Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story 

A 10-episode docudrama on Netflix

First episode: Sept. 21, 2022

Directed by Ryan Murphy

Starring Evan Peters, Niecy Nash, Molly Ringwald, and Richard Jenkins

I’ve always been curious about serial killers and mass murderers. Jack the Ripper. Charlie Manson. John Wayne Gacy. Jeffrey Dahmer.

My curiosity isn’t morbid. I have no interest in hearing about the bloody details. I’m just curious to know what so many people want to know about these people: Why?

Monster: the Jeffrey Dahmer Story attempts to answer that question. And although it doesn’t arrive at a clear or certain answer, it reveals all sorts of fascinating possibilities. It shows Dahmer in his development from an awkward child to a sensitive teenager to a quiet and lonely young man, and then to a serial killer who kept and sometimes ate his victims’ body parts.

Critical Reception 

It’s gotten mixed reviews. The primary criticism has been that it’s exploitative.

I didn’t think so. I thought it did an earnest job of trying to answer the “why” question. That includes the many whys that relate to how Dahmer was able to get away with his repeated killings despite many leads given to the Milwaukee police.

Interesting 

Netflix originally had the series tagged under its LGBTQ category but pulled the tag after receiving many complaints. As one person on TikTok wrote: “This is not the representation we are looking for.”

You can watch the trailer here.

And here is an Inside Edition interview with Dahmer.