Ryan Murphy says he contacted at least 20 families of victims in the search for DAHMER, but no one responded

Ryan Murphythe latest series of Dahmer – Monster: The story of Jeffrey Dahmer, is one of the most watched series to ever hit Netflix, but it hasn’t been without controversy. The show tells the true story of the Milwaukee monster told from the perspective of the victims and police incompetence that allowed the Wisconsin native to embark on a multi-year killing spree. Not only was he one of the worst serial killers of all time, but he cannibalized his victims, adding a far more disturbing layer to his crimes than him.

The show has been criticized online for glorifying real-life serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer and some of his victims’ family members have spoken out, claiming that the series is retrauming and exploiting the tragedy of others without involving them in the project.

Murphy alluded to the controversy surrounding the hit Netflix show at an event at the DGA Theater in Los Angeles on Thursday, saying the subject “is something we’ve been studying for a long time.” He explained:

“Over the three, three and a half years we were actually writing this, working on it, we reached out to 20, about 20 of the victims’ families and friends, trying to get input, trying to talk to people, and not just one. person answered us in that process. So we relied very, very heavily on our amazing team of researchers who … I don’t even know how they found a lot of these things. But it was just like a day and night effort to try to find out the truth about these people ”.

However, many of the families of Dahmer’s victims have spoken out against the Netflix series for recreating their real-life trauma. Rita Isbell, whose brother Errol Lindsey was murdered by Dahmer in 1991, wrote in an essay for Insider revealing that the show “bothered” her, writing, “It’s sad they’re just making money on this tragedy.”

Isbell wrote:

“I’ve never been contacted for the show. I feel Netflix should have asked if we’re sorry or how we felt about making it happen. They didn’t ask me for anything. They just did. But I’m not hungry for money, and that’s what this show is about, Netflix trying to get paid.

Shirley Hughes, whose son Tony Hughes was killed by Dahmer in 1991, told the Guardian: “I don’t see how they can do that. I don’t see how they can use our names and post stuff like that out there. “

It’s a slippery slope when the cases explored are as recent as 30 years ago and their families are still alive. I personally couldn’t bring myself to watch the series. I usually enjoy real crime content like a self-proclaimed killer, but after watching the trailer, I knew my stomach wouldn’t be able to handle it.

I feel sorry for the families of the Dahmer victims and I hope they can continue to heal beyond this series.

via: Variety