahmer is just another example of showing the world’s obsession with true crime. But it leaves a question: is this obsession based on false interpretations?
Although entertaining, Murphy twisted a few details for dramatic effect.
The show immediately starts by introducing Glenda Cleveland who was portrayed as Dahmer’s next door neighbor. Such and idea like living next to a crazed killer intrigues readers immediately and gives them a reason to keep watching. The real Cleveland didn’t live next door or in the same apartment building as Dahmer.
Another small aspects were fibbed for dramatics. Dahmer’s door had two locks. In the beginning a panicked young man does his best to escape the killer. He struggles to open the many locks on the door, as an injured Dahmer regains his strength to come after his prey. The small detail adds additional suspense, inflicting fear in the audience.
Sociology teacher Trever Zahn says, “I would definitely say society tends to romanticize or obsess with these types of people. You can simply look at the top Netflix shows and the Dahmer, Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy and Laurie Vallo documentaries are right towards the top in terms of popularity.”
The rising popularity is a reflection of society’s unsettling obsession with television that depicts gruesome real-life events. Viewers like to watch something sick and twisted for the sole purpose of wanting to hate something. That’s why shows like “Dahmer” tend to be romanticized.
Zahn believes there are two possible reasons, glorification. “It is human nature to develop survival strategies against predatory animals, like other animals, which would include humans. By watching true crime shows, podcasts and things like that, you can learn about these people with little or no threat to yourself,” Zahn continued.
Another reason for this phenomena he claims is due to humans’ social curiosity. “People are fascinated with ‘what went wrong.’” Zahn continued, “You look back and see all those warning signs and it always is presented like there were so many red flags that people missed. When someone behaves in such a shocking and vicious way, often to perfect strangers, there is a natural curiosity to try and diagnose what went wrong.”
As Dahmer continues to be on everyone’s watchlist, society’s obsession with serial killers only grows. An obsession glorified and facilitated by the industry.
