This is a high level documentary about things you knew about Dahmer. Enthusiasts will quickly note the lack of relevant details: Dahmer acting out his mother's seizures, hamming it up in class to get attention, his offerings of meat to neighbors who still aren't quite sure what they got, etc. And then for some reason this documentary has a B-story of other random other killers who may or may not have eaten people. So every few bullet points in the Dahmer timeline, you'll be treated to an even higher level quick run through of different crimes and will have learned next to nothing about them before the documentary gives you whiplash by loosely relating them to Dahmer. Throughout the witness interviews, you also get to listen to podcasters recount some facts about Dahmer but they aren't allowed to be entertaining. Their talents in making the macabre somewhat palatable is directed and edited away so you don't even get a little levity while hearing about murders. Don't watch this to learn anything. Watch it cuz Henry says, "That's when the cannibalism started."
13 Reviews
Hyper-paced overview
kbtoys1007 December 2021
This is my second Tubi documentary I've seen, the first being the adequate-but-standard Amityville doc.
Netflix did Bundy, Peacock did Gacy, now Tubi throws its towel in the serial killer doc genre with Dahmer. How do they fair?
Sadly, not well. Fresh Meat is a frenetic, fast paced 88 minute Cliffs Notes biography. The editing style is of the early 2000s History Channel highly-edited flashy style that has faded from popularity. I almost turned the doc off within the first 3 minutes when the soundtrack was a constant barrage of swooshes, stabs and slam sound effects you hear in movie trailers.
What about the interviews? The Amityville doc featured an annoying amount of tik tok videos but it's subjects were mostly people relating to the events. Fresh Meat really only has three worthwhile interviews - Dahmers next door neighbor, a drag Queen the knew two victims and a one of the women who tried saving 13th victim Konerak Sinthasomphone. The rest largely consists of True Crime podcasters relaying the story between our deep-voiced narrators segments. There's also a licensed therapist/porn star who tells us what fetishes and kinks Dahmer had.
Even more annoying is the constant sidebars into other serial killers. For example, we go several minutes into killer Luka Magnotta (subject of Don't F With Cats) because "He craved publicity, unlike Dahmer" or Ed Gein because "Like Dahmer, he kept body parts as trophys". These segments take a few minutes each and come off as nothing more than padding.
Fresh Meat provides nothing new to the story, nor is it a captivating watch. It seems geared towards the younger crowd who listen to My Favorite Murder or watch Buzzfeed Unsolved while completely offputting the much larger True Crime aficionado crowd that enjoys the much more respectful, slow paced shows such as the new Unsolved Mysteries, Son(s) of Sam, or American Murder.
Netflix did Bundy, Peacock did Gacy, now Tubi throws its towel in the serial killer doc genre with Dahmer. How do they fair?
Sadly, not well. Fresh Meat is a frenetic, fast paced 88 minute Cliffs Notes biography. The editing style is of the early 2000s History Channel highly-edited flashy style that has faded from popularity. I almost turned the doc off within the first 3 minutes when the soundtrack was a constant barrage of swooshes, stabs and slam sound effects you hear in movie trailers.
What about the interviews? The Amityville doc featured an annoying amount of tik tok videos but it's subjects were mostly people relating to the events. Fresh Meat really only has three worthwhile interviews - Dahmers next door neighbor, a drag Queen the knew two victims and a one of the women who tried saving 13th victim Konerak Sinthasomphone. The rest largely consists of True Crime podcasters relaying the story between our deep-voiced narrators segments. There's also a licensed therapist/porn star who tells us what fetishes and kinks Dahmer had.
Even more annoying is the constant sidebars into other serial killers. For example, we go several minutes into killer Luka Magnotta (subject of Don't F With Cats) because "He craved publicity, unlike Dahmer" or Ed Gein because "Like Dahmer, he kept body parts as trophys". These segments take a few minutes each and come off as nothing more than padding.
