From Monsters to AHS: Every time Ryan Murphy controversially used real killers’ stories

Ryan Murphy has spent the last decade making a name for himself as a creator who loves the macabre, the horrific and the controversial – and that doesn’t just mean fiction. He has come under fire multiple times for choosing to use true crime, horrific murder that has deeply affected victims and had ramifications on communities and dramatising them under the umbrella of his horror shows. Whether this is with American Horror Story, its American Crime Story spin-off or with limited series like Dahmer and Monsters – here are all the most controversial times Ryan Murphy has used true crime and real killers in his shows.

American Crime Story – The Assassination of Gianni Versace

Darren Criss starred as Andrew Cunanan, the real serial killer who murdered Gianni Versace. Whilst the show got critical acclaim the Versace family spoke out and said they “neither authorised nor had any involvement whatsoever” in the series and said it should only be considered as “a work of fiction.” Ryan Murphy rebuked that and said it was based on Maureen Oath’s book Vulgar Favors and that FX and the production team stand by her account.

The Versace family then rebutted this with a second statement and said that Oath’s book was full of gossip. Nonetheless, Donatella Versace and Penelope Cruz, who are friends and Cruz portrayed Donatella in the show, discussed Cruz’s involvement and Donatella sent her flowers.

Monster – Jeffrey Dahmer

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Probably Ryan Murphy most controversial time of using real killers in his shows, Monster was originally meant to be a limited series centred on Milwaukee cannibal Jeffrey Dahmer but has now become the first of an anthology. It was one of the most watched shows of 2022, but mired with controversy and backlash about the subject matter and graphic violence being in poor taste.

Several family members of Dahmer’s victims spoke out against the show, with them feeling like they had to relive the horrors of what they went through again. Victim Errol Lindsey’s relative Eric Perry said “I want people to understand this is not just a story or historical fact, these are real people’s lives. [Lindsey] was someone’s son, someone’s brother, someone’s father, someone’s friend that was ripped from [our] lives”.

Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story

The second season and current big era for Ryan Murphy is his focus on Lyle and Erik Menendez, who are currently imprisoned for shooting their parents Kitty and Jose to death. The Menendez brothers allege their parents sexually abused them for years. Erik Menendez has released a huge statement denouncing the show and calling out Ryan Murphy – and the Menendez family have similarly done the same and voiced their support for Erik and Lyle.

Ryan Murphy has released a statement defending the show, saying he reflects all viewpoints from both sides of the case.

American Horror Story

Unlike other shows on this rundown, American Horror Story is mostly a work of fiction, but nearly every season sees Ryan Murphy use real life serial killers or murders. Even back in Murder House, the nurse murders feature – which actually did happen in LA. The Black Dahlia case is also touched upon, as well as references to the Columbine mass shooting.

One of the most uncomfortable scenes in American Horror Story is in the Hotel season, where the show has a dinner party in the episode Devil’s Night. This dinner party sees famous serial killers including Aileen Wuornos, Richard Ramirez, John Wayne Gacy and Jeffrey Dahmer assembled and whilst the episode did get acclaim at the time, it is quite the strange tone when real crimes are involved.

Richard Ramirez also featured prominently again in American Horror Story: 1984.

Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story is available on Netflix now. For all the latest Netflix news, drops and memes like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook.

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