‘Dahmer’ Co-Creator Defends The Show's Direction

Since the release of Netflix's "Dahmer," created by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, it has gained mixed reviews.

The limited production focuses on the life of the serial killer, Jeffrey Dahmer, and explores the narrative behind the murders he committed between 1978 and 1991 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Ohio. Although his horror knew no bounds, critics believe the Netflix show portrays otherwise, which co-creator Brennan recently refuted, shedding more light on the entire storyline.

Viewers may have believed the "Dahmer" show was "sympathetic" to Jeffrey Dahmer. However, Brennan thought otherwise as he told Page Six during the premiere of "The Watcher" on Wednesday, October 12. In his words:

"I think we show a human being. He's monstrously human, and he's monstrously monstrous, and that's what we wanted to sort of unpack. We tried to show an objective portrait as possible. We did our homework."

The infamous serial killer murdered seventeen young men and boys between 1978 and 1991, with most of the killings involving cannibalism, necrophilia, and the keeping of body parts. His life was cut short at age 34 in 1994 when he was beaten to death while serving sixteen life sentences.

The biographical series has since become the second most popular Netflix show ever following its release on September 2. And such fame amazes Brennan, who admittedly has no idea why it happened. He said:

"I've been asking myself that same question. It's interesting when horrific stories like that resonate with people. I think it's a way for people to approach scary things about themselves, watch it (being) portrayed on the screen."

However, the 44-year-old creator does not comprehend why "Dahmer" fans are pining after the killer, which he believes is "creepy" and "crazy." Speaking of creepy, his latest show, "The Watcher," a true crime mini-series, fits the profile.

It narrates the real-life story of a married couple who get harassed by letters signed by ' The Watcher' upon moving into their dream home. Explaining the show's narrative, Brennan said there was something about a home that brought out people's most sensitive parts, which he believed was "quite deep."

As for his work on "Dahmer," another backlash that the series received came from it being tagged an LGBTQ creation upon its release. The Blast reported that the LGBTQ community was not taken with such negative representation, especially as Netflix usually used the tag for more positive content like "Sex Education" and "Heartstopper."

Taking to Twitter, critics voiced their opinions about the situation. One wrote, "Anyone else think it's pretty gross of Netflix to list Dahmer under LGBTQ, especially when the True Crime tag would have worked?"

Another user implored Netflix to "please reconsider having Dahmer with the LGBTQ tag, especially as one of its tags right when you open the app." In response to the criticisms, the central streaming platform removed the LGBTQ tag but made no public statements on the removal.

Other tags attached to the series were ominous, horror, dark, psychological, and vintage crime tags. And given that Dahmer was gay, similar to most of his victims, that proved a possible reason why Netflix used the LGBTQ tag.

As a significant series on one of the largest streaming platforms, "Dahmer" has naturally been an interest to many viewers, including a young woman who made an unsettling revelation about the show.

The Blast reported that during an October episode on "The Kyle and Jackie O Show" where the hosts discussed women who are attracted to murderers, the female listener called in to make her confession.

Despite being a happily married mother of three, she admitted that she became aroused by a scene showing Dahmer listening to a man's heartbeat and expressing his desire to eat it. The woman said something came over her, prompting her to "look after herself if you know what I mean, and now it's a regular thing."

She implied that she was masturbating over the serial murderer before explaining that the scene was "so far away" from her normal life" that it just took her to "this other place."