People urged not to ‘romanticise’ Jeffrey Dahmer just because he’s played by Evan Peters in Netflix series

People are urging viewers not to romanticise serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer despite being played by Evan Peters in the recently released Netflix series.

Dahmer was convicted of murdering 15 men and boys during a violent killing spree between 1978 and 1991.

The crimes are the subject of the hit Netflix series Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, which was released yesterday (September 22) and is now trending on Netflix Australia.

The infamous killer is portrayed by American Horror Story actor Evan Peters, with many praising Peters’ performance as ‘creepy as hell’ and another calling it ‘bone chilling’, according to NME. 

Twitter reviews of the series have called it ‘uncomfortable’ and ‘disgusting’, however, some are wary of glamorising the serial killer simply because of the actor’s portrayal.

So yeah about 3 episodes deep and all i can say is wow. They dont shy away from how sadistic Jeffrey Dahmer truly was and how incompetent our law enforcement was.

Evan Peters is bone chilling. For me its his best work as an actor.

Niecy Nash deserves high praise as well. pic.twitter.com/xqmS0Dk9nP

— MILLER™️⚪️⚪️🔴 (@MrMiller_007) September 22, 2022

One social media user wrote: “Dahmer is out, let’s not romanticise Jeffrey Dahmer just because he is played by Evan Peters. Remember the victims.”

They later added: “It’s okay to praise Evan Peters for his performance, he is a brilliant actor. But do not romanticise him in the role as Jeffrey Dahmer.”

And already there are inklings of exactly that happening online.

One fan wrote: “Need Evan Peters to play a character that isn't a serial killer so bad so I can find him hot in peace.”

Another wrote: “Honestly though why’s Evan peters still low-key hot as a serial killer?”

#DahmerNetflix is out, let’s not romanticize Jeffrey Dahmer just because he is played by Evan Peters.
Remember the victims.
A tread about each victim and who they were. pic.twitter.com/3NAZpG40Dq

— hot girl jo (@sicssorluv) September 21, 2022

It’s okay to praise Evan Peters for his performance, he is a brilliant actor. BUT DO NOT ROMANTICIZE HIM IN THE ROLE AS JEFFREY DAHMER. #DahmerNetflix

— hot girl jo (@sicssorluv) September 21, 2022

need Evan Peters to play a character that isn't a serial killer so bad so I can find him hot in peace pic.twitter.com/2cxBwnUtdT

— Aidan (@aidanthereup) September 21, 2022

The same thing happened when Zac Efron portrayed Ted Bundy for the Netflix film Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile.

Many viewers thought the infamous serial killer was attractive simply because Efron was the actor playing him.

Meanwhile, others are simply more concerned for Peters’ mental health after having to dive deep into such a chilling role.

One concerned Peters fan said: “I hope Evan Peters is getting therapy after this portrayal cause this role is crazy.”

A second added: “I just want Evan Peters to be in a nice rom-com after this. I don’t care if it’s any good. Just let this man smile for once.”

And they’re not wrong.

Filmmaker Ryan Murphy seems to have a tendency of relying on Peters to bring out the best in portraying terrible people such as in his multiple roles in American Horror Story.

ryan murphy will not rest until evan peters has played every terrible white person in america's history https://t.co/XiNQwzcgXX

— The Smoking Musket (@smokingmusket) September 16, 2022

Even the actor himself has claimed it was one of the toughest roles he’s had to portray in his career so far.

Evans told Netflix: “I was very scared about all of the things that Dahmer did, and diving into that and trying to commit to [playing this character] was absolutely going to be one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do in my life because I wanted it to be very authentic.”

The series explores the untold stories of Dahmer’s victims, as well as the failures of authorities to prevent the murderous spree that spanned more than a decade.