‘Netflix didn’t ask me anything. They just did it.’
Since all 10 episodes of the season arrived on 21 September, the Internet has been very caught up with the events of the clumsily-titled Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Damher Story.
Following the crimes perpetrated by notorious serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer (here played by Evan Peters) – mostly against gay men of colour – the series is executive produced and co-created by Ryan Murphy, the man behind American Horror Story and The People VS O.J. Simpson.
In the days since the show’s release, there has been a multitude of people reacting to it, from Dahmer’s father to Dahmer’s eventual killer, to calls for lyrics by songs by Katy Perry and Kesha to be altered as they reference the serial killer.
The show itself was a bit of a dud with critics (50% on Rotten Tomatoes at the time of writing), yet a streaming hit for Netflix, coming in as the fifth most-watched opening days for a series on the platform ever, behind only Squid Game, All Of Us Are Dead, Stranger Things S4 and Bridgerton S2.
This week, in an essay written for Insider, Rita Isbell – the sister of Errol Lindsey, a 19-year-old victim of Dahmer – has also responded to the new show, stating the following:
“When I saw some of the show, it bothered me, especially when I saw myself — when I saw my name come across the screen and this lady saying verbatim exactly what I said. If I didn’t know any better, I would’ve thought it was me. Her hair was like mine, she had on the same clothes. That’s why it felt like reliving it all over again. It brought back all the emotions I was feeling back then.
“I feel like Netflix should’ve asked if we mind or how we felt about making it. They didn’t ask me anything. They just did it. I could even understand it if they gave some of the money to the victims’ children.
“The victims have children and grandchildren. If the show benefited them in some way, it wouldn’t feel so harsh and careless. It’s sad that they’re just making money off of this tragedy. That’s just greed.
“The episode with me was the only part I saw. I didn’t watch the whole show. I don’t need to watch it. I lived it. I know exactly what happened.”
As mentioned, all 10 episodes of Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Damher Story are available to watch on Netflix right now.
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