Anneliese Altimari - OPINION
The streaming service, Netflix, has recently released a limited-run series called, Dahmer. The series follows the events that are the murders of notorious serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, starring Emmy award-winning actor Evan Peters as Dahmer.
The show was created by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan and has become Netflix’s second biggest series ever, following the hit show, Stranger Things. From Peters’ portrayal, to the conversation on ethics the series has arisen, this show has become something people cannot stop talking about.
Peters truly did seem to capture what the public thought Dahmer would be like, even down to the mid-western accent. Dahmer was described by people as an awkward and weird outcast and that definitely is evident throughout the series. Peters has played this sociopathic character before in the well-known show, American Horror Story, which was also applauded for his acting. His rendition was perfectly disturbing and wonderfully executed. Watching him as Dahmer makes the viewer feel uncomfortable and uneasy, almost as if they were never supposed to see what is on the screen.
The series has sparked a debate when it comes to ethics in creating shows or movies on a sensitive topic like this one. Many people have slammed Netflix saying that making series like this is glorifying his crimes, and retraumatizes victims and loved ones. Many people have an issue with taking real life tragedies and turning them into entertainment for people to sit back and watch.
“Instead of focusing on the killer, and further facilitating the sick "Dahmer is hot '' fan club, let's learn about and honor the victims,” a Twitter user going by the name ‘HotGirlJo’ said on Twitter. She went on to post pictures, and names of Dahmer’s victims with the intent to keep them in people’s minds. Especially since all these other shows about serial killers Netflix has made, including Ted Bundy and Richard Ramirez, sparked fan bases for them. I personally think those people are just sick individuals.
It ultimately comes down to how the show is done, because shows like this one can be educational in some ways and also in memoriam to the victims but instead they’re made about the “monster” of the story.
This series took on a way of capturing the story we haven’t seen yet in shows or movies like this so far. Episodes 6-10 followed Dahmer's family, his neighbor Glenda Cleveland, and the victims’ families and how they were dealing with the aftermath of it all. There was also a whole episode, episode 6 called ‘Silenced’, about one of his victims, Tony Hughes, and who he was. Hughes was deaf so the episode was almost completely silent, allowing you to connect and understand Hughes in a way never really been done before. These episodes made the story more about the victims then how they died, and gave their names light rather than his.
However there were a few times towards the end of the series where it seemed like the directors were trying to get you to pity and feel bad for Dahmer. I personally found that only made me angrier. Especially during the scene of his attack in the prison when he was killed. It showed him being baptized right before the attack and they had Peters as Dahmer say how when he killed those people he was lost and abandoned God.
The future of this series is up in the air for now. Many people want it removed from the streaming service out of respect for the victims and families. One of the big reasons behind that is one of his victims, Errol Lindsay, his sister, Rita Isbell, spoke out against Netflix, saying she was never told about the making of this show, despite using her name and hiring an actress to portray her.
This type of entertainment has been on the rise in recent years with newfound interest in true crime. Dahmer had some incredible acting and the direction was also admirable. For future reference making a whole series like episode six could result in a different reaction from viewers and may have people think more about who they’re learning about rather than glorify a serial killer because the actor who plays him is cute.