«Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story» - Series Review by Kinoafisha
A harrowing series about the victims of one of America's most terrifying serial killers.
Ryan Murphy's new miniseries tells the story of American maniac Jeffrey Dahmer, also known as the Milwaukee Cannibal. From 1978 to 1991, he killed seventeen men and boys.
The crime drama "Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story," released on the Netflix platform, although it touches on unknown facts from Dahmer's biography, focuses on the stories of his victims, most of whom were African Americans and homosexuals. The pilot episode was directed by Carl Franklin, while the remaining nine were directed by Paris Barclay ("Glee") and Janet Mock ("Hollywood"). Evan Peters, a staple of "American Horror Story" and an Emmy winner for Best Supporting Actor in the detective series "Mayor of Easttown," portrays Jeffrey Dahmer, the monster from Milwaukee.
"Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story" from the very first episode exposes the racial discrimination in America in 1991. The series begins with a news report about police officers beating their African American undercover colleague. The episode is shown from the perspective of Dahmer's neighbor, played by Niecy Nash ("Claws"). Glenda Cleveland constantly hears strange noises and a putrid smell coming from the ventilation shaft. She witnessed Dahmer dumping "a bunch of fresh meat" into the garbage and suspects that he is a killer. This moment is described in the documentaries about the maniac – Dahmer's neighbors complained for years about the stench and screams coming from his apartment, but the police never responded because those who reported it were people of color.
The crime series "Murphy" deliberately lacks intrigue. Damer is arrested in the very first episode, when the police find human remains in his fridge. The creators of the show believed that enough documentaries have already been made about the maniac's atrocities and their reasons. Ryan Murphy ("Pose," "American Horror Story") and Ian Brennan ("The Politician") wanted people to remember the young men and teenagers he killed, not Damer himself. That's why even in episodes that focus on the maniac's personality, more time is devoted to the stories of the boys and young men whose lives he took. Murphy made an effort to ensure that the audience learns as much as possible about the victims, their dreams – whether it was wanting to become a model or go to university – and others who dedicated themselves to caring for their loved ones. Many episodes concentrate on the families of the deceased, their lives before and after the tragedy. The scenes that depict their grief are the heaviest in the series.
"Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story" is a high-quality true crime series that exposes the vices of American society. The maniac here is more of a secondary character, while the main heroine is Glenda Cleveland, a fearless neighbor of Dahmer, who spent several years keeping an eye on him, risking her life and attempting to prove to the police that a killer lived behind the wall, even speaking about her suspicions in an interview with the local newspaper. However, she is an African American, so the cops believed Dahmer's lies as he pretended to be a good guy. The police had all the grounds to apprehend him – bloodstains on the mattress, the stench of death in his apartment, explicit photographs of the missing boys, and testimonies from the young people who survived his attempts to drug and kill them. However, the police ignored them because they were African Americans. Dahmer deliberately counted on this when selecting his victims. Even when the cops encounter a fourteen-year-old Laotian teenager who escaped from the maniac, they believe Dahmer's words that the boy is eighteen and don't ask him to show his ID. Moreover, the police were aware that Dahmer had previously been involved in sexual assault against the teenager's brother.
The chronology in the series is as convoluted as the mind of the maniac himself – starting in 1991 when the killer was caught, the viewer is taken back to 1959, then to 1977, and back to 1991. Dahmer's childhood is briefly mentioned – while in school, he displayed an abnormal interest in dissecting dead animals in the garage. After the army, working as a medic, he stole packets of donor blood and drank it. Many people in Dahmer's life saw his evident problems – his father, mother, grandmother, teachers, colleagues – but no one did anything. This oppressive feeling of complete impunity and powerlessness remains throughout all ten episodes. The series does not aim to reveal the reasons behind the maniac's brutality – during his questioning, Dahmer bluntly states, "I have always been this way."
The most frightening aspect of Evan Peters' portrayal of Dahmer is how he can effortlessly blend in as an ordinary guy when necessary. The maniac plays different roles depending on whom he interacts with. For the police, he comes off as a withdrawn individual and a "good tenant," posing no threat. For the young men he encounters in clubs, he becomes the enigmatic art photographer Jeff, offering them portfolio opportunities. The maniac easily infiltrates the safe environment of his victims, gaining their trust. He purposely settles in a troubled neighborhood in Milwaukee, where African Americans reside, so that he can "hunt" more easily. By nature, Dahmer is a psychopath devoid of empathy. The killer's madness progresses with each episode, and Evan Peters' always calm and quiet voice sends shivers down your spine.
The series recounts Dahmer's "acts" without delving into specific details. Its goal is not to scare you with shocking murder details – instead, it focuses on the racism that "impeded" the Milwaukee police from catching the maniac for thirteen long years.
"Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story" is not just a crime drama but also a social drama, in which the indifference of the police and the killer's family reaches absurd heights. In the finale, Glenda tries to ensure that a small memorial park is dedicated to Dahmer's victims. It never materializes. However, thanks to this series, the world will remember those whom the Milwaukee Monster killed, rather than remembering Dahmer himself.
