Whether it’s a documentary or a podcast, true crime has always been a form of media that grabs audiences. Something so bizarre and grotesque has such a keen way of pulling people in, due to the sheer curiosity of it all. On Sept. 21, the newest serial killer documentary-series, “Dhamer: Monster–A Jeffrey Dahmer Story”,  was released on Netflix, and it features “American Horror Story” star Evan Peters as Dahmer himself. In the first week alone, the show grossed about 192 million watchers and is now the fourth most-watched show globally since its release. My question is: Why?

There is more than just one problem with the concept of true crime. It all boils down to one key theme: Crime pays well. Humans are designed to be attracted to things they cannot comprehend. There is something mysterious and alluring about the unknown, which explains why so-called “normal people ” are fascinated by the vulgarity of what other humans, like themselves, are capable of doing. Unfortunately, this curiosity turns into profit, and this is where complete desensitization falls into place. 

“Dahmer: Monster”, is a prime example of fooling an audience into believing the events in the show didn’t actually happen. Think about it this way, a new show on Netflix just dropped starring a conventionally attractive male who also has a previous history of playing roles of a murderer. The only difference lies in what is reality and what is fiction. After a mere couple of weeks, TikToks went viral where teenagers were drooling over how attractive Evan Peters looked in the show. Tons of comments started flooding in stating different things, but the main argument that was made was “I know Evan Peters was playing Jeffery Dahmer, but he just looked so good!”

This doesn’t just go for Evan Peters either. Back in 2019 a Ted Bundy documentary was released called “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile.” The actor cast as Bundy was no other than Zac Efron. Efron has been thirsted over since the debut of “High School Musical”, and he has become an icon of the early Disney 2000s.  It’s hard to get the image of the young, innocent and attractive Zac Efron out of the picture when watching him play a serial killer whose sole tactic was charming women, so he could murder them. This whole concept is a problem. It is plainly insensitive to openly romanticize a serial killer, regardless if it is a reenactment or not. Actors are acting for a reason, and when they are onscreen in costume, they are no longer themselves. The acts that are shown in “Dhamer: Monster” are real. It’s not a facade. Real people died, and real people are grieving. 

Regardless of the particular choices of actors to play famous serial killers, genuine curiosity lies in the question: Why is there such a need for excessive documentaries? For each individual well-known serial killer, there are at least seven different documentaries released on the same stories. For Jeffery Dahmer alone there are six different movies made in his honor. Not to mention the film “My Friend Dahmer”, which stars former Disney Channel actor Ross Lynch. True crime profits off other people’s trauma far too often. Half the time they are profiting without acknowledging the people they are getting the profit from. In “Dhamer: Monster”, there was an episode dedicated to the murder of Errol Lindsey, Dhamer’s eleventh victim.  An interview from “Insider” featuring Rita Isbell was released where she talks about the effects of having to watch her brother be murdered in a dramatization. According to Isbell, Netflix gave her no consent form or any type of payment for the use of her name.  The show went as far as to dress the actress up exactly like Isbell looked on the day of the testimonial trial. How many more documentaries do companies need to make before considering how horrific the events were for the real people who lived through it already?   

Unfortunately, not everyone can agree. Some might argue true crime in the form of documentaries spreads awareness. Talking about violence enough could educate more people on how to prevent it from happening to them. While this could potentially be true, there are a lot of flaws within that system. There are definitely documentaries that teach people helpful safety tips like never taking a drink from a stranger and always carrying pepper spray when walking alone at night. But for a serial killer to be deemed a killer, they have to be successful more than once. These types of shows are essentially step-by-step instructions on how to get away with murder a couple times. There are tons of examples on how to cover tracks, dispose of a body and lie to officials. Not saying that everyone is going to commit crimes, but those thoughts can be put into the wrong heads. Another issue lies within the fact that there is a serious issue with idolization. When Dahmer was in jail to serve his life sentence, he received letters from people claiming to be huge fans of him and his work. People nowadays will resort to making videos on social media with these sickening claims, but argue that it’s “all a joke”, and “nothing should be taken seriously.” But this is a serious problem. It is dangerous to promote this type of behavior to an impressionable crowd of young teenagers. 

Before turning on the newest documentary starring the world’s hottest actor, take a moment to consider the horror and tragedy that created the show in the first place. Maybe, some minds will be changed.