By Anna Clark
On Sep. 19, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, directed by Ryan Murphy, was released on Netflix, and I was once again filled with disdain at the sight of another attempt by the streaming platform at a cash-grab true-crime drama.
Every time a similar series is produced, I always find myself asking: Who wanted this? And then I quickly remember American audiences are obsessed with the genre. This obsession isn’t new either, as we have been enthralled over televised trials since the mid-1970s, including the trial of the Menedez brothers. But are we possibly causing more damage in the name of our obsession?
I cannot help but feel that the nature of these films and tv shows have an exploitative undertone. When we make these productions, we are often allowing these sick individuals to be immortalized through media.
We allow them to have a legacy, even if it is an awful one. One question I’d like to pose for you if you are a fan of the genre, is can you name a single victim from any of these infamous criminals? And if you can, how many more criminals can you name than victims? I’ll admit that I’m not proud of my own answer to those questions.
Here lies our first problem. All of these true-crime dramas ultimately are made at the expense of the victim, with their deaths being relieved on screen for millions of viewers to find entertainment in. But Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story brings up an even more nuanced problem within this genre: the romanticization of murderers.
Lyle and Erik Menedez are outliers within the true-crime drama genre, as they were not men exposed to be serial killers and perpetrators of vile sex crimes, they were young, rich and claimed to have been in fear for their lives after years of sexual abuse at the hands of their father.
They did not match our preconceived notions of a killer. After the recent rape allegations made against their father Jose Menedez by Menudo member Roy Rosselló, the boys claim of abuse that led them to murder their parents is more believable, and garners even more sympathy from the public. However, some audience members may have taken their sympathies a bit too far.
From trending Tik Toks audios of songs and quotes within the show, to sexualized fan edits of Erik and Lyle Menedez made from scenes in the series, it seems to me the main effect the series left on audiences was a middle school crush on two convicted murderers.
It doesn’t help that Erik and Lyle Menedez are played by two conventionally attractive and highly charismatic up-and-coming actors either (Nicholas Chavez and Cooper Koch), much like when we saw heartthrob Zac Efron play Ted Bundy in Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, and Evan Peters, a sweetheart of director Ryan Murphy’s biggest production American Horror Story, play Jeffery Dahmer in Dahmer.
Often, we use the excuse that these posts are about the actors and not the characters, but in such serious roles as this, I don’t think you can separate the recreation from the inspiration so easily. Ultimately, these actors are not themselves when they are in that role, they are portraying convicted felons.
Whatever the reason behind these creations on social media, their implications are dangerous. In these posts I have often seen commenters use the defense that Lyle and Erik Menedez were victims themselves, and just boys in fear for their lives (the same defense that got them convicted of first-degree murder in 1996).
I think it is important to remember that when the murders occurred, Lyle Menedez was 21 years old and Erik Menedez was 18, far passed the age of boyhood. They were also the privileged sons of a millionaire, living in a mansion in Beverly Hills and before that Calabasas, California.
Prior to the murders, both brothers were also charged with multiple counts of burglary when they stole over 100,000 dollars in cash and jewelry from their Calabasas neighborhood, with Erik being convicted of these charges in 1988. And although we can sympathize with the abuse they say they experienced and recognize that those egregious acts make them victims themselves, these men still premeditated and fulfilled the violent murder of their parents by firing 16 rounds from shotguns into Jose and Kitty Menedez at close range.
However unfair it may seem; a series of unjust acts does not justify more unjust acts in return. As viewers we must realize that we can sympathize with individual’s stories, and be understanding of their motives, but still recognize that crimes of such severity cannot be excused.
When we indulge in the true-crime drama genre, it is important to remember that the individuals portrayed on the screen are not simply characters, they are and were real people. These stories really happened, were tragic and gruesome, and are not to be made light of, regardless of one’s opinion on the events that took place.
The real Lyle and Erik Menedez’s case is currently up for review, with prosecutors stating they will petition the court to re-sentence the brothers (via Associated Press).
