Stop Calling Serial Killers Like Jeffrey Dahmer Hot—It’s Literally Dangerous

You don’t have to look far on social media, especially TikTok, to see how many young women and men alike think Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Bundy, and other serial killers are hot. This is a trend that absolutely no one needs because it’s literally dangerous.

Hollywood and Society Needs To Stop Humanizing Monsters

Jeffrey Dahmer is one of the most infamous serial killers who raped, murdered, tortured, dismembered, and even ate some of the remains of his 17 male victims between the ages of 14 and 33. His first victim was murdered in 1978 and he continued until he was caught in 1991, when his last victim, Tracy Edwards, escaped his apartment after having one arm handcuffed and was able to flag down nearby police officers, who then entered Dahmer’s apartment to find the gruesome polaroids he took of his dismembered victims. This triggered a police raid of his apartment, during which the police found countless of his victims’ remains. Tracy’s story and Dahmer’s arrest is actually the first episode that kicks off the series, and it’s, quite frankly, truly horrific stuff. 

In Ryan Murphy’s new Netflix series, Dahmer is played by actor Evan Peters, who is notorious for his portrayal of dark and twisted characters throughout several seasons of American Horror Story that he’s starred in. The show spends a lot of time diving into Dahmer’s upbringing in an attempt to humanize him, which has left tons of fans of the show actually empathizing with the serial killer due to his unconventional upbringing and struggle with his sexuality. TikTokers and Twitter users, a majority of which are women, have taken to social media to share their twisted attraction and empathy by saying things like “Why do I feel sorry for Jeffrey Dahmer?”, “Wish he was still alive. I’d def write to him,” and even “Jeff was a good man and that’s why he gave the men quick deaths.” Another TikTok user even made a romantic TikTok with scenes from the show edited together of Dahmer with one of his victims. This obsession has led to Dahmer’s actual glasses being put up for auction for $150,000 at the time of writing.

This isn’t the first time Netflix has cast popular Hollywood heartthrobs to play serial killers in their live-action remakes of these gruesome stories. We saw this same infatuation swarm the internet when Zac Efron portrayed Ted Bundy in Netflix’s 2019 hit Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile. Ted Bundy was also notorious for the many groupies who actually showed up at his trial, which is why Netflix claims to have cast someone as attractive as Zac Efron to “capture the charisma and image that enabled Bundy to be believed and even idolized,” according to The Guardian.

Netflix’s Response to the Backlash Is Not What You’d Expect

Netflix has, of course, and I feel deservedly so, received many negative reviews from viewers of the latest Dahmer project due to the disrespect it pays to the victims’ families. Some of the families have spoken out because, not only has it caused them to relive their trauma all over again by seeing the show being talked about everywhere in pop-culture, but they weren’t even consulted about the project. Rita Isbell was featured in the series when they portrayed her victim impact statement, but Netflix didn’t even reach out to her for permission. No support or resources have gone to the families of Dahmers’ victims, but Netflix has instead profited immensely from their suffering. 

Some of the victims’ families have spoken out because they weren’t even consulted about the project.

Ironically enough, the only negative backlash Netflix has responded to is over a tag. When the show was initially released, it was tagged on the platform as “Dark” “Horror,” “Vintage Crime,” and “LGBTQ,” due to the fact that Dahmer was part of the LGBTQ community. Viewers were outraged by the LGBTQ tag, and Netflix quickly removed it because apparently LGBTQ representation should only matter when it’s positive. 

Romanticizing Serial Killers Is Flat Out Dangerous

So it’s one thing to make a documentary showing the wicked and vile things serial killers did in order to recount a dark time in history. It’s another to make a live-action and even romanticized version of their stories. Netflix’s new Dahmer show is just one of many “inspired by” type movies and shows made about him, and I can’t help but wonder if these dark stories being retold over and over again inspires sick and deranged individuals to do the same. On almost the exact same day that Netflix’s new show was released, a Michigan cannibal pleaded guilty to the murder of a young man, and his story was eerily similar to Dahmer’s as he is also a gay man who murdered his younger victim and ate parts of his dismembered body. I can’t help but wonder if decades of recounting Dahmer’s disgusting actions inspired this man or others to commit the same violent crimes. 

Hollywood is now obsessed with cannibalism. Just a week after the Dahmer show premiered, a trailer was released for a movie based on a junior novel called Bones and All, which features another young heartthrob, Timothée Chalamet, who stars alongside Taylor Russell to play young lovers who share a twisted secret that bonds them: They’re both cannibals. The trailer has already garnered almost 3 million views with hundreds of overwhelmingly positive comments about the “wildness and natural beauty” of the characters. The Hollywood Reporter reviewed the film and said that “Romance and Horror have never come together as ideally as they do here.” Again, another romanticized depiction of a violent and heinous story that is going to lead to another wave of twisted fandom. 

Closing Thoughts

Unfortunately, entertainment and everyday consumers have reached the lowest of lows when we have become so desensitized to heinous crimes such as those committed by Jeffrey Dahmer, that we now consume Hollywood depiction after depiction of his story for entertainment.

I think it’s so important, as people who want better for society, that we make a conscious effort to stop engaging in these forms of entertainment and put our time, energy, and currency elsewhere. I realized this after watching the first episode and made the conscious decision to stop watching the series out of respect for the victims and because I refused to contribute to the show’s success. I refuse to allow these violent and atrocious behaviors to become normalized in entertainment and ultimately in society. 

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