My Friend Dahmer

 



Director - Marc Meyers (Harvest, How We Fall in Love)
Starring - Ross Lynch (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Girl Meets World), Vincent Kartheiser (Mad Men, Masterminds), Alex Wolff (Hereditary, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle)
Release Date - 2017
Genre - Drama/Crime
Tagline - "Based on the acclaimed graphic novel"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Most horror fans have a fascination with true crime.  What is more horrifying than real life horror stories?  When it comes to true crime and serial killers there is very few that need no introduction.  Killers like Gacy, Gein, Bundy, and Dahmer are known the world over for their heinous crimes.  Sometime ago there was a graphic novel going around titled My Friend Dahmer.  I never checked it out but from looking at the previews of it I could tell it wasn't for me.  Last year that novel was adapted by Marc Meyers and stared Disney actor Ross Lynch.  MVD released the film on blu was kind enough to send a review copy my way.

     The film follows Jeffrey Dahmer (Lynch) who is struggling with coming to terms with who he is.  His home life is troubled.  His mother is mentally unstable and hell bent on keeping her independence even though she should be under supervision.  At school he is a social outcast but has found a few friends after an outburst that turns him into a laughing stock.  He only solace is collecting roadkill.  That changes when his father realizes his obsession with dead things is unnatural and forces him to become a typical teen.  Jeffrey is anything but a typical teen and his irrational love for dead creatures starts to take root turning into a much bigger obsession.

      I was excited to check this one out.  I know nothing about the cast or director but a film about Dahmer in high school sounded very entertaining.  I was very, very wrong.  The film was extremely boring and the story was such a stretch considering the running time.  The acting in this one is solid.  Ross Lynch does a decent job at portraying an awkward teenage future serial killer.  The more darker scenes, which were not that dark, was well acted but the more lighter scenes were very underwhelming.  Hereditary star Alex Wolff delivers a decent performance as well.  He does a great job but his character is not written very well.  The supporting cast suffers the same fate.  The characters are extremely flat with nothing interesting or entertaining about them.  The story for this one is not True Crime or horror related.  In fact, it unfolds like a very bland drama or biopic.  The film dabbles a little into his obsession with collecting roadkill but only suggests his murderous side when the film is ending.  The major focus of the film is his high school interaction with his friends who would often use him to get laughs out of the school.  This results in one slow moving piece of cinema that took me almost three different attempts to finish.  I've had a few movies put me to sleep but I've never had a movie that I almost couldn't finish.  Finally, if you want a bloody movie centered around a legendary serial killer then you are out of luck.  This one shies away from the red stuff and focuses more on his teenage year.  Overall, My Friend Dahmer is a huge let down.  Honestly, you could change the name to any one and the film would still have the desire affect.  I cannot recommend this one.