The latest project, inspired by Jeffrey Dahmer’s real-life crimes, is frankly one too many for the family of at least one of the infamous killer’s victims. Netflix recently debuted the new series Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story starring Evan Peters as the titular cannibal. The series focuses on Dahmer’s crimes, the botched police investigation that kept him from being caught sooner, and the impact the murders had on the victims’ families and local communities.
During Dahmer’s actual trial, a particularly memorable incident occurred when victim Errol Lindsey’s sister, Rita Isbell, became very distraught as she made a statement in court. Overwhelmed with emotion and addressing Dahmer directly, Isbell had to be stopped by officers as she approached the man who killed her brother. The moment was recreated for the new Netflix series, and this has left Lindsey’s family unhappy.
“I’m not telling anyone where to watch. I know the media on true crime is huge, but if you’re really curious about the victims, my family (the Isbell’s) is mad about this show,” tweeted Eric Perry, a cousin of Lindsey and Isbell. “It retraumatizes again and again, and for what? How many movies/shows/documentaries do we need?”
After retweeting a video showing a side-by-side comparison of the Netflix reenactment series and the original clip, Perry added in a follow-up tweet: “Like recreating my cousin having an emotional breakdown in court in the face of the man who tortured and killed her brother is WILD. WIIIIIILD.”
The families were not notified of the series
After the tweet got a lot of attention, Perry also posted another tweet to answer a question he was often asked. He clarified that Netflix had no legal obligation to pay them or even let them know that the series was in development, so they didn’t find out about it happening until it was publicly announced in the media.
“To answer the main question, no, they don’t notify families when they do this,” he said. “It’s all public, so they don’t have to notify anyone (or pay!). My family found out when everyone else did.”
Perry added: “So when they say they are doing this ‘with respect for the victims’ or ‘honor the dignity of the families’, no one contacts them. My cousins wake up every few months with a lot of calls and messages and they know there’s another Dahmer show. It’s cruel.”
As Perry suggests, this is just the latest Dahmer-inspired project to arrive as there have been many movies, shows, and podcasts in the past that explore his life and crimes. After the release of Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer StoryNetflix will also release the new docuseries soon Conversations with a Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes. The series will premiere on October 7.