We live in an age where true crime is everywhere and it is romanticized by the media. Serial killers have specifically been at the forefront of this, especially with the popularization of slasher movies. Ted Bundy had been portrayed in multiple different movies and has had a number of his recorded interviews shared with the public. The public’s newest obsession, as of recent, is Jeffery Dahmer. Dahmer is portrayed in the new show, Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, which has held the #1 spot in the U.S. for two weeks.
Dahmer was active from 1978 to 1991, brutally murdering 17 men and boys. He did horrible, unspeakable things to these boys and has ruined the lives of the victims’ families forever. The families had to deal not only with losing their sons, but with knowing the horrible things that were done to them, persistent media, and having to face the monster in the courtroom. Now, about 30 years after his capture, it is all being dug back up for them.
The series can be educational, but that being said, it is not a documentary, it is a dramatization of these crimes. In shows like this, there is bound to be some sort of misinformation, not by any sort of premeditation, but things just happen. The show also adds a sympathetic take to Dahmer’s life, almost like a way to explain why he did these things, and reason it out. In reality, there is no explanation or reasoning, he was a monster, and he did what he did of his own volition and choice.
What is arguably the most harmful part of the series is the representation of the victims’ families. In the trial scenes, the family members are depicted being as in the witness stand similar to how they were during the actual trial. After the release of the show, they stated that they were never contacted about being portrayed. Can you imagine having an actor reenact some of the worst moments of your life, and not even being asked if it was okay? Not only were the families forced to relive this, but they had no clue they were even going to be brought back into it.
This is not to say that nobody should watch it, because it can be informational, but it is important to remember that these are real people who suffered unspeakable fates.