Before Playing Dahmer, Evan Peters Portrayed Plenty of Scary and Strange Characters

Evan Peters is an incredibly versatile actor, stunning audiences with his ability to vividly portray an array of characters. Netflix’s newest streaming sensation puts him back in the spotlight as the notorious cannibalistic serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story tells the gripping, cringe-inducing story of the killer, with Peters delivering yet another terrifyingly perfect performance.

While all of his roles have been unique and memorable, most share a common trait – they’re usually villainous. From a maniacal hotel owner to a mastermind thief, Peters is no stranger to playing the bad guy.

Peters’ latest monster is the most disturbing of his career – and the most viewed

Dahmer is currently crushing everything else on Netflix. Viewers can’t seem to get enough of Peters’ portrayal of Jeffrey Dahmer, the serial killer who lured young men to his home only to brutally murder, dismember, and consume them. Dahmer’s reign of terror threatened the citizens of the Milwaukee area from 1978 until his capture in 1991. 

According to Forbes, Dahmer is currently 660% more popular than its next closest show. The series has garnered 299.8 million hours by viewers just this past week, which was up by 100 million from the week before. It seems to be gaining speed with each week that passes, with new viewers frantically binging to catch up. 

The series certainly isn’t easy to watch. Peters delivers an eerie performance, perfectly capturing Dahmer’s quiet, socially awkward demeanor. As the show dives deeper and deeper into the shockingly disturbing horrors committed by Dahmer, it’s become very clear that it isn’t for the squeamish or faint of heart. A search of Dahmer’s apartment revealed horrific findings, including several heads in the freezer and a 57-gallon drum filled with decomposing bodies. 

He’s no stranger to playing the villain

Jeffrey Dahmer isn’t Peters’ first villainous role. Cinemablend recently took a closer look at some of Peters’ darkest roles. In 2011, Ryan Murphy delighted horror fans with his brilliantly dark series, American Horror Story.

Peters was introduced as Tate, a disturbed teenager with a violent past. As the series continued, Peters played several new roles. Some of his characters were good guys at heart, but the most memorable were insanely twisted. 

AHS: Hotel, Peters portrayed James March, a hotel owner reminiscent of serial killer H.H. Holmes. March was a hotel owner who preyed upon his guests and then used elaborate hidden hallways and secret rooms to hide the bodies.

Season seven of AHS turned Peters into Kai, a sadistic cult leader with murderous followers. Not only did he bring Kai to life, but he also played several infamous cult leaders during the season, including Charles Manson and Jim Jones. 

Peters’ talents haven’t been limited to TV. In 2018, Peters played a young thief who planned an elaborate heist with his friends in the film American Animals. The plan was to steal rare books from a university library and sell them for a fortune on the black market. The movie was based on true events that took place at Transylvania University.

Will Peters be returning to ‘AHS’ for Season 11? 

Although American Horror Story always seems to have an impressively talented cast, it just isn’t the same without Peters. Unlike in earlier seasons, the actor hasn’t been a mainstay in the series for the past few years. He wasn’t in seasons eight or nine at all and only appeared in the first half of season 10. Fans were thrilled to see him again, even for a short period of time. 

With AHS slated to begin season 11 next week, everyone is asking — will Peters return? According to Distractify, the answer is no. Peters reportedly described himself as goofy and silly in a recent interview, stating that he doesn’t like to yell and scream. “I actually hate it. I think it’s disgusting and really awful, and it’s been a challenge for me. Horror Story sort of demanded that of me.”

Of course, that interview happened before he took on the role of Jeffrey Dahmer, so maybe we shouldn’t count him out quite yet. His name is not listed as a main cast member for season 11 of AHS, but maybe he’ll be back for a future season of the addicting horror series.