The family of one of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer’s victims isn’t happy about the newest Netflix series documenting his life and crimes.
“Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” has become extremely popular on the streaming platform since it premiered last Wednesday. However, Eric Perry says the new series, which was created by Ryan Murphy, has brought up painful memories for his family.
“I’m not telling anyone what to watch, I know true crime media is huge rn, but if you’re actually curious about the victims, my family (the Isbell’s) are pissed about this show. It’s retraumatizing over and over again, and for what? How many movies/shows/documentaries do we need?” Perry tweeted the day after the series became available.
He shared a video of courtroom footage of his cousin Rita Isbell, the sister of victim Errol Lindsey, rushing Dahmer before she was stopped by courtroom security alongside the same scene depicted on “Monster.”
I’m not telling anyone what to watch, I know true crime media is huge rn, but if you’re actually curious about the victims, my family (the Isbell’s) are pissed about this show. It’s retraumatizing over and over again, and for what? How many movies/shows/documentaries do we need? https://t.co/CRQjXWAvjx
— eric. (@ericthulhu) September 22, 2022
Perry said in a follow-up tweet, “Like recreating my cousin having an emotional breakdown in court in the face of the man who tortured and murdered her brother is WILD. WIIIIIILD.”
Dahmer is one of the most notorious serial killers of the twentieth century. He’s known for murdering 17 people from the 70s until the early 90s. His crimes have been explored in multiple movies, TV shows, and podcasts, with “Monster” as the latest version. Actor Evan Peters stars as Dahmer.
Perry shared in later tweets that families are not always notified when these types of projects are being made.
“Ok, I did not expect that tweet to get this much attention,” he wrote. “To answer the main question, no, they don’t notify families when they do this. It’s all public record, so they don’t have to notify (or pay!) anyone. My family found out when everyone else did.”
He continued: “So when they say they’re doing this ‘with respect to the victims’ or ‘honoring the dignity of the families,’ no one contacts them. My cousins wake up every few months at this point with a bunch of calls and messages and they know there’s another Dahmer show. It’s cruel.”