Crew Member of Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story Claims it Was ‘One of the Worst Shows to Work On’
The already-controversial show now has some more controversy, this time about the effects of being a part of the show and treatment as a crew member.
In a tweet which is now private, Kim Alsup wrote, “I worked on this project and I was 1 of 2 Black people on the crew and they kept calling me her name.” She continued, “we both had braids. She was dark skin and 5’10. I’m 5’5. Working on this took everything I had as I was treated horribly. I look at the Black female lead differently now too.”
Though her Twitter account is now private, she also spoke up about her experience in an interview with the Los Angeles Times. “I just feel like it’s going to bring back too many memories of working on it. I don’t want to have these PTSD types of situations. The trailer itself gave me PTSD, which is why I ended up writing that tweet that I didn’t think anybody was going to read.”
She added that she was always being called someone else’s name (the only other Black woman on the set of the show) while she was able to remember the names of 300 background extras. She did say that by the filming of the sixth episode (over halfway through the show) conditions got a little better, likely because that episode had a Black writer and director (Janet Mock and Paris Barclay) but it was still overall “exhausting.”
Netflix has not commented on Alsup’s experience, but did say that each cast and crew member was offered mental health support, free of charge. But, no corporation or payment can reverse the trauma people have endured, especially the victims of families who were not contacted about the show’s release.
Eric Perry, cousin of Errol Lindsey, tweeted that the show is “re-traumatizing, over and over again” for the victims’ families. He also later tweeted that his family found out about the show when everyone else did.
He continued to say that “we’re all one traumatic event away from the worst day of your life being reduced to your neighbor’s favorite binge show.” In addition, he quote-tweeted over a video of a reenactment of his cousin, Rita Isbell, giving an emotional statement in court.
Isbell told Insider that the show bothered her, especially when she saw the person playing herself. She mentioned that she wished Netflix had reached out to victims’ families before pursuing the show that recreates real events that happened to real people. “It’s just sad that they’re making money off this tragedy. That’s greed.”
Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story has already received criticism from families and viewers alike. The consumption of true crime is already a touchy subject for obvious reasons, and it’s a shame to hear that working on the show, too, was a bad experience.
