Jeffrey Dahmer for a month [Murder Made Fiction Podcast]

Findings from the first month

It was a busy and exhausting first month on Murder as fiction Podcast for Jenn and me. In September we went through a lot of texts that Jeffrey Dahmer as a teenager, as a man, as a sex offender, as a bogeyman and as an example of social injustice, especially in dealing with black and queer marginalized groups.

We started the month with a mini-introduction to Dahmer's backstory and his killing spree that left 17 men dead. It's a gruesome tale filled with sexual assault, murder, and cannibalism (so, you know, content warning).

We then delved into several movies and TV shows, including:

• My friend Dahmer (2017): Marc Meyers' Adaptation of Derf Backderf's comic memoir, which is mostly bloodless and stars the former Disney star (now rocker) Ross Lynch (listen here).
• Dahmer (2002): Jeremy Renner had an early go at playing the notorious gay killer and learned – once again – more about suspenseful drama than sheer sensationalism. Find out more here.

• Monsters: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story: On Patreon we have the first season of Robert F. KennedyEpisode by episode, we watched the hit film MONSTER, which examines the consequences of the crimes in much greater detail and puts the victims at the center. Our favorite was episode six, “Silenced,” which explored the relationship between Dahmer (Evan Peters) and victim Tony Hughes (played by Rodney Burford).
• Finally, our last Patreon episode of the month dealt with the Tubi documentary Fresh meat: Kill Dahmer, The result was a low-budget film that relied on sensationalism and unusual commentators to tell the story of Dahmer's murder in prison.

Now that we've consumed all of these different interpretations, we're ready to summarize what we've learned, what we think about the different portrayals, and reevaluate our relationship with true crime.

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Summary: Jeffrey Dahmer

After a month of talking about Jeffrey Dahmer, Jenn and Joe discuss what we've learned about his crimes and his victims. We also compare the various fictional portrayals of him in film and television.

Plus: Where we're going in the second month!

That's it for Jeffrey Dahmer. We'll be back next week with a brand new introduction to a brand new killer: Ed Gein!

If you want more Murder as fictionplease support the show on Patreon. Subscribe today to get 8 hours of content, including an in-depth introduction to Dahmer, the Tubi doc Fresh meatand individual coverage of all 10 episodes of Monsters: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.