Making costumes and celebrating at the bar: the disturbing obsession of "Dhamer - Monster" fans

Netflix's hit series about the story of the horrifying killer, produces more and more disturbing expressions of sympathy and appreciation specifically towards Dahmer himself.

The families of the victims are experiencing renewed trauma and in the US they are afraid of a Dahmer costume trend - items featuring him have already begun to appear online

Ilan Kaprov

10/28/2022

Friday, October 28, 2022, 12:05 AM

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Trailer for the series "Dahmer - Monster: The Story of Jeffrey Dahmer" (Netflix)

October was a wonderful month for Netflix.

After a difficult year that included disappointing reports, a plunge in the company's stock and the dismissal of hundreds of employees, the streaming giant reported the recruitment of two million new subscribers.

In doing so, she actually balanced the same amount she lost in the previous report.

And if that news wasn't good enough, along came "Dahmer - Monster," a drama from Ryan Murphy's creator house, becoming the fall's biggest TV hit so far.

The series unfolds the story of Jeffrey Dahmer, the notorious criminal from Milwaukee who murdered, raped and dismembered the bodies of 17 victims between 1978-1991, in addition to acts of necrophilia and cannibalism.

This very heavy baggage did not prevent "Dahmer - Monster" from becoming the second most watched English-speaking series of Netflix ever, after the fourth season of "Stranger Things".

Within a month, the series accumulated more than 700 million viewing hours in total - an amount equal to the number of views in seasons 1 and 2 of "Bridgerton" together in the same period of time.

Fans of the series go too far.

From "Dahmer: Monster" (Photo: Netflix)

But on the less glamorous side of the story are the families of Dahmer's victims, who experience the event as a renewed trauma with particularly disturbing effects.

For starters, following the way he did with other crime series like "America vs. OJ Simpson," Murphy didn't bother to update the families or consult with them before the show aired.

In fact, Netflix has released almost no promotional materials for it - a move that appears to be a foreknowledge of the potential scandal.

Thus, in one of the later episodes of the season, the outburst of Ruth Isabel, Errol Lindsey's sister, one of Dahmer's victims, is recreated - during the trial of the murderer.

Isabelle's cousin, Eric Perry, commented on the treatment of the families in a tweet on Twitter.

"I'm not telling anyone what to expect," Perry wrote, "I know true crime is a huge genre, but if you're really curious about the victims, my family raves about the show. It re-traumatizes over and over again,

And for what?

How many movies / series / documentaries do we need?".

good to know (in advance)

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Submitted by Apostrophe

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One of the main claims of the families and critics of the series, besides the renewed exploration of trauma, is the romanticization of the killer himself.

According to them, the series points the finger of blame at the conduct of the police and emphasizes issues such as racism and homophobia, but treats the murderer with leniency, including glorifying his abilities to trick the law enforcement authorities.

It should be noted that other works that dealt with Dahmer in the past also suffered from the same characteristics, the rather creepy result of which is starting to emerge - of course - through social networks.

After tweets on Twitter called Dahmer "hot" (thanks to Evan Peters, who plays his character in the series), others appeared who expressed sympathy for Dahmer and even claimed that he "wasn't as cruel as they claim to be".

On TikTok, the sympathy went up a notch with a user who edited the storyline in which Dahmer murdered one of his victims, Tony Hughes, into a romantic drama.

In addition, as part of a horrific trend in the social network,

twitter twitter

Other TikTok users posted posts describing the indifference with which they experienced the series - compared to the shocked reactions of others.

The fact that Dahmer's victims came from the black community and the LGBTQ community, while the videos came from among white surfers, provoked a backlash with videos denouncing the phenomenon. Netflix itself also suffered from the anger of surfers, after labeling the series as LGBTQ content.

Following the protest, Netflix removed the tag from the series.

@nothaja

I apologize for the way I look.

I just got back from the gym and needed to get this off my chest.

♬ original sound - definitely not haja

And from the net, Dahmer's fans also drifted into the real world.

Many people chose to go to the bar in Milwaukee, where the "219 Club" used to operate - where the killer lured some of his victims.

Although the appearance of the place, its name and its owner changed, the visitors asked to examine "evidence" of the place where Dahmer stayed, stared at the people sitting through the windows and caused the owners of the place to complain to the police.

Some of them even demanded to have the "Dahmer drink", which is not on the menu.

Others filled in fictitious Google reviews stating that the place is "endorsed by Jeffrey Dahmer" and "serves as a great place to meet new friends."

Now many in the United States fear that the adoration for the series and the killer will lead to a Dahmer costume trend this coming Halloween (October 31).

Items linked to the killer's appearance, such as the glasses he wore, short button-down shirts and blonde wigs, were offered for sale on eBay.

The heads of the trading site made it clear that the items contradict eBay's policy, that the chain removed them and that no other items would be offered.

Other major retail chains in the United States have pledged not to allow the sale of any item that will assist in the construction of a Dahmer costume.

The families of the victims implored the revelers not to harm the memory of their loved ones by dressing up as the killer.

The families were also joined by the Olympic champion and decorated gymnast in history, Simone Biles, who interrupted on Twitter: "We will not tolerate your Dahmer costumes, put them back in the closet."

twitter

During all this time, Netflix and its leaders continue to keep silent, without taking a position towards the repulsive phenomena of some fans of the series.

It's quite possible that as we get closer to the holiday itself, the pressure on Netflix will force the company to come out with some sort of statement, although it's not at all certain that it will change anything at this point.

It is difficult to point to a similar phenomenon of obsession with a loathsome villain on television.

Apparently "Dahmer - monster" is the exception that does not prove the rule, but we have already learned that trends of this type may reproduce themselves.

Even so, the true crime genre has been flirting for years with sympathy or at least appreciation for criminals.

Dramatization of these kinds of stories, especially in the hands of creators like Murphy, could certainly increase and sharpen these phenomena.

And in a world where, even so, it seems in recent years that the affection for the powerful and the gods is growing stronger, it is possible that the television industry is also facing important choices between entertainment and sensitivity.

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• Jeffrey Dahmer

• Netflix

• serial killer

• Serial killers