the Netflix series “Dahmer”on the life and crimes of the serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, has been causing a true fetish phenomenon among fans of “true crime” and those who are fascinated by sinister characters: there are people who bet on buying objects that belonged to the criminal, such as photos, letters, documents and even his glasses, and face This Halloween, the sale of the Dahmer costume in the United States has skyrocketed. The fascination produced by this character led to portals like Ebay prohibited the sale of this costume, since they do not want to offer articles that “promote or glorify violence towards people or animals”. In social networks, several fans have uploaded their photos dressed as the murderer, while the most critical voices ask that Dahmer’s costume please not be used on the next Halloween night.
nicole murrayrelative of one of the victims, was very critical of the sale of the costume: “Dressing like Ted Bundy or any real murderer is not the same as dressing as a fictional one,” said Murray, who described as “sick” that people want to dress up in the killer’s outfit. Shirley Hughes, mother of Tony Hughes, whom Dahmer murdered in 1991, was also one of the most critical voices. “As long as people are able to dress up as Dahmer for fun, the pain never goes away,” she said in an interview with TMZ.
And it is that, as with any series that touches the life of a real character, and more so in the case of a criminal, its success was not without controversy. Even before the controversy over the use of the disguise, relatives of the criminal’s victims, who claimed the lives of 17 people between the years 1978 and 1991questioned the series alleging that it romanticizes the figure of the criminal.
eric isbellCousin of rita isbell, sister of one of Dahmer’s victims, was outraged by the show’s recreation of Rita’s plea against Dahmer in one of the trials. “I don’t tell anyone what to watch, I know the true crime genre is huge, but if you’re really curious about the victims, my family (the Isbells) are mad at this show. It’s reliving the trauma over and over again, and for what? How many movies, series or documentaries do we need?” Isbell wrote in a tweet.
I’m not telling anyone what to watch, I know true crime media is huge rn, but if you’re actually curious about the victims, my family (the Isbell’s) are pissed about this show. It’s retraumatizing over and over again, and for what? How many movies/shows/documentaries do we need? https://t.co/CRQjXWAvjx
— Eric Perry. (@ericthulhu) September 22, 2022
“Recreating my cousin having an emotional crisis in court in front of the man who tortured and murdered her brother is wild. Wild,” added Eric, who also added that the victims were not informed of what was going to be done in the series. Since it is a public case, the producer is not obliged to notify or pay anyone. “When they say they’re doing this ‘with respect to the victims’ or ‘honoring the dignity of the families,’ no one actually contacts them. My cousins wake up every few months to a bunch of calls and messages, and they find out another Dahmer production. It’s cruel,” Isbell said in another tweet.
And it is not the first time that the story of “the butcher of Milwaukee” has been brought to the screens: there are 5 films about the crimes committed by Dahmer, which were mostly committed against people of African descent who, due to their own racism of American society, she was practically unclaimed by the police.
The production team defended itself against criticism, and even Evan Petersthe actor in charge of bringing the criminal to life, stated that for them “it was important to be respectful with the victims, with the families, and try to tell the story in the most authentic way”. In turn, the producer of the series, Ryan Murphy (Hit maker like “glee” either “American Horror Story”) stated that the goal in retelling the story of the Milwaukee serial killer, who confessed to murdering and dismembering 17 young men, is to shed light on who his victims were, and the fact that they were primarily black and gay: an analysis about how hate speech and segregation end up being the vehicle for murder. However, critics of this cultural consumption open the debate on whether the appetite for these stories is due to the search for the truth or simply morbid enjoyment.
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