Serial killers continue to be big business, with audiences remaining as engaged as ever by sordid tales of murder and madness. Netflix’s Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story has comfortably overcome controversy, backlash, and uninspiring reviews to become one of the streaming service’s most-watched episodic exclusives ever, with 2002’s Dahmer also proving to be a beneficiary.
As per FlixPatrol, the forgotten horror thriller has been riding the coattails of Ryan Murphy and Evan Peters’ latest collaboration to emerge from the shadows and become one of the 10 most-watched titles on ad-supported platform Freevee. Clearly, one Dahmer project isn’t enough to satiate audiences around the world, and David Jacobson’s effort also has the bonus of future Marvel Cinematic Universe stalwart Jeremy Renner in his first-ever major leading role.
Made for just $250,000, Dahmer takes a heavily fictionalized approach to history by presenting the titular fiend as something akin to a horror villain, although it should be said that Renner is excellent in the role. Utilizing a fragmented narrative to convey his state of mind, the narrative jumps back and forward through time to try and paint a picture of how a person could be compelled to do such unspeakable things.
While Monster has the big budget Netflix sheen and big names filling out the ensemble cast, Dahmer is an altogether darker, dingier, and dirtier affair. If you binged the entirety of the streaming series and still feel as though you didn’t get your fix, then you can join the multitude of streaming subscribers who’ve opted to fire up the 20 year-old movie.