Storyline
Before Jeffrey Dahmer became a notorious serial killer, he was a shy, alcoholic teen who never quite fit in. Based on the acclaimed graphic novel by Derf Backderf, this is the true, haunting story of Jeffrey Dahmer in high school.
Writers: Marc Meyers, Derf Backderf, Ross Lynch, Alex Wolff, Anne Heche, Zachary Davis Brown, Lily Kozub, Ross Lynch, Vincent Kartheiser, Alex Wolff, Adam Kroloff, Anne Heche, Brady M.K. Dunn, Michael Ryan Boehm, Dallas Roberts, Liam Koeth, Tommy Nelson, Harrison Holzer, Cameron McKendry, Jake Ingrassia, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Cast: Zachary Davis Brown -
Freshman Boy
(as Zac Brown)
Lily Kozub -
Freshman Girl
Ross Lynch -
Jeff Dahmer
Vincent Kartheiser -
Dr. Matthews
Alex Wolff -
John 'Derf' Backderf
Adam Kroloff -
Mr. Burlman
Anne Heche -
Joyce Dahmer
Brady M.K. Dunn -
Bossy
(as Brady Dunn)
Michael Ryan Boehm -
Shorty
(as Michael Ryan)
Dallas Roberts -
Lionel Dahmer
Liam Koeth -
Dave Dahmer
Tommy Nelson -
Neil
Harrison Holzer -
Mike
Cameron McKendry -
Moose
Jake Ingrassia -
Gooch
Trivia:
The screenplay for this film was featured in the 2014 Blacklist, a list of the "most liked" unmade scripts of the year. See more »
Quotes:
User Review
Author:
Rating: 7/10
David Berkowitz. John Wayne Gacy. Ted Bundy. Ed Gein. It's fascinating
how the names of some of North America's most sensationalized serial
killers have their names as familiar through cross-generational age
groups as George Washington, Martin Luthur King and Michael Jackson.
Pop culture seems equally enamored by rampages of the more infamous
multiple murderers and have dedicated innumerable television episodes,
podcasts and theatrical releases to their subjects taking dramatic
licenses to piece together the anatomy of a killer.
One of the more interesting films to premiere with the weight of
factual atrocities associated with the title character is My Friend
Dahmer which dramatizes the complex high school life of renowned serial
killer and cannibal Jeffrey Dahmer who was responsible for the
butchering of 17 young men between 1978 and the late 1980's.
Based on the book by Derf Backderf and co-written by director Mark
Meyers, My Friend Dahmer attempts to show us the events in the life of
the protagonist before he began to take human lives. Former Disney alum
teen idol Ross Lynch accepts the responsibility of channeling a
teenaged Dahmer through the events of his life that would eventually
culminate in the carnage associated with the name. Lynch embodies
Dahmer as a loner with shrugged shoulders who meanders through his
relative non-existence at both school and at home. With no friends and
a family engorged on their own turmoil, Dahmer finds exultant refuge in
a small shack in the woods by the family home where he experiments with
dead animals soaked in acid. Dahmer does not hide his fascination with
dead animal bones and his passion for the macabre would eventually lead
his father (Dallas Roberts) to destroy his son's secret sanctuary.
Meanwhile, at school, Dahmer becomes a casual teen celebrity among the
halls when he begins acting out in relative random outbursts. The
outbreaks of mania result in a bonding with three classmates that
champion Dahmer's ambition for attention and exploit his mannerisms for
childish euphoria.
Being accepted as part of a group does little to slow the progression
into madness that eventually ensues. As the marriage between Dahmer's
parents dissolves we witness the unhinged neuroses of his mother played
wonderfully by Anne Heche. Her manic attention to only herself fuels
Dahmer to begin drinking and it's the alcohol fueled mindset that
propels Dahmer to progress into darkness.
My Friend Dahmer concludes with the connection to Steven Hicks, a young
hitchhiker who would become Dahmer's first victim. We watch as Hicks
and Dahmer drive off but only a title card reveals Hicks' ultimate
fate.
It is this restraint that separates My Friend Dahmer from its peers.
Director Marc Meyers weaves us through a story that doesn't humanize
the man who would become Milwaukee's most prolific cannibal. Nor does
the film sensationalize the events to which Dahmer is associated.
Instead, My Friend Dahmer focuses on what life offered a quiet outcast
without any violent behaviors leading up to his first submitted impulse
of murder.
And it's this glimpse into a young man's troubled past that propels My
Friend Dahmer towards our strong film recommendation. The cast
surrounding Dahmer's coming-of-age are exceptional. In particular young
Alex Wolff who as Dahmer's best friend becomes a participant in a
profile that would eventually result in horrific consequences.
Marc Meyers and his crew are able to flawlessly project the year 1978
around the characters. From the costume designs to the cars and music,
the look and feel of 1978 is authentic. The references to the era may
be subtle, but they are effective establishing the setting.
The challenge of making a serial killer movie interesting before the
killer takes a life must have been daunting. But Mac Meyers maneuvers
through the rapids determined to give backdrop to our subject. There
are flaws. The film takes only a shallow toe dip into the homosexuality
pool we now know Dahmer would eventually bathe. But the film doesn't
try to sensationalize anything. It stays the course and easily becomes
one of the better serial killer prequels ever made.
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