THE release of the record-breaking Netflix show about serial killer, Jeffrey Dahmer, has inspired a viral TikTok trend.
TikTok users are facing backlash as the Jeffrey Dahmer "polaroid challenge"has gone viral on the app.
What is the Jeffrey Dahmer 'polaroid challenge' on TikTok?
The trend started when TikTok users began posting videos of their reactions to seeing the real Polaroid pictures taken by Dahmer inside his apartment.
The serial killer tended to photograph his victims and keep the snaps as gruesome souvenirs.
Many people have gone online in search of the images.
The trend has become so widespread that videos tagged "Jeffrey Dahmer polaroids" have garnered 3.4 billion views on the app.
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The trend has divided opinion on TikTok, with many users participating in the challenge, and others condemning those who have.
One TikTok user posted a video saying, "Don't let curiosity make you see the ACTUAL polaroids of Dahmer…….." and captioned it, "So disturbing".
The TikTok received 1.9 million views and over 90,000 likes.
Many users in the comments agreed with the creator.
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One commenter wrote: "Guys please don't search them up, let the victims rest and respect their families".
Despite comments arguing that the trend is disrespectful, many TikTok users are still participating in it.
TikTok took steps to delete some of the content under the tag "Dahmer polaroid challenge", however some users are re-posting the deleted videos to the platform.
A true crime TikToker, @doctor.vile, had his video showing the polaroids removed.
He re-posted his original video, however, blurring out the explicit images of the victims' body parts.
This TikTok has since garnered 4.7 million views.
Why did Jeffrey Dahmer take Polaroid pictures of his victims?
Dahmer explained that he often photographed his victims at different stages of the killing process, so he could recall and re-live the experience.
He said: "It was my way of remembering their appearance, their physical beauty. I also wanted to keep… if I couldn't keep them there with me whole, I at least felt that I could keep their skeleton.
"I even went so far as planning on setting up an altar with 10 different skulls."
How did Jeffrey Dahmer’s Polaroid photos help with his arrest?
The Polaroid pictures were integral to the police being able to finally arrest Dahmer, after his murders went undetected for 13 years.
When his 18th victim, Tracy Edwards, managed to escape and bring the police to Dahmer's apartment, the officers discovered a bedside table drawer.
Inside was nearly 80 Polaroid pictures of his victims and their dismembered bodies.
The photos were also useful in helping the police identify the victims whose bodies were not found.
Dahmer's ninth victim, David Thomas, remained a missing person as his body was never recovered.
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However, it is heavily believed that Thomas was murdered by Dahmer due to photos found in the killer's apartment.
This is also true of three other men who Dahmer admitted to killing, but whose bodies were never found.
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