Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story was released on Netflix and viewers are reeling from the way the show portrays the crimes of notorious serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. The ten-episode limited series focuses on the true story of the murders committed by Dahmer between the years 1978 and 1991. While this isn’t the first time Dahmer’s life story has been made into a movie, Netflix’s true crime drama offers a unique perspective into the actions of a disturbing killer. The show immediately portrays a killer’s mindset, but also focuses on the victims’ point of view and the circumstances that made the crimes possible.
The series is directed by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, who wrote most of the episodes. Additional episodes are written by David McMillan, Janet Mock, Reilly Smith and Todd Kubrak. Of Monster: The Jeffrey Drama Story, Netflix is adding another original production to its long list of true crime works. While the genre has always been a popular nonfiction category, Netflix has discovered a renewed interest in the genre in recent years and has worked to tell the twisted stories of criminals throughout history.
This is what you need to know Monster: The Jeffrey Drama Story.
Monster: Jeffrey Dahmer’s Story: The Plot
The series revolves around the shocking story of the murders committed by one of America’s most notorious serial killers, Jeffrey Dahmer. During his killing spree, Dahmer took the lives of 17 men and boys, killed and maimed them. Created by Murphy, the series aims to portray the heinous crimes and bring to light the consequences suffered by the families and loved ones of the victims as a result of Dahmer’s actions. The 10-episode series also delves into the killer’s childhood, giving viewers an insight into why Dahmer has become the infamous killer he is now known for.
Despite its main focus on twisted murders, the series’ storyline also exposes the plight of undeserved victims and communities affected by systematic racism and institutional failure in society. The series makes it clear that these failures and prejudices played a major role in allowing Dahmer to continue his series of crimes for more than a decade.
The official synopsis reads:
“The series explores the horrific and horrific true crimes of Jeffrey Dahmer and the systematic failures that allowed one of America’s most notorious serial killers to continue his murderous spree in plain sight for more than a decade.”
A trailer for the series was released by Netflix on September 16, 2022. If you want a taste of the series before you decide to immerse yourself in the gruesome story, check out the trailer below.
Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story: The Cast
Emmy-winning actor Evan Peters takes on the character of Jeffrey Dahmer. He is joined by Niecy Nash as Glenda Cleveland, Richard Jenkins as Jeffrey’s father Lionel Dahmer, Molly Ringwald as stepmother Shari Dahmer, Michael Learned as Catherine Dahmer and Penelope Ann Miller as Joyce Dahmer. Nick A. Fisher plays the young Jeffrey, Savannah Brown plays the young Joyce Dahmer and Josh Braaten is the young Lionel Dahmer. The police force consists of Michael Beach as Detective Murphy, Colby Finch as Detective Kennedy, Scott Michael Morgan as Officer Balcerzak and David Barrera as Police Chief Arreola.
For the cast, in a series where they had to portray some of the most horrific crimes, respect for the victims and families of the victims was a top priority. Aware of bringing harrowing images to the screen, but recognizing the importance of preserving authenticity, Evan Peters, in an interview shared by Ryan Murphy Productions, said: “It felt important to be respectful to the victims, to the families of the victims; to try to tell the story as authentically as possible.”
In the same interview, Peters said of the challenges he faced in getting into a serial killer mindset:
“Honestly, I was really scared of all the things he was doing, and diving into that and trying to commit to that would definitely be one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do in my life because I wanted to. be very authentic. But to do that, I had to go to really dark places and stay there for a longer period of time. I have to say that the crew played an important role in keeping me on the guardrail.”
Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story: Everything Else
interesting, Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story about two serial killers. While mostly focused on Dahmer and his killing spree, the final episode of the season is also including John Wayne Gacy. Notorious for his crimes, Gacy, also known as “The Killer Clown,” murdered young men and boys in Illinois for over five years, from 1972 until his arrest in December 1978.
The series finale documents a small part of Gacy’s crimes, killing one of his victims after drugging, strangling and drowning them in 1977. Dahmer does not meet Gacy in person, his only interaction with The Killer Clown is an interview he watches on TV in prison. Dahmer tries to establish that he is different from Gacy because, despite people thinking they are similar, Dahmer is not afraid to confess his crimes.
Publication date
the terrifying one Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story premiered on Netflix on September 21, 2022. If you haven’t seen it yet, get ready for a thrilling ride into the mind and actions of the Milwaukee Cannibal. Ten episodes are available to binge!