Acclaimed crime thriller I Am Not a Serial Killer has come to with viewers urging others to watch the disturbing film.
Released in 2016, the was directed by Billy O’Brien and based on the 2009 novel of the same name by Dan Wells.
It tells the story of John Wayne Cleaver (Max Records), a teenager from a small Midwestern town in the US who is a diagnosed sociopath harbouring murderous fantasies.
He works at a funeral home with his mother April (Laura Fraser), controlling his urges with a strict routine involving specific rules and speaking with his therapist Grant (Karl Geary).
A series of murders occur in John’s small town, captivating his interest as he begins investigating who could be behind the slayings.
Soon, however, he finds himself in a deadly cat-and-mouse game with the serial killer that threatens to unravel all of his work to keep his own deadly wishes at bay.
The film premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival in 2016 before it had a short theatrical run in the same year.
It boasts a strong 93% score on based on 57 reviews and more than 2,000 audience ratings, certifying the film fresh.
The critic’s synopsis reads: ‘I Am Not A Serial Killer honours the book it’s based on with a well-acted drama that leavens its gore and dark themes with wry humour.’
Reviews on the site commend its use of gore as well as its ‘masterful suspense’, with many praising its humanisation of those with mental health disorders such as sociopathy rather than painting them solely as a ‘villain’.
During a Q&A session about the film back in 2016, director O’Brien explained how he came to read the book and his desire to turn it into a film.
‘The book found me through Irene Ilia’s – her job title’s a reader, which is strange to me – but she goes around to production companies and suggests projects,’ he said (per ).
‘I’d met her for coffee in Foyle’s Book Shop on Charing Cross Road in London and it was to kind of let her see inside my head, ’cause I’ve got quote quirky sensibilities, and a producer told her to come and meet me because he couldn’t figure out what to do with me in terms of projects.
‘She walked out of that, put her hand in the bookshelf, found the book, emailed me – I bought it the next day, read it, absolutely loved it. I wrote a letter to Dan Wells – and Dan responded.’
icon is among the cast as the affable Mr Crowley, revealing what attracted him to the project in the same interview citing the complexity of his character and its similarity to some of his previous roles.
He said: ‘I just really liked the character, liked that it wasn’t the same as previous roles. If I can backtrack, when you say “horror” I don’t think that really describes it.’
I Am Not a Serial Killer is available to stream now on Amazon Prime Video.
