I Am Not a Serial Killer

2016 • 103 minutes

About this movie

Sixteen-year-old John Wayne Cleaver (Max Records, Where the Wild Things Are) is not a serial killer -- but he has all the makings of one. Keeping his homicidal tendencies and morbid obsessions with death and murder in check is a constant struggle that only gets harder when a real serial killer begins terrorizing his sleepy Midwestern town. Now, in order to track down a psychopath and protect those around him, John must unleash his darkest inner demons. Based on the cult novel by Dan Wells, this twisted, genre-bending thriller co-stars Christopher Lloyd and Breaking Bad's Laura Fraser.

Ratings and reviews

The movie struck a perfect balance between heart, suspense, horror, and--to a lesser extent--humor. Book adaptations are difficult to do well, much less those which draw from multiple genres and which involve more supernatural/sci-fi elements, but Billy O'Brien did a terrific job. Max Records gave a nuanced performance. He made the narrator feel real, and he perfectly communicated the internal struggles that John Cleaver faced as a sociopathic teen. The pacing was perfect, and there wasn't an excessive amount of gore. Overall, the movie did the book justice, and it has become a personal favorite of mine.

I loved it. I loved the books, and was really excited for this movie. It did not let me down. A few considerations for anyone thinking of seeing this movie: 1) It's paced very slowly, so do not go in expecting a lot of action or fast paced plot. 2) It differs from the book in a few ways that were necessary for adapting to film, but the author was satisfied with their treatment of his work, and I was too. All-in-all an excellent and unique horror film.

A faithful and entrancing adaptation of my favorite book series, despite its indie budget, Max completely encompassed the character of John and seeing Doc Brown play a serious role was refreshing and terrifyingly surprising.