Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, which stars the incomparable Evan Peters as notorious serial killer and cannibal Jeffrey Dahmer, has hit a major Netflix milestone… and for a lot of people, that isn’t a good thing. South Korean survival drama Squid Game, which became an overnight sensation back in Sept. 2021, and Stranger Things 4, the fourth and penultimate season overall, are the only other Netflix Originals to reach such milestones.
Squid Game became Netflix’s most-watched series in 94 countries and amassed 1.65 billion viewing hours during its first four weeks from launch, whereas Stranger Things 4 is Netflix’s most popular English-language series ever and second most popular overall, accruing over 1.35 billion hours viewed in its first 28 days.
Now, Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story has entered the chat. The true crime anthology series smashed one billion hours viewed on the streaming giant’s ultra-popular platform, successfully joining Squid Game and Stranger Things 4 in the Netflix Hall of Fame.
The series, created by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, chronicles the life, crimes, judicial process and incarceration, and eventual death of Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer, otherwise known as the Milwaukee Cannibal. Monster focuses on Dahmer’s victims with accurate, true-to-the-story reenactments from fellow cast members Richard Jenkins, Molly Ringwald, Niecy Nash, and Michael Learned. However, although Murphy and Brennan should be celebrating this impressive achievement, there are those who believe that Monster‘s rise to the top in recent months has overshadowed the real heartbreak faced by Dahmer’s victims β and the families left without a son, brother or dear friend.
There are especially gruesome reenactments involving the youngest of Dahmer’s victims, 14-year-old Konerak Sinthasomphone. Naturally, the internet wasn’t pleased. In fact, a lot of them denounced the project and rejected any and all association with its gradual success.
It’s very much subject to personal opinion, but regardless of where one stands on the Monster debate, it’s still a massive achievement for all those involved. That being said, all due respect goes out to the families of Dahmer’s victims, who are still β to this day β living with their tragic losses.