Jeffrey Dahmer Costumes For Halloween Are Triggering, Torturing Victims' Families

Jeffrey Dahmer-inspired Halloween costumes have been making waves on social media, but a victim's mom called them "evil" and "triggering."

Upon the release of the "Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story" on Netflix late last month, online retail stores, including eBay, have started to sell Halloween costumes or accessories inspired by the serial killer, such as the blonde wig, retro-style top, and the wide-rimmed glasses, according to TMZ.

But not everyone is pleased with the release of the products, including one of the victims' moms, Shirley, who has "urged" audiences to stay clear of such costumes. According to her, it was "super triggering to see a Netflix series about the serial killer, much less folks dressing like the killer."

Shirley, whose son was Tony Hughes, a deaf non-vocal victim of the Milwaukee Cannibal, said it "hurt" that the streaming platform and online stores were exploiting the death of her son, while none of the victims' families "have seen a dime." She also suggested the oldest e-commerce website take down the advertisements or give the profits to the families.

But Shirley believed that Netflix was to blame for the release and sale of such costumes, saying that if the streaming service did not air the show, "none of the families would be re-victimized and then there'd be no Dahmer costumes this year." She added that she couldn't understand how some audiences who opted to dress like the serial killer could sleep at night because Dahmer was "pure evil."

Jeffery Lionel Dahmer, born to parents Lionel and Joyce Dahmer on May 21, 1960, was an American serial killer and sex offender who murdered 17 men and boys from 1978 to 1991, NBC Chicago reported.

In July 1991, the Milwaukee Monster was finally caught when potential victims escaped and flagged down police nearby. He was sentenced to life imprisonment and was transferred to the Columbia Correctional Institution in Portage, Wisconsin. But two and a half years after his conviction, he was killed by a fellow inmate in 1994.

"Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story" on Netflix features "American Horror Story" star Evan Peters and directed by Ryan Murphy. It became the ninth most-watched English-language series of all time on the streaming service upon its release.

Following the premiere of the series on Netflix, it had been viewed for about 496.1 million hours after 12 days, and at least 56 million households have consumed all 10 episodes of the limited series, according to Variety.

Between Sept. 26 and Oct. 2, the series was viewed for a total of 299.84 million hours, which made it the second most-watched English-language TV show next to the Duffer brother's hit sci-fi series "Stranger Things" Season 4.