"Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story" is the latest true-crime dramatization to feature a famously good-looking actor as an infamous murderer. Evan Peters stars as the titular real-life serial killer in the September 2022 release, following the likes of Ross Lynch as Dahmer in 2017's "My Friend Dahmer," Zac Efron as Ted Bundy in 2019's "Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile," and many others. But despite its high production value, successful ratings, and supposed aim to educate its audience, the series is sparking long overdue conversations about how true-crime dramatizations tend to capitalize on shock value, exploit victims while romanticizing perpetrators, and ultimately do more harm than good.

Jeffrey Dahmer was a serial killer who murdered 17 young men and boys between 1978 and 1991. He sought out his victims — mostly Black, Latino, and Asian men — at gay bars, bus stops, and malls, luring them into his home and drugging them before strangling them to death. After killing his victims, Dahmer would engage in necrophilia, dismember their corpses, and eat their tendons. Dahmer was eventually tried in 1991 and sentenced to 16 life terms. He was beaten to death in prison by a fellow inmate in 1994.

Several dramatizations of Dahmer's life have been made, including "The Secret Life: Jeffrey Dahmer" in 1993, "Dahmer" in 2002, and "Raising Jeffrey Dahmer" in 2006, so "Monster" was by no means the first depiction of the serial killer's story. But the series' shot-for-shot recreation of court footage, victim-focused episodes, graphic violence, and overwhelming success have made it a standout. In fact, the Ryan Murphy-produced drama was heavily promoted and became Netflix's second most-watched original in a week (only behind "Stranger Things 4").

It's not all that surprising, as dramatizing shocking real-life events is a way to generate buzz — and that's certainly the case with "Monster." A troublingly large amount of Twitter and TikTok users are fawning over Dahmer's looks, posting side-by-sides comparing the series to reality, and even sympathizing with Dahmer despite his heinous crimes. And as the show gains popularity, so has music that references Dahmer's murders. Katy Perry and Juicy J's 2013 hit "Dark Horse" features the line, "She eats your heart out like Jeffrey Dahmer," and a lyric in Kesha's 2010 song "Cannibal" says, "Yeah, I'll pull a Jeffrey Dahmer." Both songs, particularly their Dahmer-related lines, have seen a resurgence on TikTok, a slap in the face to Dahmer's victims and an unpleasant reminder that Netflix dramatizations aren't the only medium guilty of making light of Dahmer's crimes. Altogether, the buzz created by these dramatizations is often incredibly insensitive to the victims' families.

Rita Isbell, whose brother Errol Lindsey was murdered at 19 by Dahmer, criticized Netflix for profiting from her family's tragedy. In an essay for Insider, Isbell recalled seeing her emotional court outburst play out on screen in the dramatization (portrayed by DaShawn "Dash" Barnes). "It bothered me, especially when I saw myself — when I saw my name come across the screen and this lady saying verbatim exactly what I said. If I didn't know any better, I would've thought it was me," she wrote. "Her hair was like mine, she had on the same clothes. That's why it felt like reliving it all over again. It brought back all the emotions I was feeling back then." Isbell revealed she was never contacted about the show, saying, "I feel like Netflix should've asked if we mind or how we felt about making it. They didn't ask me anything. They just did it." She criticized Netflix for profiting off of Dahmer's victims without giving any money to their families, specifically their children, calling it "just greed."

Despite victims feeling exploited by true-crime adaptations, these stories continue being made without their consent — and are often praised. Unfortunately, it seems most networks are averse to consulting with victims. It can be done, though. The upcoming Peacock series "A Friend of the Family" dramatizes the story of Jan Broberg, who was kidnapped by Robert Berchtold when she was 12 and then again when she was 14. Broberg and her mother, Mary Broberg, served as producers of the show. So why don't more true crime series consult with victims? It's likely because seeking consent would either stop the project in its tracks or require the creators to gut-check their storytelling instead of telling the most dramatic and shocking version they possibly can.