**Content warning: “Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” is rated TV-MA

“Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” is a documentary show that was released on Netflix on September 21, 2022. Of course, its based on the story of the notorious serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, but also told through the eyes of his victims and their families. Evan Peters was cast as Dahmer and, due to his fame, this has caused a plethora of hype and anticipation for the series.

The first thing I’d like to acknowledge is how Evan Peters portrays Dahmer. Peters is a phenomenal actor with plenty of range, and this factor really presents itself  in his latest casting. Peters was extremely fitting for this role, as he truly captures the disturbing and awkward personality Dahmer had and expresses him quite well. The only issue I find with the casting is the fact that Peters is a popular actor in terms of attractiveness, which has led some people to make gross comments about finding his role as the killer “attractive.” However, I think if anyone could’ve played him, it was definitely Peters; he was a perfect choice.

Another element I didn’t like about the documentary was how they made it seem like Dahmer and one of his victims, Anthony Hughes, had a cute relationship leading up to his death. The writers make this long story about Dahmer and how he met Hughes, but its very romantic and gives the pair chemistry. I found this uncomfortable and odd, considering Dahmer brutally murders this man. Any relationship they had was not cute or romantic. They paint Dahmer as the first guy to not care about Hughes’ deafness, but Dahmer was an evil, vile person who is undeserving of being shown in such a light. It felt disrespectful, frankly.

I did, however, find it quite interesting how they gave the perspective of people around Dahmer, such as his neighbor, family, and the victims and their families, and police incompetence. When it comes to true crime, I strongly believe the victims should be who is focused on, not the perpetrator(s). Its just a factor of respect and decency. The pain and suffering Dahmer has caused should be more acknowledged and focused on rather than him and his deranged life and mind. The episode focused on his neighbor is fascinating, since its rarely seen. My favorite part of the series was the writers exposing the police for their incompetence and constant mistakes. So many times victims could have been saved if only the police in the case did their job.

Overall, I found the show well-written and executed but honestly distasteful and disrespectful in some aspects. Not only that, but lots of scenes made me feel sick and highly disturbed. It is graphic.  Dahmer is a person who deserves to be forgotten and I’m unsure how I feel about Hollywood profiting off his horrific crimes and re-traumatizing the still living families of the victims. Rating: 3/5 stars.