Following the immense success of its first episode, Dahmer has been the subject of much criticism on social media. Why? Well, somebody at Netflix HQ decided it would be a good idea to give the Evan Peters-starring true crime series an LGBTQ tag, which means it appeared, for a time, next to shows like Sex Education and Heartstopper.
Dahmer stars Evan Peters as infamous serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, who murdered 17 men (some of whom were homosexual) between 1978 and 1991. He was murdered in prison in 1994. Some have pointed out that the ten-episode series isn’t as brutal as one might expect, though it is undoubtedly harrowing.
Despite the show’s popularity, Dahmer received backlash on social media for its LGBTQ categorisation following inquiries into whether the tag was due to Dahmer’s sexuality or that of his victims.
Meanwhile, the families of Dahmer’s victims have revealed that the production, which apparently stuck to the facts as much as possible, failed to reach out to the people who were actually affected by Dahmer’s killing spree. Speaking out against Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, Eric Perry, cousin of Dahmer victim Errol Lindsey, said: “I’m not telling anyone what to watch, I know true crime media is huge rn, but if you’re actually curious about the victims, my family (the Isbell’s) are pissed about this show,”
Perry continued: “Recreating my cousin having an emotional breakdown in court in the face of the man who tortured and murdered her brother is WILD,” adding: “So when they say they’re doing this ‘with respect to the victims’ or ‘honouring 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. It’s retraumatizing over and over again, and for what? How many movies/shows/documentaries do we need?”
