‘Conversations With a Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes’ vs. ‘Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story’: Which Series Is the Better Watch?
Within a few short weeks, Netflix has premiered two Jeffrey Dahmer series. Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story stars Evan Peters as the cold-blooded killer in a 10-episode season. The series reenacts and takes creative license on the true story but has faced backlash. Meanwhile, Conversations With a Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes is a short 3-episode docu-series with never before heard testimony from Dahmer and first-hand accounts. But which Jeffrey Dahmer series captures more attention?
[SPOILER ALERT: Spoilers regarding Conversations With a Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes and Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.]
‘Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story’ uses theatrical details to tell the killer and victims’ story
From beginning to end, the Netflix series about Jeffrey Dahmer does the job of creating a chilling and dark effect on its viewers. Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story theatrically catalogs every significant moment in Dahmer’s life, from his childhood interests in taxidermy to his parent’s divorce.
Audiences see first-hand what Dahmer would have been like in society and his developing morbid curiosity. The series develops hard-to-stomach scenes that have only been described by Dahmer himself after his arrest. To see them come to life on the small-screen requires a lot of artistic license. Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story series serves to pique viewers’ interest in what happened during the killer’s reign of terror like never seen before.
But audiences cannot deny or look past the series’s backlash. While the one rule on set was to tell the story through the victims, the series had the opposite effect. Multiple families of the people involved in the cases scrutinized Netflix for making them have to relive the trauma.
The sister of Errol Lindsey saw it as “greed” and revealed Netflix did not advise or warn the victims’ families about the series. The series was proven to have exaggerated many scenarios or warped the stories of Dahmer’s neighbors.
‘Conversations With a Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes’ docu-series gives a more psychological breakdown of the killer
The docu-series released on Oct. 7 is the third installment in Conversations With a Killer by Netflix. Using testimonies from Dahmer’s defense lawyer, police detectives, psychologists, and more, audiences dive into the psyche of the killers. But unlike the series, the docu-series uses never before made public tape recordings from Dahmer himself.
The tape recordings are between Dahmer and his defense attorney cataloging his kills, his reasonings, and his Modus Operandi. Within three episodes, audiences hear the heartlessness of Dahmer’s recollection of his kills. The lack of fabricated details is a critical aspect that differentiates the Dahmer docu-series from the series.
Conversations With a Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes has testimonies from Dahmer’s real-life neighbor Vernell Bass and what he really thought of him. Audiences can also not look past how the docu-series reveals details about the victims, like Anthony Hughes. The method by which he was killed differs between both series. Viewers learn more gritty details about Dahmer, like how he handled his first victim and his remains. Audiences also see home videos filmed by his father, Lionel.
Which Jeffrey Dahmer series is the better to watch?
Deciding on which Netflix Dahmer series is better is difficult. Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story takes a theatrical and much more morbid approach to the killer’s story and his victims. But it is hard to look past the reality of the series and the reasoning behind why it has received immense scrutiny.
Conversations With a Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes takes on a more psychological approach, with witness testimonies dissecting the inner workings of the killer. The big difference is hearing Dahmer’s voice recollecting the atrocities he committed. Unlike the series, Conversations With a Killer shows Dahmer for what he truly is. A monster.
But is the docu-series a better watch than the series? The final verdict is that Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story is slightly better at capturing interest. It may primarily be due to exaggerated scenes or Peters’s acting. The series is full of drama, morbid curiosity, and horror. But before watching, audiences need to be aware that the series is not meant to glorify the killer and be mindful of the actual facts before taking details in the series at face value.
Watch Conversations With a Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes and Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story on Netflix.