Fresh Meat provides nothing new to the story, nor is it a captivating watch. It seems geared towards the younger crowd who listen to My Favorite Murder or watch Buzzfeed Unsolved while completely offputting the much larger True Crime aficionado crowd that enjoys the much more respectful, slow paced shows such as the new Unsolved Mysteries, Son(s) of Sam, or American Murder.
Truly disturbing
mjanssens2611 December 2021
There's nothing wrong with the editing style or voice of the narrator in my opinion, but this show is quite disturbing. I watch true crime docs frequently but the Dahmer story is one of the worst and so tragic for the male victims and families involved. Many decent interviews of people who knew Dahmer. Who knew a nice looking clean cut guy could be such a monster. Viewer beware as this is a tough story to watch and sad for many in the LGBT community.
Woof, hard to rate. So disturbing but informational
kamfg30 November 2021
As someone who watches far too many crime docs, specifically murder docs, I thought I knew disturbing. This was hard to watch. So many disgusting and gruesome details I had never heard from this case. It's a 1/10 if you like light hearted crime docs it's a 10/10 if you want to know the grisly details and inner workings of serial killers minds.
Cliche-fest
simoncoram-067665 December 2021
The narrator sounds like someone who polished his deep and meaningful voice in the 1970s, and was dug up especially for this. The talking heads (whoever they are) come across as worryingly psychotic themselves, with twitches, combovers and wonky eyes. Very hard to watch. Not for the content, but for the weirdos involved.
I can't believe this wasn't made decades ago. Not something I could recommend, or bother to watch again.
I can't believe this wasn't made decades ago. Not something I could recommend, or bother to watch again.
Podcasters?? Call the Clown Patrol!
emuellertigre29 May 2022
Warning: Spoilers
These "Podcasters" could be broadcasting from their parents basement. This is by far the worst attempt at a documentary about a well-known serial killer. I don't like being more intelligent than the people I'm relying on to inform me. We watch documentaries for the real story based on experience, not some GED style (already on Wikipedia) analysis.
Highly annoying
jerryp6513 December 2021
The constant switching between the story and the people commenting made this hyped out documentary highly annoying. This Zebrowski guy looks and sounds like a sociopath himself. Nancy Glass looks scary, Ben Kissel looks hyperactive and so do all the others but for maybe 2. Why use so many storytellers? Switching back and forth gives the whole thing a fidgety feel to a degree that it's hard to focus on the actual story. And why sidetrack to other killers and make it even more distracting.
LOL
user-1722417 January 2022
Warning: Spoilers
"Tubi TV'S Dahmer 'documentary' strains the parameters of a video document.
Are you even 'documenting' anything when you devote fully one half of the run time to blaming conservatives and christians for Dahmer 'not living his best life' and defend his cannibalism as a 'fetish'?"
RazörFist.
Are you even 'documenting' anything when you devote fully one half of the run time to blaming conservatives and christians for Dahmer 'not living his best life' and defend his cannibalism as a 'fetish'?"
RazörFist.
Interesting until it got to the psychotherapist
SkankHunt7521 October 2022
You can tell what year a documentery was made when they pull the race card. After 2020. This was interesting to watch unyil they had Jasmine Johnson the black supremist provide narrative. As with everything she believes the police didnt follow up on things because of the color of their skin. With nothing to back it up because they were white they just had to be bias toward investigating the victims. She only takes african american clients for counseling of course. How do people get away this?
The stories from the people who were around when the murders took place was the best part. I also like how they incorporated the old footage.
The stories from the people who were around when the murders took place was the best part. I also like how they incorporated the old footage.
