Jeffrey Dahmer biopics and documentaries to watch if you've finished the Netflix series

American serial killer's life has been documented plenty of times on screen in the past

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Last week, Netflix released Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, a mini-series starring Evan Peters that has renewed interest in the life of American serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer.

Scroll through the gallery above to see stills from 'Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story'

True crime fans will be familiar with Dahmer's crimes. His cannibalistic killing spree, which took place between 1978 and 1991, is a much-discussed topic on murder podcasts and has been covered in numerous documentaries.

Here we round up films and TV shows about Dahmer and his murders:

'Dahmer' (2002)

Starring: Jeremy Renner, Bruce Davison, Artel Great

A fictionalised biographical film about Dahmer's life, starring Jeremy Renner in the title role and Bruce Davison as his father, Lionel Dahmer.

In the film, Dahmer contemplates on a potential victim, with flashbacks to his younger years focusing on his difficult relationship with his father and his early kills.

'My Friend Dahmer' (2017)

Starring: Ross Lynch, Alex Wolff, Anne Heche

My Friend Dahmer made its premiere at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival. A biographical drama, based on the 2012 graphic novel of the same name by John "Derf" Backderf, who knew Dahmer at high school in the 1970s. Ross Lynch plays Dahmer, Anne Heche plays his mother Joyce Dahmer, and Alex Wolff plays Derf.

Chronicling the years leading up to Dahmer's first murder in 1978 when he was aged 18, the well-received Marc Meyers-directed film examines the Dahmer family dynamic and his time at school.

'The Jeffrey Dahmer Files' (2012)

Starring: Andrew Swant

Independent documentary The Jeffrey Dahmer Files made its premiere at the South by Southwest festival in 2012. The film explores his home town of Milwaukee and interviews people surrounding the case, including neighbour Pamela Bass, Milwaukee medical examiner Jeffrey Jentzen and police detective Patrick Kennedy.

The interviews are interwoven with archival footage of Dahmer and recreations of moments in his life, portrayed by actor Andrew Swant.

The film was initially titled Jeff, but the name was changed ahead of its wider release.

'Dark Tourist' (2018)

Starring: David Farrier

Another Netflix production, Dark Tourist is a documentary series that explores macabre and often controversial tourist attractions.

In episode 3, set in the US, journalist presenter David Farrier takes a Dahmer-themed tour in Milwaukee with other tourists who say they are "into death" and buy Dahmer memorabilia. The episode also looks at JFK-themed tours in Dallas, Texas and shows Farrier meeting "real-life" vampires in New Orleans.

'The Secret Life: Jeffrey Dahmer' (1993)

Starring: Carl Crew, Cassidy Phillips, Donna Stewart Bowen

An early dramatisation of Dahmer's crimes, the film was released two years after his final murders, capture and arrest, and one year before he was killed in prison.

Carl Crew stars as Dahmer. Rather than focusing on the psychology and childhood of the serial killer, like other depictions of his life, The Secret Life: Jeffrey Dahmer dissects his cannibalism and the details his murders .

Updated: September 26, 2022, 1:03 PM