Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story is a haunting dramatization of one of America’s most notorious serial killers, created by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan. The series not only revisits the chilling crimes of Jeffrey Dahmer but interrogates the systemic failures that allowed his atrocities to continue unchecked for over a decade.

Released on Netflix in September 2022, Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story marked the beginning of Murphy’s true crime anthology, later followed by seasons on the Menéndez brothers and Ed Gein.

Murphy, known for his stylised horror and psychological dramas, teamed up with longtime collaborator Ian Brennan to write and produce the series. Directed by Carl Franklin, Paris Barclay, and Jennifer Lynch, the show stars Evan Peters in a career-defining role as Dahmer, with Niecy Nash as Glenda Cleveland, Richard Jenkins as Lionel Dahmer, and Molly Ringwald as Shari Dahmer. The series spans Dahmer’s life from childhood through his arrest in 1991, focusing not only on the gruesome details of his murders but also on the broader social and institutional contexts that enabled them.

The inspiration behind the series was not merely to recount Dahmer’s crimes but to reframe the narrative from the perspective of his victims and the community that tried to stop him.

Murphy stated that the goal was to center the voices of those who were silenced—particularly Black and brown victims whose disappearances were ignored by law enforcement. The series draws heavily from court records, police reports, and interviews, but it also dramatizes the emotional toll on families, neighbors, and survivors. Glenda Cleveland, Dahmer’s neighbor who repeatedly called the police to report suspicious behavior, becomes a central figure in the series. Her warnings were dismissed, and her story exemplifies the racial and systemic negligence that permeated the Milwaukee Police Department at the time.

The series is structured non-linearly, weaving between Dahmer’s childhood, his years of killing, and the aftermath of his arrest.

It explores his upbringing in a fractured home, his early signs of psychological disturbance, and his descent into necrophilia and cannibalism. But rather than glorifying the violence, the show lingers on the emotional devastation left behind. Each episode highlights a different victim, giving them names, faces, and stories—something often missing in true crime narratives. One of the most powerful episodes centers on Tony Hughes, a deaf Black man who was lured by Dahmer and later murdered. The episode is told largely from Tony’s point of view, using silence and visual storytelling to emphasize his humanity and the tragedy of his loss.

Evan Peters’ portrayal of Dahmer is chillingly restrained. He captures the killer’s awkwardness, emotional detachment, and manipulative charm without veering into caricature. Peters reportedly spent months preparing for the role, studying interviews and court footage to understand Dahmer’s psychology. His performance earned him a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Limited Series and an Emmy nomination. Niecy Nash’s portrayal of Glenda Cleveland was equally lauded, earning her a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress. Nash brings emotional depth and moral clarity to a woman who tried, unsuccessfully, to stop a monster next door.

The significance of Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story lies in its cultural impact and its critique of institutional failure.

The series became one of Netflix’s most-watched shows, surpassing one billion hours viewed within 60 days of release. But its popularity also sparked controversy. Some viewers accused the show of retraumatizing victims’ families, while others praised it for shedding light on systemic racism and homophobia. The series walks a delicate line between dramatization and advocacy, using horror not for shock but for reflection. It asks hard questions: Why did the police ignore Glenda Cleveland’s calls? Why were Dahmer’s victims—mostly young men of color—so easily dismissed? What does it say about society that Dahmer was able to operate for so long without consequence?

Murphy’s decision to launch Monster as an anthology series reflects a broader ambition: to explore how American culture creates and sustains its monsters. Each season focuses on a different figure whose crimes reveal something about the era, the institutions, and the communities they affected. In Dahmer’s case, the series becomes a lens on 1980s and 1990s America—an era marked by fear of homosexuality, racial segregation, and distrust of marginalized voices. The show doesn’t excuse Dahmer’s actions, but it does contextualize them within a society that failed to protect its most vulnerable.

The series also critiques the media’s role in mythologizing serial killers. Dahmer became a household name, his crimes sensationalized in tabloids and documentaries. Monster resists this trend by focusing on the victims and the survivors. It shows the courtroom scenes, the impact on families, and the community protests that followed Dahmer’s arrest. It also explores the ethical dilemmas faced by Lionel Dahmer, Jeffrey’s father, who struggled to reconcile his love for his son with the horror of his actions. These moments add emotional complexity to a story often reduced to gore and spectacle.

In its final episodes, the series examines Dahmer’s time in prison, his conversion to Christianity, and his eventual murder by a fellow inmate. These scenes are not presented as redemption but as a continuation of the moral ambiguity that defines the series. Dahmer’s death is portrayed with restraint, emphasizing the unresolved pain of those he left behind. The show ends not with closure but with a call to remember—to honor the victims, to question the systems, and to confront the darkness within society.

Ultimately, Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story is more than a true crime drama. It is a cultural reckoning, a meditation on grief, justice, and the human capacity for both cruelty and compassion.

By centering the voices of the silenced and challenging the institutions that failed them, the series transforms horror into advocacy. It reminds viewers that monsters are not born in isolation—they are shaped by neglect, prejudice, and silence. And if we are to prevent future tragedies, we must listen to those who are too often ignored.