Dahmer
Overview
Dahmer is a 2022 true crime drama television series created by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan for Netflix, titled Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. The series follows the crimes of Jeffrey Dahmer (Evan Peters), one of the most notorious serial killers in American history. Dahmer murdered and dismembered 17 young men and boys between 1978 and 1991, most of whom were Black or Asian. The series is notable for its focus on the victims and their families, rather than on Dahmer himself. It shows the systemic racism and homophobia that allowed Dahmer to continue killing for years, despite multiple encounters with police. Dahmer was a deeply disturbed man who struggled with intense loneliness, sexual confusion, and a compulsion to control his victims. He would drug them, strangle them, have sex with their corpses, and then dismember them. He also kept body parts — skulls, genitals, a complete skeleton — in his apartment. The series shows his childhood, his first murder at age 18, his time in the army, his brief period of normalcy living with his grandmother, and his final years in his infamous apartment at 924 North 25th Street in Milwaukee. Evan Peters delivers a chilling, transformative performance as Dahmer, capturing his quiet, awkward demeanor and his monstrous actions. The series also features powerful performances from Niecy Nash as Glenda Cleveland, Dahmer's neighbor who repeatedly called the police to report suspicious activity and was ignored; Richard Jenkins as Dahmer's father Lionel; and Molly Ringwald as Dahmer's stepmother. The series was a massive success for Netflix, becoming one of the most-watched series on the platform. However, it was also controversial, with some critics arguing that it exploited the victims' trauma and that the families had not given their consent. The series won two Primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Lead Actor for Evan Peters and Outstanding Supporting Actress for Niecy Nash. Dahmer is a difficult, disturbing, and important series about the failures of institutions and the human cost of indifference.
