"Dahmer" tells a dark story, but behind the scenes,
things allegedly got ugly in a different way.
When you craft a story about one of the world's most depraved serial killers,
you can probably expect some backlash. Netflix is getting
that backlash from several directions over their latest "based-on-a-true-crime" story,
the ever-so-slightly-confusingly-titled "Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story."
Starring Evan Peters as the infamous Jeffrey Dahmer, this streaming series looks at both
Dahmer's childhood and his victims. The details behind the killings are sordid
and stomach-churning, which is why the story of the crimes have been told and
retold over and over again, in books, movies, and now this limited series.
Currently holding around a 53% critic score and an 84% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes,
"Dahmer" is proving to be divisive with audiences. But the production
of the series was also a struggle for some of the people involved. Here's why.
Despite the lukewarm critical response to the show, the popularity of Netflix's
"Dahmer" series is off the charts. Already, the show has set a staggering record by being the
most watched program in 60 countries, and netting around 196.2 million viewed hours.
According to Variety, the show also generated headlines after some viewers expressed misgivings
with Netflix tagging the streaming show with an "LGBTQ" tag. Some viewers perceived
this tag as being more appropriate for more lighthearted, inclusive content, and not shows
involving serial killers. The backlash was loud enough that Netflix ended up removing the tag.
This isn't the only negative headline to come "Dahmer's"
way. Although the killer's crime spree took place more than thirty years ago,
some of Dahmer's victims have family members who are very much alive.
Rita Isbell, who is the sister of 19-year-old victim Errol Lindsay, had her statement from
Jeffrey Dahmer's trial recreated in Netflix's show, which didn't exactly sit well with her.
In an essay published by Insider, Isbell shared her thoughts about the Netflix series,
and the renewed notoriety it brought her, her brother, and her brother's killer.
After watching some of the series, she says that the content bothered her – especially the moment
where her impact statement was recreated verbatim under her real name. She said,
"I was never contacted about the show. 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."
"Whatever your name is, Satan, I'm mad."
Lindsey said that the recreation made her feel like she was living the moment all over again,
and the fact that she and other victims' families appear to have got nothing out
of the arrangement sat poorly with her. She said,
"I'm not money hungry, and that's what this show is about, Netflix trying to get
paid. [...] It's sad that they're just making money off of this tragedy. That's just greed."
On-set, not everyone was happy with the "Dahmer" series either. One of
the production assistants on Dahmer said it was one of the worst sets they have ever worked on.
According to the LA Times, production assistant Kim Alsup wrote in a now private tweet,
"I worked on this project and I was 1 of 2 Black people on the crew and they
kept calling me her name. We both had braids. She was dark skin and 5'10. I'm
5'5. Working on this took everything I had as I was treated horribly."
In an interview with the LA Times,
Alsup elaborated that she hadn't watched the series, saying,
"I just feel like it's going to bring back too many memories of working on
it. I don't want to have these PTSD types of situations. The trailer itself gave me PTSD,
which is why I ended up writing that tweet and I didn't think that anybody was going to read."
Alsup also lamented that Dahmer was, quote, "one of the worst shows that I've ever
worked on," and alleged that there were no mental health coordinators available on set.
A Netflix spokesperson told the LA Times that all crew are provided access to free
health and wellness resources, including therapists. Regardless,
it seems as if controversy has followed this new show at almost
every step of the process, even in some ways you wouldn't expect it to turn up.