OPINION EDITOR- MARIANA CHAMORRO
ORIGINALLY PRINTED ON NOV 24 2022
Recently, in the media and on TV, there has been a surge in the popularity of true crime. The newest true crime show bases itself on the notorious serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. It is the second retelling of his story in the last five years. The limited series follows the serial killer from a young age up until his incarceration. It features many known actors and actresses, and its popularity quickly grew and had record-breaking views. However, there has been some critique and controversy surrounding the series. The sister of a victim spoke to Insider and recalled: “I was never contacted about the show,” Isbell told Insider. “I feel like Netflix should’ve asked if we mind or how we felt about making it. They didn’t ask me anything. They just did it.” When creating a series based on real-life traumatic events, production companies should be considerate of the public who will see it, especially the families of the victims. This major critique surrounds the show since many other family members of victims have spoken out, saying this made painful memories resurface. A cousin of another victim took to Twitter to say: “I’m not telling anyone what to watch. I know true crime media is huge, but if you’re actually curious about the victims, my family (the Isbells) are pissed about this show.” He continues, “It’s retraumatizing over and over again, and for what? How many movies, shows and documentaries do we need?” Ryan Murphy, a creator of the series, claimed they had reached out to at least 20 members of the victim’s families over three years. They received no answer from the families, leading them to rely heavily on deep research. The victim’s families deny this.
Another controversial aspect of the release of the series is that on Netflix it was labeled as “LGBTQ.” Jeffrey Dahmer was known for being gay. His victims were all black or brown men. However, the fact that a true-crime psychological horror series depicts gay men murdered as “LGBTQ” is shocking to viewers. One person on Tik-Tok stated: “I know it’s technically true, but this is not the representation we are looking for.” For the LGBTQ community, it is offensive that a real-life serial killer series labels itself with the community. After the many comments made on social media, Netflix removed the tag without an explanation.
According to Evan Peters, the actor who plays Dahmer in the show, the series is concentrated on highlighting the stories of the victims, not on praising Dahmer: “It’s called The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, but it’s not just him and his backstory: It’s the repercussions, it’s how society and our system failed to stop him multiple times because of racism, homophobia.” The series often focuses on the homophobia and racism that surrounded society during this time and how that prejudice failed the victims. Ryan Murphy spoke again, stating that the series primarily “examines how easy it is to get away with things with the white privilege aspects.” Despite the backlash and controversy, Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story received much attention. Netflix announced that the public should expect at least two more seasons focusing on other “monstrous figures who have impacted society.” This announcement received more hate, with many saying the series is promoting a commercialization of murderers that is “disgusting and unnecessary.” Even if the popularity of true crime is spiking, as a society, it is important not to forget that murderers and their story, for the families of victims, is not entertainment but something that opens up old wounds.
Another ethical question surrounding the controversy in true crime is the sexualization of real-life murderers. This started after the Ted Bundy movie starring Zac Efron. The comments that spiked in social media after the Ted Bundy movie began to rise again after Jeffrey Dahmer and his “supposed attractiveness.” For other true crimes, Netflix has shone a spotlight “on stories that evaluate whether someone has been wrongfully convicted (such as documentaries like “I Am A Killer” and “The Confession Tapes”). On the other hand, the portrayals are often exploitative and gratuitous as they typicallyleantowardsapreconceived (and often sensationalist) narrative, and manipulate public opinion — all while morals and ethics take a backseat (as is the case in Dahmer).” But it is always important to be aware of the vulnerability of the victim’s families when it comes to watching or creating true crime series,this can apply to any entertainment.