Almost a year after its release on Netflix, the series “Dahmer” is still talking about it. In a recent interview, editor Stephanie Filo reveals why some scenes with the serial killer were cut.
Created by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, the Monster – Dahmer series: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story was one of the big events of 2022. The program even became one of the most viewed in all of history. of the Netflix platform. A year later, the mini-series garnered no less than 13 Emmy Award nominations – the Oscars of television.
In an interview with Variety, editor Stephanie Filo – named for her work – revealed important information about the post-production stage: specific scenes with the serial killer were cut. So far nothing surprising, the practice is common, but the editor’s choice fell on empathy around the character of Jeffrey Dahmer.
By cutting certain sequences, Stephanie Filo wanted at all costs to prevent viewers from becoming fond of the criminal. As an example, she cites episode 4 in which the “Cannibal of Milwaukee” returns from the army. Initially, a long scene was to show him at the table with his parents for the Christmas holidays. The editor explains that this sequence relied too much on family dynamics.
A major responsibility
To keep a distance, she decided to cut and invert several moments showing him acting against his prey so that the public is constantly reminded of his true nature. “These cuts help to give context to the horrible things that were happening, rather than just showing a guy with his parents.”she explains.
On the contrary, on the side of the victims, Stephanie Filo felt an immense responsibility to carry their voice. She explains that she spent several days editing a scene from episode 8 in which one of the family members of a victim reads a testimony in court. “I tackled it once I was in the right frame of mind and it was like that for a lot of the show.” For the editor, working on Dahmer was one of her biggest emotional challenges.
Dahmer is available on Netflix.