In Netflix’s new hit depraved monster Jeffrey Dahmer is merely another victim: JACI STEPHEN

Blame the parents. Blame the school. Blame the police. Blame Budweiser – yes, Budweiser. Has there ever been such an overuse of product placement as in ‘Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story?’ From the moment he took his first sip of Bud, the serial killer seemed to develop a penchant for killing boys and young men – 17 in all.

“Want a beer?” he asked most of his victims, who were unaware that he was also drugging them. Should you saw off a man’s leg? Obviously you need a Bud – it’s thirsty work. Want to hide a head in the fridge? You’ll be lucky, there’s too much Bud in it. Then drink some more to make room.

Who needs the Budweiser Superbowl 2023 halftime commercial now? We are already addicted.

Dahmer’s alcohol problem, which started at a young age, dominates the gory ten-part Netflix hit. It’s one of the many things that seem to be blamed for the soft-spoken kid who turned into a man’s monster. The problem is, as the series progresses, his actions become almost normalized – literally, with overkill – to the point that he comes across more like Cookie Monster, a normal boy from his hometown ruined by forces beyond his control.

Yes, despite mass murder, necrophilia, eating his victims’ organs, storing body parts, this poor young man was simply a victim of circumstance.

Really?

If only his mother hadn’t taken drugs during her pregnancy. If only she hadn’t left the family, and 17-year-old Dahmer to fend for himself while his father moved in with another woman (selfish bitch! Typical woman, huh? It’s always a woman’s fault).

Yes, despite mass murder, necrophilia, eating his victims’ organs, storing body parts, this poor young man was simply a victim of circumstance. Really?

If only his father hadn’t sparked the boy’s interest in dead animals by killing road deaths in the family garage.

If only he hadn’t been sent to live with his church-going grandmother and her holier-than-you, judgmental attitude – “I didn’t know you had black friends, Jeff.” (There’s another nasty woman in front of you!) If only the police hadn’t been so racist and homophobic and chose to ignore all the warning signs. Ejected from school, the military and various jobs, and arrested for public urination and sexual assault – how much more proof did anyone need that they were dealing with a lunatic? To paraphrase Shakespeare: some are born monsters, some reach monstrosity, and some get monstrosity.

Did Dahmer reach monstrosity despite trying to control his impulses (drinking Bud by the gallon would never help)? Was his difficult family life forced into the monstrosity?

No. He was born a monster.

Nevertheless, despite the show’s over-likable portrait and stomach-churning graphic details (or because of it), this is the highest-rated Netflix series ever after a first week of streaming — half a billion viewers to date, surpassing its high-flying predecessors Squid Game and Bridgerton, and currently the fifth most-watched English-language series in the channel’s 15-year streaming history.

But why? At a time in history when we are witnessing massive bloodshed in Ukraine and still reeling from the Covid death toll, you could imagine that the last thing anyone would say is, ‘Let’s have a quiet night and go to that psychopath watch’ cut out men’s hearts and roast them for dinner.’

Creator Ryan Murphy is no stranger to horror. The writer of American Horror Story, who also has many brilliant, nonviolent series to his name, such as Glee and Feud, almost seems to enjoy the underbelly of human existence. He’s TV’s Prince of Darkness, who has an uncanny knack for tapping into the public’s fascination with the macabre and downright nasty.

Of course we have always been fascinated by horror. We can’t help but get carried away by psychology – why he was what he was and why he did what he did.

In 2018, it was reported that Netflix lured Murphy away from 20th Century Fox with a $300 million deal. He is also the genius behind American Crime Story, which featured the multi-Emmy award-winning The Assassination of Gianni Versace. It features scenes no different in gore factor from those in Dahmer, but it also gave an extraordinary insight into the mind and actions of someone we can barely understand – Versace’s killer, Andrew Cunanan.

So, what’s the reasoning behind the massive success of this often truly horrific production? Any viewer who doesn’t flinch during the scene when Dahmer drank the blood he stole from a medical center must be pretty weird himself. Likewise, if you didn’t cringe at the sound of Dahmer’s bone-crushing activities in an attempt to cover up his crimes.

Of course we have always been fascinated by horror. We can’t help but get carried away by psychology – why he was what he was and why he did what he did.

But are we also drawn to the disturbing allure of photography, which almost glorifies the strange beauty of dead flesh? In an interview with police after Dahmer was finally arrested in 1991, he says, “I liked how the organs looked when I held them… shiny.”

In purely dramatic terms, has there been a more effective edge of the seat factor? Time and again people mentioned the smell coming from Dahmer’s apartment, from his grandmother’s basement, even his. “Check the cupboard/closet/fridge!” we cry in annoyance as we gasp at the incompetence of everyone on screen. “Open the box!”

In terms of popularity, the warning signs that now accompany the start of any program are red rags to a bull. ‘Substances, language, violence, nudity, gore, sexual violence, smoking.’

Notice how ‘gore’ is hidden there – a four letter word that should have read ‘mutilation of murdered corpses tucked away in the salad section of the fridge’. Trust me – smoking is the least of your worries with this series.

As for ‘language’, any swearing on screen will be drowned out by your own cries of ‘WHAAAAAAAAT!’ in your own living room.

It’s doubtful that any other TV maker would have had the guts or genius to pull off Dahmer. Yes, every new generation of TV executives and creators has to push their limits, but Murphy is the walking Freightliner behind the entire USPS system. He has the ability to put the ‘extra’ into ‘ordinary’. How is it that someone like Dahmer, seemingly banal at first glance, reveals such horrific depths?

Casting is also key to watchability and Evan Peters delivers an incredible performance as Dahmer. After multiple roles on American Horror Story, he starred as detective Colin Zabel in the HBO crime drama Mare of Easttown, which won him a Primetime Emmy Award in 2021.

Shares of Netflix recently took a massive nosedive in the wake of Covid. It seems that with Dahmer, the fortune she gave Murphy has paid off, and its massive success shows that the streaming service has taken a huge turn.

Eat your heart out, doubters. In hindsight, don’t do it. Or, if you do, make sure you have that can of Bud handy.