Let’s all be real with ourselves for a moment. At one point or another in this era of Pandemia, we’ve all binged a true crime series of some ilk or another. For me, it was a History Channel series on Skinwalker Ranch, but I’ve been meaning to stream HBO’s I’ll Be Gone In The Dark. Before long, though, we’ll have another to check out, this one from a television powerhouse of the last twenty years, and starring one of his regular co-conspirators to boot.
As first reported by Deadline, Ryan Murphy (American Horror Story, Scream Queens) has set at least part of his principal cast for Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, a limited series currently planned for Netflix. Evan Peters, a frequent cast member on American Horror Story, has been announced for the title role, portraying the notorious Milwaukee Monster responsible for seventeen murders. That said, the series is reported to handle the apathy and incompetence of local authorities, particularly their giving Dahmer a free pass since he was white, seemingly harmless, and only had a history of petty crimes before his reign of terror.
Penelope Ann Miller (The Relic, The Artist) and Richard Jenkins (Six Feet Under, The Cabin in the Woods), the latter of whom was the first announced cast member for Monster, play Dahmer’s parents Joyce and Lionel. Niecy Nash (Reno 911!) will play the neighbor Glenda Cleveland, who was reported to have even contacted the FBI about Dahmer’s erratic behaviors in the months leading up to his arrest. Shaun J. Brown (Into the Dark: My Valentine) will play Tracy, the “one that got away” which led to Dahmer’s arrest in 1991.
It’s worth noting that, in addition to the previously mentioned focus on the “free passes” Dahmer got, the series will be more psychologically-oriented. Instead of relying on gore and dismemberment, the horror of this show will come from the fact that Dahmer’s crimes went on for over a decade, despite so many seeing red flags for what feels like ages. Given Murphy’s reputation with the horror genre, as well as both runs of American Crime Story, this latest venture is promising.
No release date for Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story has been announced at this time.
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