“Ross is enormously charming, talented and smart,” the director enthuses. “In hindsight we know where Jeffrey’s headed as a monster, back then he was just another kid who lived on a street, had neighbours, had fairweather friends, rode a school bus” – Marc MeyersĪs such, one of Meyer’s biggest priorities was to find an actor that would lend the necessary air of veracity and versatility to Dahmer’s story, and – thanks to former Disney kid and Dazed 100er Ross Lynch – this task proved resoundingly successful.
That commonality was the unique quality behind the story for me.” “When I read the book I was reminded that, although in hindsight we know where Jeffrey’s headed as a monster, back then he was just another kid who lived on a street, had neighbours, had fairweather friends, rode a school bus, didn’t do his homework and was – just like so many other teenagers – trying to find a way to talk to people about what was on his mind.
Meyers, who describes himself as “a character-motivated filmmaker”, had been toying with the idea of producing a portrait of a serial killer as a young man for a while before he stumbled across the acclaimed comic book, also titled My Friend Dahmer, by Dahmer’s onetime school buddy Derf Backderf.
As he himself once said, “When I was a kid, I was just like anybody else.” It was this idea that captured the imagination of American writer-director Marc Meyers, resulting in his latest film, My Friend Dahmer, a gripping exploration of Dahmer’s senior year at school leading up to his first murder, just three weeks after graduating. The stories that accompany his crimes are chilling and gruesome: he kept the remains of most of his victims – when he was arrested, police found various body parts in his refrigerator, prompting Dahmer to admit to cannibalism – and attempted to turn some of his captees into living “zombies”, drilling holes in their skulls and pouring acid into their brains.īut before he devolved into a ruthless murderer, Dahmer – although it’s unsettling to consider – was once a suburban teenager, just trying to navigate his way through the trials and tribulations of high school and a troubled family life, and make it out the other side alive. Dubbed “the Milwaukee cannibal”, he kidnapped, raped, and murdered 17 men and boys in the Midwest between 19 – the year that he was finally captured. Approaching graduation, Jeff spirals further out of control, inching ever closer to madness.Jeffrey Dahmer is one of America’s most notorious serial killers. But this camaraderie can’t mask his growing depravity. He begins to act out at school, and his goofball antics win over a group of band-nerds who form The Dahmer Fan Club, headed by Derf Backderf (Wolff). He collects roadkill, fixates on a neighborhood jogger (Kartheiser), and copes with his unstable mother (Heche) and well-intentioned father (Roberts). Jeff Dahmer (Lynch) is an awkward teenager struggling to make it through high school with a family life in ruins. He would become one of America’s most infamous serial killers. Jeffrey Dahmer murdered 17 men and boys in the Midwest United States between 19 before being captured and incarcerated. It played extensively on the festival circuit, premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival and going on to play at LA Film Festival, Deauville Film Festival, American Film Festival, and many others. The film features an all-star cast that includes Emmy Nominee Anne Heche ( Donnie Brasco), SAG Award winner Vincent Kartheiser ( Mad Men), Former Disney star Ross Lynch ( Austin & Ally), Alex Wolff ( Patriot’s Day) and Dallas Roberts ( 3:10 To Yuma). My Friend Dahmer had a theatrical release in 2017 and has grossed over $1,300,000. Its screenplay landed a spot on the coveted ‘Black List’, ranking it as one of the best un-produced screenplays (at the time) before becoming a hit movie. My Friend Dahmer is based on the acclaimed graphic novel about one of the most notorious serial killers ever.
We have the full press release and the trailer for this critically-acclaimed festival hit below, Horror Fans…. That’s where writer-director Marc Meyers’s feature My Friend Dahmer -based on the graphic novel of the same name and coming to Blu-Ray/DVD April 10-finds its niche. The story is certainly sensational and horrifying, and it’s easy to lose sight of how it all went down. Having grown up in south-central Wisconsin, I’ll never forget the day back in 1991 that the news stations plastered images of hazmat-suit clad law enforcement officials removing evidentiary blue plastic barrels and brown paper bags full of body parts from Milwaukee’s Oxford Apartments and the world would learn about a real-life antagonist named Jeffrey Dahmer.ĭahmer’s infamous mythology has transformed him from a sick, barely functional human being into a monster of urban lore.