Content warning: This article includes content that some readers may find distressing.
Ryan Murphy’s DAHMER – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, comprising of ten almost-hourly episodes, has become Netflix’s second biggest English language series to date, with the platform reporting that over 700 million hours have been viewed since the series’ release on September 21st.
DAHMER is a biographical serial killer drama, starring Evan Peters, which re-enacts the chilling crimes of Wisconsin murderer, Jeffrey Dahmer. Dahmer was convicted in 1992 and subsequently killed by a fellow inmate in 1994. The series dramatises Dahmer’s murders, moving between flashback sequences of his childhood and the highly televised trials in a non-linear fashion. Whilst maintaining an atmosphere of horror and fear, the series also highlights the social injustice occurring within American power structures which enabled Dahmer to carry out the murders for so long and draws parallels to the continuing societal injustices for those affected.
In terms of an English language series, DAHMER is second only to season four of Stranger Things, which Complex reports garnered 1.35 billion hours of viewership in its first 28 days of release on Netflix. When compared to a global series, DAHMER places number four, behind season five of Money Heist (792.23 million hours) and the infamous Squid Game, which surpassed all with 1.65 billion hours.
DAHMER is another highlight of creator Ryan Murphy’s lengthy list of projects. Murphy is clearly flourishing in the penultimate year of his deal with Netflix, as his newest series The Watcher (based on another true crime), has garnered the top viewing position since its release on October 13th.
The success of DAHMER reflects the trend and popularity of biographical dramas which have encompassed the cinematic world, seen with the likes of Netflix-produced Blonde and Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile. There’s an audience demand for real stories that Netflix has pounced upon, but controversy has surrounded the series since its release. Discourse has been raised around the glorification of serial killers and the problematic issue of recounting events that continue to have traumatic consequences for the victims’ families.
Will DAHMER end the trend of true crime dramatisations, or does it encompass the demand for more?
Words by Evie Miskelly
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