Series Review: Dahmer- Monster: The Jeffery Dahmer Story
When producer Lou Eyrich had the idea of making Dahmer-Monster: The Jeffery Dahmer Story, he knew audiences would either love the series for how well it was made or hate it for spotlighting a serial killer. He took the risk of making the first season, which predictably shocked many viewers. Despite how individuals may feel about the show’s titular character, it is a very interesting watch.
The Jeffery Dahmer case has been known worldwide for years now; he was a serial killer who murdered seventeen men and boys. The first episode begins with Dahmer’s last attempt to commit murder, but the victim, Tracey Edwards, ends up getting away. Once free, Edwards calls the police and Dahmer is arrested. The show then flashes back to how Dahmer’s “killing spree” all started.
In the show, Dahmer attempts to overcome his past by taking faith more seriously in prison, but when a fellow prisoner named Christopher Scarver finds out what brutal things Dahmer had done to those innocent men and boys, Scarver takes matters into his own hands and kills Dahmer.
A huge part in the show also covers the trial leading up to Dahmer’s arrest. All the families of each victim had the opportunity to testify about the hurt and pain they’d suffered due to his crimes.
The decision to include the trial in the show led to a lot of controversy because it was like the families had to relive that whole moment again. A woman by the name of Rita Isabel, the sister of one of Dahmer’s victims, was a key part of the trial because she testified. A news article from Insider.com quoted Isabel as saying, “I don’t need to watch it, I lived it. When I saw some of the show, it bothered me, especially when I saw myself> When I saw my name come across the screen and this lady saying verbatim exactly what I said…It brought back all the emotions I was feeling back then.”
The Jeffery Dahmer Story was really interesting but made me very skeptical in a way. I found myself trying to do my own digging into the case of Dahmer. The show really showed me other sides of the way he acted where I was disgusted at points. I believe it’s a very good Netflix show but with such a horrible and grieving backstory to go along with it.