By Ahmad El-Moussaoui
You might have heard about the show that has taken hold of Netflix over the past few weeks. With only a month and half into its release, Dahmer has become the second-most-watched English-language series on Netflix – with Stranger Things S4 leading the list. Directed by Ryan Murphy with lead actor Evan Peters, the series has romanticised a serial killer and caused irreversible trauma on the families of the victims.
Now that social media is the biggest source of influence, and the suspiciously decreasing amount of policies on these apps, Dahmer has sadly become a trend fueled by socially unaware creators. Following this year's Halloween, many people decided to dress themselves (and their children) as Jeffrey Dahmer, so much so an eBay spokesperson had to confirm that any attire resembling the serial killer’s would be banned from being sold. On TikTok, an app used by many children, popular creators have chosen to create a trend of a dance move that Evan Peters does in the show. Not only has this trend sexualised and romanticised a serial killer, but it has also removed the negative connotations related to the man and tied him to the new “hot” trend to do. Many people claim that this trend is not a recreation of Jeffrey Dahmer’s dance, but Evan Peters', which brings me to a rather nuanced topic – the casting of Evan Peters. It seems as though Ryan Murphy learned the term “creative freedom” and chose to abuse it. Evan Peters is not new to the serial killer role that gets romanticised, as he played one in American Horror Story. The director succeedingly chose to cast a widely loved actor as the lead to portray Jeffrey Dahmer in hopes to obtain a wide audience, rather than creating an accurate story. This choice leads people to blindly support the series as they believe they are supporting the actor, however, this equates to supporting a serial killer. Moreover, it was recently revealed that Evan Peters chose to stay in character as Jeffrey Dahmer months prior to filming the show. Both Hollywood stars and popular creators need to hold themselves accountable, and they must take account of their ability to influence crowds through their large followings.
Additionally, neither Ryan Murphy nor Netflix have gotten any approval from the living families of the victims to recreate their deaths.. In fact, the families have yet to be paid any residuals, even though Netflix compensated the family portrayed in The Watcher. Rita Isbell, the sister of one of the victims, was portrayed in the show and claimed: “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. But I’m not money hungry, and that’s what this show is about, Netflix trying to get paid.” On the other hand, Ryan Murphy claimed that producers did try to contact members of the families during the three-year production of the show by saying: “We reached out to 20, around 20, of the victims’ families and friends, trying to talk to people. And not a single person responded to us in that process.” Whether this is true or not, no response should be taken as a response. Many people have taken the side that there is no need for creators to seek acceptance of the people involved in public cases; the other half claims that true crime retraumatises members involved in these cases. Either way, the families and friends involved in Dahmer have publicly asked for an apology. Netflix and all the people involved in the creation of the show should then make amends.
The true crime genre has received many criticisms as of late, among them that the genre is created only to relive unwanted trauma and are thus unethical and immoral. Whether subscribers choose to watch this series with this controversy is up to them, and with the heavy publicity surrounding the show it would be hard to escape it. One thing, though, is for sure–the Dahmer series begs the following questions: what is deemed acceptable in media ethics? And has true crime become too poignant for media literacy?
References:
Kemp, Ella. “Jeffrey Dahmer Victim's Family Say Netflix Series Has ‘Retraumatised’ Family.” NME, 23 Sept. 2022, https://www.nme.com/news/tv/jeffrey-dahmer-victims-family-say-netflix-series-has-retraumatised-family-3315841.
Kandpal, Disha, and {{author_data.display_name}}. “Jeffrey Dahmer Victims Sister Rita Isbell Slams Netflix over New Show.” HITC, 3 Oct. 2022, https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2022/10/01/jeffrey-dahmer-victims-sister-rita-isbell-slams-netflix-over-new-show/.
Walsh, Savannah. “Ryan Murphy Says Dahmer Victims' Relatives and Friends Never Returned His Calls.” Vanity Fair, Vanity Fair, 28 Oct. 2022, https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/10/ryan-murphy-says-dahmer-victims-relatives-and-friends-never-returned-his-calls.
Louise-Smith, Katie, and Katie Louise Smith. “Evan Peters Stayed in Character as Jeffrey Dahmer for Months to Prepare for Role.” PopBuzz, PopBuzz, 31 Oct. 2022, https://www.popbuzz.com/tv-film/news/evan-peters-dahmer-method-acting-character/.
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