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Parents' Guide to

Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story

By Polly Conway, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Salacious true crime story has sex, violence, cruelty.

TV Netflix Drama 2022
Dahmer TV show: poster

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

Community Reviews

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age 16+

Based on 16 parent reviews

jb31
jb31 Adult
September 23, 2022
age 18+

Disgusting

After watching one and a half episodes even with fast forwarding parts. I failed to see why this show was ever even produced. his sociopathic had no bounds there was no specific method to his madness his spectrum of sociopathic-Ness was broad. only he could ever explain why he did what he did. and even that wouldn’t make sense to anyone. I felt that it was pointless to try to understand him even in this show! The only thing I got was power and everyone around him was a specimen. It was sick deranged demented and a unfounded subject to show the world. I feel films like this cause more damage. he gives people with similar thoughts and tendencies to think of him as a kinder spirit when they have none they are robotic and Deranged and sick. I almost threw up five times I see no point in the show. other than trying to understand somebody that wasn’t even humane and projecting this garbage into this world! Which helps no one.
Nako0041
Nako0041 Parent of 7 and 14-year-old
September 23, 2022
age 18+

OUTSTANDING! But NOT for anyone younger than 18!

First of all, this series was hands down THE BEST true crime series I have ever seen. It was horrific, extremely sad, violent, wicked, shocking, disturbing, true to what actually happened, and most of all OUTSTANDING. With that being said, as a mother of 2 it is NOT for children. This is very deep, and extremely dark. I highly recommend to NOT allow your children to watch this. I also must say that if Evan Peters doesn't get every award there is to be won, I will lose my mind. He is the BEST actor of our generation.
See all 16 parent reviews

What's the Story?

MONSTER: THE JEFFREY DAHMER STORY begins with the escape of the serial killer's last potential victim. Through flashback and storytelling from the time he was caught (early '90s), the series explores the life and history of Dahmer (Evan Peters) and how he came to be one of the most notorious serial killers in history.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (16 ):
Kids say (25 ):

This salacious series is both hard to watch and hard to take your eyes off of. Very little time is given to the victims and their families in Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story -- instead the series goes into great detail about Dahmer's family life, state of mind, and choices. While not quite campy, it treats the real-life (and really horrible) subject somewhat lightly, not unlike Ryan Murphy's previous series about a murderer, The Assassination of Gianni Versace. This particular crime story, while enjoyable as a drama, ultimately feels empty and uncomfortable.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about true crime shows. How do you think a story like this is best told? Is it necessary to retell at all? Why or why not?

  • Why do you think people want to hear stories about bad people? What makes them interesting?

TV Details

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