The film industry is oversaturated with content highlighting the spectacles of true crime and American serial killers.
Ryan Murphy’s recent, “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story,” is a shining example, though it does not stand alone. The obsession with tragedy has been ongoing since talks of Ted Bundy’s “charisma” in the 1970s, and it extends across all platforms.
That same charisma highlighted by the film industry led to support in favor of the killer, and a complete lack of regard for his victims and their families. Unfortunately, this has become commonplace.
The fascination is understandable. It is human nature to rubberneck when passing a car crash or to let your eyes linger on the gorey images of a crime scene, but when it comes at the expense of victims and their families, the issue is made plain.
The problem is not a twisted captivation with crime, but the lack of consideration for the victims and the romanticization of the murderers who took their lives.
Eric Perry, cousin of Errol Lindsey, a victim of Jeffrey Dahmer, spoke out against Murphy’s new “Dahmer” series. “When they say they’re doing this ‘with respect to the victims’ or ‘honoring the dignity of the families,’ no one contacts them,” Perry said. “My cousins wake up every few months with calls and messages and they know there’s another Dahmer show. It’s cruel.”
Perry said Murphy never reached out to his family, and that they found out about the show when the news broke.
These shows retraumatize the families of victims, solely for the public’s entertainment. This is not the same as enjoying a fictional horror film. These are real people, who are affected by what happened to their loved ones. They are not being paid a dime for their likeness in these productions.
It makes sense that the film industry would stroke this obsession by supplying endless interpretations of every serial killer under the sun. It’s a simple case of supply and demand, and the payoff is huge. However, it is immoral to continue a project against the pleas of the families that wish to move on.
Of course, directors and creators are well within their rights to do as they please. But, nothing more can be added to the conversation. Nothing is truly gained from a handful of movies and shows about the same person.
Those who mimic the killers on TV and discuss their murders for podcasts are the same ones who monetize from them. They take advantage of society’s morbid curiosity to make a quick buck.
It sells no matter how many times a conventionally attractive white man puts on a pair of aviators and a blonde wig to replicate the same gruesome murders. It always sells.
Each director creates their analysis of the crimes with a complete disregard for the potential impact. It is easy to forget that the victims were real people when the murder is made palatable and more attractive to appeal to a wider audience.
By using conventionally attractive actors like Zac Efron, Ross Lynch or Evan Peters, they are changing the narrative.
These stylistic choices can sway the public’s opinion and make the victims an afterthought. True crime fans get tattoos of the killers, attend tours of the places they frequented and wear clothes with their faces on them.
People on social media have even said Murphy’s new series made them feel bad for Dahmer, who murdered and cannibalized 17 men and boys. It’s incredibly disrespectful and irresponsible for creators to glamorize tragic events in the name of aesthetics and monetization.
The least they could do is give the families a portion of the proceeds if they truly care the way they claim to.
Continue enjoying the gore and the tragedy that these humans endured if you want, but don’t forget that they were real people. Don’t get lost in the eyes of Evan Peters and forget that Jeffrey Dahmer would have continued terrorizing innocent men and boys had he not been caught. The film industry holds accountability and blame for creating this content against the families’ wishes, but you do not have to perpetuate the disrespect by tuning in.