Conversations with a Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes

I have been fascinated yet horrified when I first read about Dahmer crimes back in 2016 I guess. I had no clue what his standing was amongst all serial killers. Then like in last 3 years I have watched pretty much whats available on the internet about him including the 10 part series just released on Netflix. But what this 3 part docuseries has to offer is something that would make you wonder even more, what actually went Dahmers mind. TBH I felt probably a 0.0001% sympathy for him.. But once I heard his actual confessions here with his defense attorney, I was shocked to no end. I mean this takes everything else you would have seen or read about. The shocking details and his chemistry with his young defense attorney. I mean how could they even represent this guy. The prosecution angle is something very very interesting. Theres toness of stuff out there about Dahmer, But this one is the most realistic, as it contains the words of man himself during or around his trial. I lost whatever sympathy I had when I heard about those drillings.

Truly touching and devastating tale about the human monstrosity. It gives us a look into the mind and life of Jeffrey Dahmer, even though they could have done a much deeper dive into the psychology of it all. Some things were poorly explained, including his potential diagnosis and the cannibalism aspect. It was interesting to hear different perspectives from various people about the story. Labelling these tapes as "unheard" was surprising because Dahmer didn't say anything particularly new or unknown to the public. I'd say it's a very well-edited and thought-provoking series that's mostly skilfully constructed, but it lacks depth in some parts.

One word to describe this man: insidious. This documentary is thorough, perhaps even too thorough. Arguably the only documentary you'll need to see about serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer but proceed with caution. It's rough to even watch. What sets this apart from other documentaries and re-enacted versions is the never-before-released videos, newscasts, photos, testimonials and actual interview recordings. Documentary also describes each victim's unfortunate demise one by one. It's a lot to go through visually and mentally. Definitely not for the faint hearted. Wish I could unsee it. The depravity of this man was too much to take.

This is another well produced crime documentary from Netflix, again from Joe Berlinger who did the Ted Bundy Tapes. Hearing Dahmer's voice recount all of the horrific acts he committed was obviously disturbing but fascinating as to how completely open he was about it, with no deflection like other serial killers, and that he seemed to be just unsure of why he did these things as everyone was and wanted answers.

It works really well, whether intentionally or not, as a companion piece with the very recent Dahmer Netflix show starring Evan Peter's and reinforces just how incredibly accurate that show was in it's telling of the Dahmer story. It could've maybe been another episode longer but perhaps that's just me..

After the more than excellent dramatization of the Dahmer murders in Netflix' release in september 2022 - which I rated with an exceptional 9 stars - any follow-up documentary will have a difficult time to even come close to the experience of that dramatization.

The documentary makers however were able to get not only on board the prosecutor and defense attorney, but also the more than renowned psychiatrist dr. Park Dietz. The latter one is not only famous for his link with the Behavioral Science Unit of the FBI, but also for his interviews with several serial killers. Apart from Dahmer, he is known for his very excellent interview of the "iceman killer": i.e. Richard Kuklinski. I have seen those interviews several times already.

What makes this documentary also interesting, is that it explains some things that I couldn't explain after watchting the dramatization of the Dahmer murders. It for instance explains why Dahmer decided to buy and use yellow contact lenses.

Overall, I think this documentary may come a little too soon after the release of the Dahmer show. Many events are still so fresh in my memory that the documentary is in part just a repeat of events. Instead of two weeks, I would have preferred this documentary to be released at least one year after the drama show was released. Watching the documentary in one year would surely trigger me to again watch (part of) the drama show.

Overall, I still think this documentary deserves 6.8/10, which I round up to a 7 star IMBd rating. This documentary would have scored way better if they had included more of dr. Park Dietz.