'Dahmer': Evan Peters' Portrayal of Jeffrey Dahmer Has 'Monster' Viewers Unsettled

Allison Schonter

09/28/2022 12:43 pm EDT

Throughout his years-long acting career, Evan Peters has taken on a number of disturbing roles, but none seem to top his latest acting credit. After starring as Tate Langdon, James March, and Kai Anderson across various seasons of FX's American Horror Story, it is his portrayal of real-life convicted serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer in Netflix's new true crime series Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story that has left fans the most unsettled, with some even expressing concern for Evans' mental health after taking on the daunting role.

One of America's most prolific serial killers, Dahmer was active in the late '70s through the early '90s, a period during which he committed the murder and dismemberment of 17 men and boys between 1978 and 1991. Netflix's Dahmer offers a harrowing look at those crimes and the mind of Dahmer, centering the story around the underserved victims and their communities impacted by the systemic racism and institutional failures of the police that allowed Dahmer to continue his murderous spree for more than a decade.

Since Dahmer's record-breaking Sept. 21 premiere – per Deadline, the series has drawn in 192.6 million viewers since its launch, the largest audience since Stranger Things returned for its fourth season – the series has sparked a number of conversations on social media, including blind reactions and tributes to Dahmer's victims. Topping the conversations is also discourse surrounding Peters' chilling portrayal of the serial killer, with many applauding the actor's portrayal, which has left more than just a few disturbed.

Many say Peters deserves an Emmy

"Ok, so...we're all in agreement that Evan Peters deserves an Emmy for [Dahmer] right?" asked one viewer. "This PERFORMANCE...I am shook. No words. Truly exceptional!."

'Phenomenal'

"I know the history of Jeffrey Dahmer pretty well but this show on Netflix is still disturbing as hell," wrote another viewer. "Evan Peters is phenomenal."

'Terrifying yet outstanding'

"Finished Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story & have to say that its well worth checking out," added somebody else. "A rarely been better Evan Peters did such an outstanding job portraying one of the most notorious serial killers in the United States in a compelling true-life based tale...."

Some dubbed it 'the performance of his career'

"Currently at episode 4 of [Dahmer]," tweeted one person. "Evan Peters is absolutely killin it, such a scarily great performance."

Fans express concern for Peters' mental health

"I hope Evan Peters has a PHENOMENAL support system in his life because WOW he deserves an Emmy for his performance," somebody shared. "This is a heavy role to play and I'm sure it really messed with him (as it would anyone). That being said, nobody could play this better than him."

'I hope he's taking care of his mental health'

"Just starting Dahmer and man of man is this creepy," added another person. "Evan Peters is a phenomenal actor and I hope he's taking care of his mental health after this one."

Peters called it the 'one of the hardest' roles of his career

In an interview with Netflix ahead of Dahmer's premiere, Peters called his portrayal of Dahmer "one of the hardest things I've ever had to do in my life," explaining that in order to give a "very authentic" portrayal of Dahmer, he "was going to have to go to really dark places and stay there for an extended period of time." Peters credited the crew as being "instrumental in keeping me on the guard rails, I cannot thank them enough and I could not have done any of this role with them...It was a challenge to try to have this person who was seemingly so normal but underneath all of it, had this entire world that he was keeping secret from everybody."

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