Netflix’s New Jeffrey Dahmer Series Gave Me Nightmares

Netflix’s New Jeffrey Dahmer Series Gave Me Nightmares

On September 21, 2022 Netflix released a frighteningly realistic series based on the American serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. I had heard of this notorious killer, but never knew the full story of what made him so notable. Previously I had watched the movie My Friend Dahmer, but that primarily centered on his high school backstory. Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story dabbled into his upbringing, but focused on the years he was actually active.

Acting:

The acting in this series is phenomenal. I genuinely forgot I was watching a series and not a documentary. Since the series was so realistic, I was curious about the psychological effects of this series on the actors. Getting into the mind of a serial killer or a victim must be incredibly taxing on a person. I hope these actors are taking time off to get back into a normal headspace.

Visuals:

The cinematography looks nice until it gets to the scenes of the actual crimes. These scenes are graphic and far too realistic. Do not watch this show before bed or when you are eating. Some scenes made me feel physically ill.

Length:

Monster consists of ten one hour episodes. At first glance, I was thought this would be too much and the story would be dragged out. When I started watching, I realized there was a cornucopia of horrendous actions the filmmakers had to work with from Dahmer. Nothing seemed to be drawn out at all.

Real Story:

This being a true story makes it harder to watch. A cannibalistic serial killer would be terrifying to watch on screen in general. Knowing this actually happened to real people in our history makes me want to hide inside forever. I worry about the impact this series will have on the families and friends of the victims in real life. This is not something anybody should have to experience, never mind revisit. With so many documentaries and movies out there, I wonder if this series was necessary. There is no denying that the actors and crew worked hard to produce this show, but I think it hurt too many people.

Final Thoughts:

After hearing about this serial killer for years, at least now I know why people are so horrified when they hear his name. However I genuinely lost sleep over this series and it took me a little while to stop thinking about it.

For me, this was a situation of the curiosity killing the cat. I think I would have been better off not knowing all of the details of this true crime case.

Have you watched the Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story? Let me know what you thought in the comments.