We’ve all seen enough of the famous serial killer’s case , and its often-gauche retellings that are featured in the media. But the new Netflix series could be worth a dive into Dahmer.
With the crime documentaries trend of the last few decades, it’s difficult to believe that the notorious Jeffrey Dahmer case has been largely hidden away. This is until today when Netflix has just released a brand new mini-seriescalled “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story,” about the serial killer’s murder case that stunned Milwaukee and the rest of the country.
With the gruesome information and its national renown it is possible that viewers will be sucked into this new Jeffrey Dahmer saga. The show is available on streaming services at a time when the media’s fascination with grisly twists and turns is becoming to be getting more and more boring, sometimes nearing the point of being bland. Milwaukee fans might find it more than most who have endured the lingering shadow of Dahmer for decades on the streets of Milwaukee. In addition, the filmic retellings of the story often varied from poor to worse and in some cases, even with Disney teens. (And even if it’s not Dahmer there’s “Making a Murderer,” “Slender Man” and others transform the high-profile state’s traumas to entertainment.)
However, for those who are apprehensive of a new series killer show that focuses on Milwaukee’s most well-known murderer new Netflix mini-series is more interesting than most. There are five reasons “Monster” might hopefully make revisiting the Dahmer murder case worth it.
1. There’s an excellent ensemble
There’s been a variety of Jeffrey Dahmer-directed projects throughout the years, however, probably not one that’s as dazzling in the same way as “Monster.” The ensemble cast includes the critically well-known talents from Richard Jenkins (“The Visitor,” “The Shape of Water” and numerous others) along with Niecy Nash, who’s best well-known for her comedic performance in “Reno 911” but was amazing in a more meaty part – no pun intended in Netflix’s BBQ family drama “Uncorked. Stars from the past Molly Ringwald and Michael Learned as well as Michael Learned make appearances on the new show, showing off their muscles away from the light-hearted roles that earned them fame in the past.
Then, of course, the actor playing Dahmer will be Evan Peters, a very skilled actor who played a key role in some of the more recent “X-Men” movies as Quicksilver as well as in the hit HBO show “Mare of Easttown,” as well as being a regular actor in Ryan Murphy’s diverse productions. In that regard …
2. Ryan Murphy is involved, to better or worse
In the years since his breakout through “Nip/Tuck” and “Glee,” Ryan Murphy has become one among the most popular producers in Hollywood as well as one among his most prolific, directing shows such as “Hollywood,” “Ratched,” “The Politician,” “Pose” and “Halston” in the past three years. (And this isn’t even including the long-running series “9-1-1” and his movie work, including directing “The Prom” and producing many other shows.) The one that has been consistent throughout his career is his inconsistency. Certain of his works are transcendent, while some pieces are garbage and certain pieces of his work are an artifact that transcends time.
In a way, one of his most memorable works in his current run was”American Crime Story,” the “American Crime Story” anthology series, which began exceptionally well after the series’ breakout debut, “The People vs. OJ Simpson,” in the year of 2016. The two seasons that followed that which focused on murders of Gianni Versace, and an investigation into the Bill Clinton impeachment scandal – were not able to generate the same amount of excitement as the first but the quality was high throughout each mini-series as it delves into the potential gruesome real-life crime subjects with humanity, depth, and a point of view on what these tales of tabloids are about something in the present and how they reveal about our culture.
Although “Monster” doesn’t technically fall under the “American Crime Story” umbrella It’s similarity to the Murphy productions. It takes an in-depth, thoughtful investigation into what these actual stories have to say and what they mean under their grim and grimy details.
3. There are some surprises hidden behind the scenes
Although “Monster” has a number of notable faces on camera but its most remarkable collaborators could work behind the scenes.
Alongside Murphy’s producer’s credit, a portion parts of the Netflix mini-series are with a direction from Carl Franklin, a veteran director with a sharp eye and a long portfolio of impressive work on screens both large (“Devil in the Bull Dress”) as well as smaller (“The Leftovers,”” similar to the true-life serial killer show “Mindhunter”). Also, speaking of eyes with a keenness The majority of the series is shot by a rising Cinematographer Jason McCormick, who lensed the indie hit “Lemon” and the coming-of-age breakthrough “Booksmart.”
One of one of the most interesting names are the ones behind the music: Nick Cave and Warren Ellis Modern Renaissance musicians who controlled rock and have since shifted to movie soundtracks. As fellow multi-medium artists such as Trent Reznor, Daft Punk and Jonny Greenwood get some of the oxygen in their award-winning music, Cave and Ellis have composed some remarkable compositional contributions in recent years especially with westerns such as “The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford,” “The Road,” “Lawless,” “Hell or High Water” and “Wind River.” It will be interesting to hear the way his often sluggish and tone-setting tunes will place the stage in a totally different environment from his usual: Milwaukee, 30 years ago. (Well technicalally Los Angeles since that’s where “Monster” was filmed.)
4. It ought to contain something to say
Many contemporary true crime mini-series have only intense real-life excitement, half-baked conspiracy theories and streaming views for the respective platforms. There’s plenty of crime on the market, but usually isn’t enough to warrant an entire film – much more than mini-series time in addition to glancing at the worst human behavior.
Murphy’s crime-related productions tend to be more than bullet-point summaries of the most outrageous headlines. Many of them probe social problems of the past and present and the effects of celebrities and media, and more. It’s the case with “Monster,” as even just the trailer seems to shed light on the social ills as well as the flaws and biases which allowed Dahmer’s murder spree to go on. There’s more than murder to consider in “Monster.”
5. The preview seems pretty good
If none of this has convinced your interest in “Monster,” well, perhaps I’ll let the show itself do. The trailer, released recently it does a good job of promoting the show’s newness, while emphasizing the uneasy look (in addition to being reminiscent of the Murphy’s “American Crime Story,” it’s also not like it’s too different stylistically from his more outrageous “American Horror Story” series) in addition to the more important points it’s trying to make regarding the all-too-true urban myth.
