'He’s monstrously human': 'Jeffrey Dahmer Story' isn't 'sympathetic' to serial killer, co-creator claims
Ian Brennan, co-creator of "Dahmer Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story" on Netflix, doesn't agree that the show is "at all sympathetic" to Jeffrey Dahmer. The series has dealt with considerable criticism since its release for glorifying the Milwaukee Cannibal, a notorious serial killer and sex offender. Brennan, however, has a different take on the matter.
“I think we show a human being. He’s monstrously human and he’s monstrously monstrous and that’s what we wanted to sort of unpack… We tried to show an objective portrait as possible. We did our homework,” Brennan told Page Six during the Netflix premiere of the new true crime show 'The Watcher'. Despite its success, the Dahmer show, in which Evan Peters plays the killer, has come under fire for "humanizing" his crimes and "re-traumatizing" the families of his 17 victims.
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Regardless, the 10-episode series has become Netflix's second-most popular show. Brennan said, “It’s interesting when horrific stories like that resonate with people. I think it’s a way for people to approach scary things about themselves, watch it (being) portrayed on the screen.”
Dahmer killed seventeen boys and men between 1978 and 1991. The crimes involved cannibalism, necrophilia, and the preservation of body parts. He was then sentenced to sixteen consecutive life terms in prison before being bludgeoned to death in 1994 at the age of 34.
Following its September 21 premiere, the mini-series, which Brennan co-wrote with Ryan Murphy and star Evan Peters, is already the second-most watched Netflix show ever. Brennan, 44, admitted he is perplexed by the show's popularity and has no idea why it has taken off.
Brennan’s latest show, 'The Watcher,' is another creepy true crime mini-series that follows the story of a married couple who, after moving into their dream home in New Jersey suburbia, is harassed by letters signed by a stalker named The Watcher.
"When it comes to people’s homes, real estate, the place that you own and live in, you get weird. Neighbor disputes are always the worst possible disputes you could have. You don’t know what version of the person you are going to get. There’s something about a home that brings out the most sensitive parts. It’s quite deep,” Brennan explained.