I Am Not a Serial Killer

It was a rather unusual film. As it continues and it appears a bit ordinary but then what is happening seems rather silly. But gradually a very strange story emerges as the killer doesn't seem the usual at all. I don't want to give away the end but everything makes sense, also I'll mention that the song at the final credits is Norman Greenbaum and Spirit in the Sky. It even made me smile. And many will be very pleased to see Christopher Lloyd, specially, I imagine.

It honestly doesn't happen too often that I fancy thrillers/horror movies that are deliberately slow-paced and proudly refer to themselves as being black comedies and/or social satires, but "I Am Not A Serial Killer" is clearly an exception and I really did love this film! There's nothing too extraordinary innovative about the settings, character drawings or even the story line(s), but the overall tone and atmosphere of the film is so damn bleak and moody that it almost becomes mesmerizing. From his 2005 debut feature "Isolation", we already knew that Irish bloke Billy O'Brien is a talented director, but for some strange reason it apparently took him another eleven years to come up with his next great movie. But here it is, a solid adaptation of Dan Wells' undoubtedly terrific novel (haven't read it yet) with formidable performances from a stellar cast and an absorbing dark ambiance. The story is set in a typically remote little town called Clayton somewhere in a Northwestern State – Minnesota, I think – where it gets damn cold, depressing and snowy during the winter months. 16-year-old John Wayne Cleaver is heavily struggling with his inner demons. He's the type of kid who gets bullied at school because he's introvert, peculiar and obsessed with death. His obsession might have something to do with the fact that his mother runs a funeral home, but John is also strongly convinced that – whether or not reluctantly – he will someday become history's most notorious serial killer. When people suddenly start disappearing and strange accidents occur all over town, John naturally becomes fascinated with the idea of discovering who is responsible for these acts and follow him/her around. He quickly develops a connection with his friendly and elderly, but nevertheless mysterious neighbor Mr. Crowley. The least you can say about "I Am Not A Serial Killer" is that it's a non-conventional horror movie, or – to put it in marketing terms – a horror movie that thinks out-of-the- box and also invites the viewer to step out of his/her comfort zone. The biggest trump of this film is undoubtedly that it doesn't rely on gory effects or jump scares. Don't be alarmed yet, gorehouds, as there ARE gory effects and there ARE jump scares, there just isn't any exaggerated focus or building up towards to. Instead, "I Am Not A Serial Killer" serves an intelligent screenplay full of ambiguities and flirts with the supernatural. Countless of horror stories, whether big-budgeted or shoestring, are set in small American towns, but very few of them capture the atmosphere and people portrayals so accurately as this one. That's particularly praiseworthy because director O'Brien is Irish! The acting performances are downright fantastic, with a seriously strong role for young Max Records as the offbeat and narcissist teenager John Wayne Cleaver. And then there's Christopher Lloyd… I really love this actor! Lloyd makes every film that he appears in extra macabre! Whether he appears in a drama (like "The Onion Field" or "One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest"), in dark comedies (like "The Addams Family" or "Who Framed Roger Rabbit") or even in a kid's movie (like "Dennis the Menace"), Christopher Lloyd always depicts a wondrously morbid character. His role here is one of the finest of his career.

It's 2017, and even though I Am Not a Serial Killer was released way back in march of last year, it has recently been added to Netflix thus giving the movie it's most widespread accessibility. I Am Not a Serial Killer has been on my radar since that South By Southwest Film Festival screening and I have only heard good things so when I saw it was headed to Netflix I was quite excited. It has been a while since I have seen a real solid horror movie, actually probably since I saw It Follows in 2015. While it's not really fair to compare the two movies, they do have some similarities.

The basics of I Am Not a Serial Killer are pretty basic. The appropriately named John Wayne Cleaver is our main character, a teenager who has some issues that most normal heroes don't have, he is a diagnosed sociopath. John struggles with the idea that he will become a serial killer, so he comes up with a set of rules to control himself when he starts to think about indulging his impulses. He is good at controlling himself with the help of his therapist, and oddly enough working in the mortuary that his mother owns and operates. The small nondescript mid-western town that John lives in has been plagued by some rather grizzly murders and John feels that he can figure out who has been committing these crimes, either from a connection to the killer or possibly something deeper.

I Am Not a Serial Killer is a slow moving affair. This is not necessarily a bad thing, the movie takes it's time setting up relationships between characters and giving some solid character development that is usually glossed over or explained away with boring exposition. The movie lets the actors show and not tell, which even though it is one of the biggest rules in film making is often forgotten by horror movies. Max Records who plays John Wayne Cleaver does a great job of getting his character into the gray area that seems so difficult to achieve. John is not only a flawed person because of his sociopath, but he is also a kid, he does not always make the right choice or he may not always be quick with a line. He feels like a real high school student, with a bit of a twist.

The pacing of the movie is not the only thing that lends a hand to separate the tone from most other serial killer movies. I Am Not a Serial Killer makes efforts to not be a cookie cutter low budget horror movie, because it's really not. It blends genres quite well I think but also relies on its story and tone to drive the emotion, rather than well timed musical cues and immense gore. There are no jump scares here, which I can appreciate. Jump scares to me are like hot sauce, when used sparingly the effect is much more enjoyable, but when overused the whole thing is ruined. Don't necessarily expect to be given nightmares by I Am Not a Serial Killer, it may just keep you up at night with some self reflection.

While I Am Not a Serial Killer does not stand up to The Babadook or It Follows, it is certainly a good movie and like those other two (which I believe are the two best horror movies I have seen in the last few years) it avoids being a clone of all the mass produced horror movies that make 200x their budget because every guy hopes this will finally be the scary movie that will make that girl he likes jump into his arms for protection. If you come into it looking for more of a good movie rather than a scary or bone chilling one you should be good. Enjoy the creepiness of the atmosphere and the well told story, and the girl you are trying to impress with how tough you are during scary movies may just appreciate your taste in movies a bit more.

As an average movie goer who was let down by major titles released this year, I decided to give this one a go. As it was part of the Melbourne International Film Festival program this year, I closed one eye and picked something that sounded mildly interesting to watch with a friend.

This is a movie-adaption of Dan Well's book, which already received quite a reputation, but I didn't know that. Heck, I didn't even bother to look at the cast list, or anything further than the 'psychological thriller' genre. Boy, was I in for a ride.

Overall, I was mildly surprised by how entertaining this movie was. The pacing was adequate - not rushed, nor was it too slow. It was also quite easy to follow with no convolution in the story and it doesn't feel forced. I was even more impressed about the clever slice of humor being thrown here and there. I enjoyed the cinematography and clever use of sound effects to keep you at the edge of your seat.

So I'm giving this a good rating, simply because I really enjoyed it - and that 2016 really need more gems like these. I wouldn't mind watching it again, or pick up the book.

I'll start out by saying I don't watch much horror anymore. A lot of it seems so disturbingly graphic and psychotic that I just can't enjoy the movie. I like character, story and atmospheric stuff presented in a way that isn't all squelch, splatter, saw, cut and pop-up scares.

IANASK delivers good chills, with a hint of 'old-fashioned' horror/psychological drama -to my senses. I enjoyed the characters who felt like real people in a real town. There was good anticipatory tension being built up and I liked the slight 'turn' as we discover the killer is not quite what we thought he was -actually multiple turns as the killer also reveals some complexity that is not the norm in foot-stomping, teeth-gnashing and claw-waving monsterdom. The small town setting was moody and atmospheric with great shots throughout.

Probably some would feel this 'horror-lite'. Maybe it is -and that's okay. It manages to find a balance I found pleasing and I enjoyable.