DAHMER — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story – Netflix Review

DAHMER – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story on Netflix is a new mini-series about the infamous serial killer. Over ten episodes, this story focuses on the victims and gross police incompetence. Read our Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story series review here!

DAHMER – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story is a new Netflix mini-series by Ryan Murphy. In other words, we won’t be shying away from anything. Also, rather than focusing solely on the serial killer, we get the story from the perspective of the victims and the grotesque police incompetence that enabled the serial killer.

Evan Peters is scary as the title character. Which, of course, means he’s brilliant in his portrayal!

Continue reading our Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story series review below. All ten episodes are on Netflix from September 21, 2022.

Do we really need another Jeffrey Dahmer story?

I wasn’t sure we really needed yet another story about a serial killer. However, already from watching the trailer, it became clear that this is a different take on the story. An important take. Jeffrey Dahmer knew how to work both male, white privilege, and the fact that even saying “gay” made the cops retract immediately.

So, do we need another Jeffrey Dahmer story? Maybe not in general, but we certainly need this one!

If you’re familiar with the cold hard facts of his infamous murders as a serial killer, you will also know that he could easily have been stopped. This series shines a spotlight on the fact that there is certainly one huge reason most serial killers are white and male. Because they can get away with so much more than anyone else!

The true story and the “gay stuff”

Jeffrey Dahmer learned that being white and male could allow him immense freedom at a very young age. When he also learns that simply saying “gay stuff” or “us homosexuals” make the cops take a step back, he has a winning two-punch combination for keeping prying eyes away.

The fact of the matter is that people did report him. They complained about smells and noises. Hell, he was even arrested pretty early on in his “career” as a serial killer.

If you watch this and think: “Oh, come on, the cops wouldn’t just let him take that kid back to his apartment!”, you should know that this is exactly what happened.

He showed the cops some nude pictures of the 14-year-old boy, after stating he was his 19-year-old boyfriend, and the cops pulled back. The “young man” (who was a boy) could not speak and several women, who called the cops, tried to fight back. Only to be met with warnings that they should back up or be arrested themselves.

You cannot make this sh*t up!

So, yes, we do need this story because it actually focuses on the full picture.

Watch Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story on Netflix now!

The creators of DAHMER on Netflix are Ian Brennan and Ryan Murphy. Both also worked on the Netflix series Ratched (which was also created by Ryan Murphy). Brennan and Murphy also created the upcoming The Watcher series on Netflix. One that is based on a true story, just as this one is.

Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story works by showing us how it escalates for Dahmer. This is done via time jumps that are sometimes a decade apart. And it also shows how he expects to be caught several times. Only to, yet again, discover that he can get away with way too much!

While ten 45-minute episodes might seem like a lot, it really isn’t. We both see formative experiences in young Jeffrey’s life, how he evolves as both a predator and a serial killer, and the actual trial after he is (finally!) caught.

If you watch just one Jeffrey Dahmer story, make sure it’s this one. Evan Peters is breathtakingly good as Jeffrey Dahmer, which is paramount to making this work. And boy, does it work!

All 10 episodes of DAHMER – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story is out on Netflix on September 21, 2022.

Details

Creators: Ryan Murphy, Ian Brennan
Cast: Evan Peters, Niecy Nash, Richard Jenkins, Molly Ringwald, Michael Learned, Michael Beach, Penelope Ann Miller, Shaun J. Brown, Colin Ford