The first trailer for Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story features the twisted reunion of star Evan Peters and writer-producer Ryan Murphy. Jeffrey Dahmer, also known as the Milwaukee Cannibal, is one of the United States' most notorious serial killers. He operated between 1978 and 1991, murdering at least 17 male victims in a series of acts that included dismemberment, cannibalism, necrophilia, and body part preservation. His life has been the subject of many books, documentaries, and even plays, and he has previously been played on film by actors as far and wide as The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina's Ross Lynch (in 2017's My Friend Dahmer) and Hawkeye star Jeremy Renner (in 2002's Dahmer).
Murphy, the creator of popular series like American Horror Story and Glee, has been working closely with Netflix over the past few years, helping usher shows including Ratched, Hollywood, and The Politician to the streaming service. His newest collaboration with the platform, Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, comes out on September 21 and sees him returning to his regular stable of actors by giving American Horror Story breakout star Peters the title role. Peters is joined by Scream Queens alum Niecy Nash, Carlito's Way star Penelope Ann Miller, four-time Emmy winner Michael Learned of The Waltons, and Oscar nominee Richard Jenkins of The Shape of Water.
Today, Netflix shared the first official trailer for Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. It amps up the atmosphere after showing a slow-burn scene of the killer bringing a man back to his apartment. The man picks up on the red flags just too slowly to save his own life, but Dahmer's neighbor is suspicious of everything she hears and is trying to find out the truth before more people are hurt. The trailer includes several intense images, including a severed head wrapped in plastic and Dahmer cradling a corpse. Check out the trailer below:
This latest collaboration continues Murphy's fascination with murders and serial killers, as he has dramatized and fictionalized them many times throughout his career, especially in two seasons of American Crime Story, which focused on O.J. Simpson and Gianni Versace's murderer Andrew Cunanan respectively. In American Horror Story alone, he has included Richard Ramirez (AKA The Night Stalker), the Black Dahlia murderer, Aileen Wuornos, and John Wayne Gacy. In fact, Peters played a character named James March in American Horror Story: Hotel which was based on notorious Chicago-based serial killer H.H. Holmes.
Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story finds both Peters and Murphy in their sweet spot. Both have managed to shock and appeal to the viewing public many times before, both together and apart. While there is the question of whether Dahmer's story needs to be told again, seeing Peters and Murphy's take on the figure will likely be interesting and draw in audiences who adore both.
Source: Netflix