An Honest Review
whannah-4141722 October 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Honestly, I wish I could rate this more than I have here. Currently on a Jeffrey Dahmer kick due to the new Netflix series that just came out. The information that's available on this man is bountiful. From transcripts of his interviews and interrogations to photos of his slayings and live interviews to actual witness testimony, there is just no reason whatsoever that this documentary should have gotten wrong what it got wrong. Jeffrey Dahmer had clearly killed more than 3 people by the time he moved out of his grandmother's apartment. He did not kill his first younger victim, he escaped and went to the police (at his grandmother's house, not his apartment). This was Konerak Sinthasomphone's brother. And Mr. Flowers did escape because of his grandmother and go to the police but they did not believe him. Even when they got that information wrong, they forgot about one of the biggest and honestly most heartbreaking parts of the story. Dahmer had lobotomized his second young victim (Konerak) using a drill and muratic acid. Konerak then escaped while Dahmer was away and was found by his neighbors who called the police. The police then returned Konerak in his clearly wounded and disoriented state to Dahmer where he proceeded to kill him. This documentary emphasizes more of Dahmer's cunning than they should when really, much of the reason he got away with what he did was due to the stigmatized gay and black community.
In conclusion, you're better off watching the confession tapes than this inaccurate garbage.
In conclusion, you're better off watching the confession tapes than this inaccurate garbage.
Full of inaccuracies and contradictions.
corbettc-2325930 December 2022
This tubi original documentary is a joke. A lot of the information presented is just plain wrong. For starters, it's stated that Vernell Bass met Jeffrey Dahmer only days after he moved into the Oxford Apartments in late 1988. This is inaccurate, Dahmer didn't move into apartment 213 until May 1990. Second, Dahmer didn't accidentally take Halcion the night he killed Steven Tuomi at the Ambassador Hotel in 1987, that happened later with a different potential victim when Dahmer was living in apartment 213. This "doc" even gets wrong the date of the Konerak Sinthasimphone incident. On screen it states September 26, 1988, but it actually happened on May 27, 1991. This is basic information that's not hard to verify it's accuracy.
Occasionally the narrator contradicts the dates of title cards shown on screen, and vice versa. Some interviews include Dahmer's neighbor Vernell Bass, Psychiatrist Fred Berlin, and Inside Edition reporter Nancy Glass. As well as a few other talking heads. If a documentary has to resort to interviewing the hosts of a podcast you know it can't be that good. This is a pathetic excuse for a documentary and if you already know the Jeffrey Dahmer case you won't learn anything knew. Avoid it.
Occasionally the narrator contradicts the dates of title cards shown on screen, and vice versa. Some interviews include Dahmer's neighbor Vernell Bass, Psychiatrist Fred Berlin, and Inside Edition reporter Nancy Glass. As well as a few other talking heads. If a documentary has to resort to interviewing the hosts of a podcast you know it can't be that good. This is a pathetic excuse for a documentary and if you already know the Jeffrey Dahmer case you won't learn anything knew. Avoid it.
Dahmer
BandSAboutMovies28 December 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Directed by Kevin Barry. This Tubi original documentary has drawn some ire online for featuring podcasters in the place of actual experts as well as several inaccuracies, including it claiming that Dahmer lived in the Oxford Apartments in 1988 when he didn't move in until May 1990; that he accidentally took Halcion when he killed Steven Tuomi in 1987, but this actually happened in May of 1990 as well. They also are three years off on the Konerak Sinthasimphone incident which happened on May 27, 1991, not September 26, 1988. Thanks to IMDB user corbettc-23259 for pointing this out.
It also talks as much about other cannibals and killers like Ed Gein and Luka Magnotta when most are watching this to learn more about Dahmer. Then again, if you are watching this, you probably have already seen so many other documentaries all about him and will be upset by how little this gets into his homelife and reasons for killing, much less how much it gets wrong. Like how Ed Gein is from Plainfield, WI. Not Plainville. This is a simple editing issue that should have been caught and yet, like so much of this documentary, so much is just plain incorrect.
It also talks as much about other cannibals and killers like Ed Gein and Luka Magnotta when most are watching this to learn more about Dahmer. Then again, if you are watching this, you probably have already seen so many other documentaries all about him and will be upset by how little this gets into his homelife and reasons for killing, much less how much it gets wrong. Like how Ed Gein is from Plainfield, WI. Not Plainville. This is a simple editing issue that should have been caught and yet, like so much of this documentary, so much is just plain incorrect.
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