What people are saying about 'Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story'

Netflix's new 10-part limited series takes a look at the killer through the lens of his victims

'Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story' is a 10-part limited series on Netflix. All photos: Netflix

The show tells a fictionalised account of Dahmer's crimes but is based on the real-life, brutal murders he carried out.

Dahmer killed 17 young men between 1978 and 1991.

Although the series is fictionalised, it is a fairly accurate depiction of Dahmer and his crimes.

Dahmer was found guilty and convicted with no chance of parole.

Ron Bush as Jeffrey Dahmer’s lawyer, left, and Evan Peters as Jeffrey Dahmer.

From left, Richard Jenkins as Dahmer's father Lionel, Molly Ringwald as stepmother Shari, and Penelope Ann Miller as his mother Joyce.

From left, Michael Beach as detective Murphy, Colby French as detective Kennedy, with Evan Peters as Jeffrey Dahmer.

Scott Paophavihanh as Anouke Sinthasomphone, left, and Khetphet Phagnasay as Sounthone Sinthasomphone, the family members of one of Dahmer's victims.

Molly Ringwald as Dahmer's stepmother Shari and Richard Jenkins as father Lionel Dahmer.

There’s no shortage of films, television shows and books that have focused on the American serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer.

Netflix is the latest to take on his story with a fictionalised 10-part limited series called Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.

The show retells the story of the notorious criminal who murdered 17 young men between 1978 and 1991, from the point of view of his victims.

The show, which was released on Wednesday, currently has an 8.6 rating on IMDb and a 90 per cent fresh audience score on aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes.

Who is in the cast?

Evan Peters stars as Dahmer, while Niecy Nash plays his neighbour Glenda Cleveland, who first noticed his suspicious behaviour and reported it to the police.

Richard Jenkins and Molly Ringwald play Dahmer’s parents, Lionel and Shari. Shari is Lionel’s second wife and Dahmer’s stepmother.

Penelope Ann Miller plays Dahmer's mother Joyce while Michael Learned portrays Catherine, Dahmer’s grandmother whom he lived with from 1981 and whose house he often lured his victims to.

Additional cast includes Shaun J Brown as Tracy Edwards, a surviving victim of Dahmer, Scott Michael Morgan as officer John Balcerzak and Matthew Alan as officer Joseph Gabrish.

How accurate is ‘Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story’?

Although the series is fictionalised, it is a fairly accurate depiction of Dahmer and his crimes.

Some of the events correlate with stories told in the documentary The Jeffrey Dahmer Files, such as an example of one former neighbour confirming she thinks she had probably “eaten someone’s body part" at one point.

It also accurately portrays his neighbour Cleveland who seemingly tried to alert the police to his suspicious activity yet was ignored.

The rest of the show goes through Dahmer’s victims, from hitchhiker Steven Mark Hicks in 1978 to Tracy Edwards, who escaped from Dahmer in 1991, and led the police to him.

It also goes into his conviction in which he was found guilty with no chance for parole and then his subsequent death in prison after being beaten up by another inmate in 1994.

What are people saying on social media?

People have taken to Twitter to share their thoughts on the show. Many have praised Peters for his performance, while others have warned against romanticising Dahmer, irrespective of Peters's portrayal.

Another said they were surprised to learn about Cleveland and how pivotal a part she had in the story. “Another black woman’s cries that fell on deaf ears. Disgraceful. She died in 2010. RIP.”

Some ask how many more documentaries or films are needed about Dahmer. "I think we have more than enough docs/movies about Jeffrey Dahmer," tweeted a user.

Some also shared how they had finished the 10-part series after bingeing the whole thing in just one day. "About to spend the rest of my day watching The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. Anyone binge it yet?" asked a user.