The Most Unnerving Dahmer Scene Follows Real-Life Footage Frame to Frame
It would seem that Netflix decided that life itself is the best screenwriter. But was it a smart decision?
Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story has been making waves for the entire week after it premiered on Netflix, resurfacing the terrifying story behind the Milwaukee Monster.
But while some people dug deeper into the criminal records or praised the uncanny performance by Evan Peters, others lambasted the series for "retraumatizing" the victims of the notorious serial killer for "nothing". According to many social media users, the series did nothing but capitalized on some people's personal tragedy — sometimes to a point of recreating it precisely for entertainment.
For instance, one scene from Dahmer follows the real-life events with absolute precision, having the actor recreating the emotional breakdown of an actual person — Rita Isbell, one victims' sister. The way the scene just repeats what actually happened in court in 1992 is truly heart-wrenching and chilling.
Many people said this was just too much. Among such people was Eric Perry, a cousin of one of Jeffrey Dahmer victims. He grilled the show for making the victims re-live the tragedy for mere entertainment, separately taking issue with Netflix failing to ever secure a permission from families before making the show.
"So when they say they're doing this "with respect to the victims" or "honoring the dignity of the families", no one contacts them. My cousins wake up every few months at this point with a bunch of calls and messages and they know there's another Dahmer show. It's cruel," Perry tweeted.
In 1992, when the judge was hearing impact statements from Jeffrey Dahmer victims, Rita Isbell went ballistic when she was delivering her testimony, lashing out at Dahmer and having herself escorted out of the room.
Isbell herself opened up about the new Netflix show in an essay for The Insider, saying that "it bothered" her to see the scene with the actress "saying verbatim exactly what I said."
"It brought back all the emotions I was feeling back then," she said. "The episode with me was the only part I saw. I didn't watch the whole show. I don't need to watch it. I lived it. I know exactly what happened."
In the essay, Isbell also explained that she "recognized evil" when she saw Dahmer in court, but she was "angry" because the serial killer wouldn't even look at her.
"I was never contacted about the show," Isbell continued. "I feel like Netflix should've asked if we mind or how we felt about making it. They didn't ask me anything. They just did it. But I'm not money hungry, and that's what this show is about, Netflix trying to get paid."
Not only was Netflix blasted for "milking" the tragedy of the victims, but also for "glorifying" the serial killer by turning his story into a compelling TV series that received viral attention.
"The problem with dramatized series about serial killers is that not only do they disregard the victim's families but they also cast these handsome actors that, either unintentionally or unintentionally, romanticize the serial killer to these young teenage girls." – @liltreatsboy
However, many people also argue that making such media is important to educate others and make sure that new generation know the story no matter how terrifying it is and prevent it from ever happening again.
Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story premiered on Netflix on September 21.