Netflix’s new series about serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer has had viewers poring over the chilling details of his crimes, finding that, in most cases, reality really was stranger than fiction.
In Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, we see Evan Peters take on the titular murderer – a role he approached with care, having prepared by watching real interviews with Dahmer and diving head first into biographies about his life.
But, as with all dramatisations, not everything we see on screen is exactly as it happened, such as a detail about the locks on Dahmer’s door.
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In another scene, we see Dahmer hand his neighbour a sandwich supposedly filled with human meat – a moment that there may be some truth in, but perhaps not quite as it appeared in the show.
One of the changes to real events is the character of Glenda Cleveland, played by Niecy Nash, who not only lives adjacent to Dahmer in the programme, but is also the one handed the grisly snack.
In reality, Cleveland lived in the building next door, and there was never any confirmation that she had ever met Dahmer, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
The outlet instead speculates that Cleveland’s character was combined with that of another neighbour called Pamela Bass.
"It seems likely that the show attempted to amalgamate Cleveland and neighbour Pamela Bass into one character,” the article explained.
Interestingly, Bass was the one in real life who claimed Dahmer made sandwiches for others in the building, meaning there may be some element of truth in the storyline.
Speaking in 2013 documentary The Jeffrey Dahmer Files, Bass spoke about her worst fear after being given a sarnie by the man she described as appearing to be friendly and sharing.
“I have probably eaten someone's body part,” she said.
LADbible has reached out to Netflix for comment.
The locks on the door is another detail that has been questioned by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
In the series, it's shown as having numerous locks, but it's unclear as to whether this was actually true, due to Edwards' account changing later on.
The article says: "Edwards is shown on the show fiddling with the locks and trying to escape, which actually became a point of contention in real life.
"Edwards' story changed throughout the aftermath of Dahmer's arrest, including appearances on talk shows in which he talked about the numerous locks on the door, while photos of the scene showed only two.
"The other evidence police find in the apartment during the episode, from the painted skulls to the heads in the refrigerator, were real details from the scene."
Topics: Netflix, TV and Film
Jess Hardiman