The release of Netflix's new series based on serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer's life and crimes has inspired a horrendous TikTok challenge. Since its release, the show has received some backlash for being too graphic and insensitive to the families of the victims.
Trigger Warning: The following article contains topics that may be disturbing to some readers. Discretion is advised
Dahmer was active from 1978 to 1991, during which time he strangled and dismembered 17 men and boys. After his capture in 1991, police found at least 80 horrific photos of his victims—some even depicting necrophilia.
Jeffrey Dahmer victim polaroid challenge horrifies
Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story has both broken records and sparked fierce controversy since its release last month, with many viewers accusing the biopic of being excessively gruesome and insensitive towards the murderer’s victims.
The Jeffrey Dahmer Polaroid Challenge on TikTok horrifies netizens
While most stray away from such morbid topics, TikTok users have started a trend called the Jeffrey Dahmer Polaroid Challenge. The challenge involves users searching for crime scene photos and reacting to them. The search term has amassed over 530 million views.
Although the app has already removed some of the more graphic videos associated with this challenge, the reaction videos are still trending under the same tag, with over 3.4 billion views on the platform.
Many users have participated in this trend, though some are outright disgusted by it. One user tweeted that one should not be "bragging" about their desensitivity to the horrid images
Some users did fall prey to the trend, but instantly regretted it, warning others not to search for the images. They have decried it as disgusting. "Y'all are actually sick," wrote one person on Twitter Another wrote: "This isn't some gore movie looking for grossed-out reactions, this is real sh*t." On TikTok, one person warns: "Don't let curiosity make you see the actual polaroids."
Despite comments arguing that the trend is disrespectful, many TikTok users are still participating in it.
The casting of well-known actors to play notorious serial killers in retellings of their stories is nothing new, as movie studios and broadcast networks are well aware that star power can attract viewers to their projects. Heartthrob Zac Efron played Ted Bundy in Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, and Evan Peters of X-Men and ex-Disney star Ross Lynch starred as Dahmer in different renditions. This incited some confusing reactions, with some calling these characters "hot." A tweet responded,
" 🤍Mommy A🤍
@Aymee_kay
Y’all want to glorify serial killers like Jeffrey dahmer and Ted bundy because “their hot” THEY LITERALLY HAD FAN MAIL.
Do yourself a favor and look at the real Polaroids they found in Jeffrey Dahmers apartment.
He ripped out a whole RIB CAGE out of a man and posed him🥴 "
Numerous other social media users have expressed their displeasure with the trend as well.
The show is a limited series created by Ryan Murphy of American Horror Story fame and stars Evan Peters, Richard Jenkins, Molly Ringwald, and Neicy Nash. It has already broken records by becoming Netflix's biggest debut, beating even Squid Games. The series is available to watch on the streaming platform.
Why did Jeffrey Dahmer take Polaroid pictures of his victims?
Dahmer explained that he often photographed his victims at different stages of the killing process, so he could recall and re-live the experience.
He said: "It was my way of remembering their appearance, their physical beauty. I also wanted to keep... if I couldn't keep them there with me whole, I at least felt that I could keep their skeleton.
"I even went so far as planning on setting up an altar with 10 different skulls."
