‘Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story’: Ryan Murphy Explains ‘It’s About Making Sure These People Are Not Erased by History’
The Netflix series Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story has been a hot topic of conversation since its release in September. While there are many serial killer series, the series created by Ryan Murphy incited a slew of backlash and negative comments for how it portrayed the killer and his victims. One of the biggest ridicules was fans learning Netflix did not inform the families. But Murphy explains he and the cast of Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story wanted to mainly focus on the victims’ lives that were cut short.
‘Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story’ told dramatized versions of what happened to the victims of color
Dahmer took the lives of 17 male victims of color and various ages. While the series did not depict all of them, it did focus on the victims with the most traumatic series. It is hard to forget the circumstances of Konerak, the young teen whose brother was molested by Dhamer. Konerak would later become his victim, who could have lived if not for the negligence of authorities.
Audiences got a detailed reenactment of what happened to Konerak, seeing Dahmer with yellow eyes and how he would die. One of the series’ following and most emotional stories to watch was of Anthony Hughes. A deaf African American male who was loved by his family and inspired to break the stereotypes and become a model. Unlike Dahmer’s other victims, the series dived heavily into Anthony’s story.
Based on what happened in real life, Anthony and Dahmer had a different relationship. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Rodney Burford, who played Anthony, “You see that Dahmer is just killing people left and right, with no feelings, no remorse. But then, however, Tony shows up. He’s deaf. He’s Black, like all odds are against him. But yet, Jeff took a liking of him compared to other people, and they created a connection.”
According to Murphy, he and the cast of Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story wanted to make Dahmer’s victims seen and not a statistic.
Ryan Murphy compares the purpose of ‘Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story’ to a scene with Anthony
Actor Karen Malina White, who played Shirley Hughes, explains the cast and Murphy set out to “honor the victims of color.” While there has been backlash over using creative license to tell the stories in Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, Murphy stands by what he set out to accomplish with the series. The best way he describes it is with a scene of Anthony.
“We really want it to be about celebrating these victims. When Tony writes ‘I won’t disappear’ on that last card, that’s what this show is about. It’s about making sure these people are not erased by history and that they have a place and that they’re recognized and that they were important and that they lived full lives. And they came from all sorts of different places, but they were real people,” explained Murphy.
He refers to the scene when Anthony and Dahmer have gotten rather far in their relationship and spent the night together. Anthony’s story with Dahmer breaks the killer’s MO. But when Anthony tries to leave, being mute and deaf, he writes, “I won’t disappear” in a small notebook. But when Anthony returns to get his keys, he meets his tragic demise.
There is no denying the series details the horror Dahmer’s victims experienced in the face of evil. Murphy wanted to depict the victims and who they were. “They weren’t just numbers. They weren’t just pictures on billboards and telephone poles. They were real people with loving families, breathing, living, hoping. That’s what we wanted it to be about,” said Murphy.
What have the victims’ families said about the series?
In a behind-the-scenes youtube interview with Evan Peters, who plays Dahmer, he explains the series is told through the lens of the victims and their families. But the response to the series says otherwise. Since its premiere, the victims’ family members have spoken out against the series. Errol Lindsey’s sister chastises the series for how they depicted her brother’s death. More importantly, she calls Netflix “greedy” for developing the series without consent from the families.
But Murphy explains he and his team spent three years researching and had contacted family members with no response. Recently, Shirley Hughes has spoken out against the series. According to The Guardian, her son’s story “didn’t happen like that.” Netflix’s following docu-series about Dahmer only incited more backlash.
