Production assistant Kim Alsup won’t be watching Netflix’s Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. “I just feel like it’s going to bring back too many memories of working on it,†she explained to the Los Angeles Times. “I don’t want to have these PTSD types of situations. The trailer itself gave me PTSD.†In fact, her reaction to the trailer prompted her to write a now-viral tweet in which she claimed that she was “treated horribly†on set, where she said there were only two Black crew members, including herself. “I was always being called someone else’s name, the only other Black girl who looked nothing like me, and I learned the names for 300 background extras,†Alsup elaborated to the Times.
She described her overall experience on the production about the real-life serial killer as “exhausting,†claiming that a lack of mental-health coordinators helped foster an unsupportive working environment. (A Netflix spokesperson partly refuted this, telling the Times that crew have access to a licensed therapist and other health and wellness resources.) “It was one of the worst shows that I’ve ever worked on,†reflected Alsup, who has credits on Inventing Anna, Dear White People, and Grey’s Anatomy. For some, the final product has also been hard to watch. Family members of Dahmer’s murder victims, for example, have criticized the show for profiting off of the tragedy. “It’s re-traumatizing over and over again, and for what?†one relative tweeted. “How many movies/shows/documentaries do we need?â€