DAHMER – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story on Netflix is fresh from the pen of producer Ryan Murphy, the award winner who previously gave us Ratched, American Horror Story, and a host of other hair-raising dramas. This one takes a look at the gruesome true story of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer.
Starring Evan Peters as the notorious American serial killer, the eight-part drama series takes a look at history from Dahmer's point of view and shows how he almost got caught at least 10 times, but somehow always manages to get away with it. This was largely due to his white privilege and his police failings.
Ryan Murphy once again teamed up with fellow writer/producer Ian Brennan, with whom he collaborated on such hits as Glee, Scream Queens and The Politician. So get ready for some really awful stuff.
Creators: Ian Brennan, Ryan Murphy
Stars: Evan Peters, Michael Learned, Khetphet Phagnasay
The project will see Evan Peters (American Horror Story) donning the infamous glasses of reclusive and disturbed serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer with Niecy Nash (Reno 911) as his suspicious and irritated neighbor Glenda Cleveland. The biographical limited series will also feature the likes of Richard Jenkins (Six Feet Under), Penelope Ann Miller (Carlito's Way), Michael Learned (The Waltons), Shaun J. Brown and Colin Ford (Daybreak) joining the cast. Monster will mark a reunion for Murphy and Peters, who previously worked together for multiple seasons of Murphy's American Horror Story, as well as Murphy and Nash, who collaborated on Scream Queens Gone Too Soon.
Dahmer, one of the most recognizable names in serial killer history, actively killed young men between the years of 1978 and 1991. A resident of Milwaukee for most of his criminal career, Dahmer worked at a local chocolate shop and he was seen as a socially awkward loner, but he didn't set off alarm bells for this reason alone. Dealing with his loneliness and isolation in the most disgusting and horrible way possible, Dahmer would take men home from gay bars and pick places only to drug and dismember them, as a way of keeping their bodies and souls with him forever. For several of his victims, he kept parts of his bodies and cooked them into meals for himself, and also offered his culinary creations to his neighbors.
While those who lived in his building complained about the stench coming from Dahmer's apartment, the owner and the police did not interfere with what was going on inside the house of horrors. In fact, early in his killing spree, one of Dahmer's victims was able to break free and told her story to the police, only to be harassed for being gay. The idea of “least dead” (an actual criminal term used to refer to marginalized groups of people) played a big part in why Dahmer was able to carry out his killing spree for so long. Eventually, his crimes caught up with him and a possible victim escaped, prompting the police to finally search the apartment, leading to his arrest.