He also says in the preface that he did a lot of research for this because he wanted to make sure it was as truthful as possible (there are notes at the end of the book that explain where he got the info for each event).Īlso, I don't think it was the author's responsibility to take care of Dahmer. Dahmer died in 1994 so I think if he wanted fame, he wouldn't have waited that many years to publish it. The short version was published in 2002 and this version (the longer one) was published in 2012. D …more I don't think he was using Dahmer to get publicity. Tina I don't think he was using Dahmer to get publicity. With profound insight, what emerges is a Jeffrey Dahmer that few ever really knew, and one readers will never forget.more In My Friend Dahmer, a haunting and original graphic novel, writer-artist Backderf creates a surprisingly sympathetic portrait of a disturbed young man struggling against the morbid urges emanating from the deep recesses of his psyche - a shy kid, a teenage alcoholic, and a goofball who never quite fit in with his classmates. To Derf Backderf, “Jeff” was a much more complex figure: a high school friend with whom he had shared classrooms, hallways, and car rides. To the public, Dahmer was a monster who committed unthinkable atrocities.
In 1991, Jeffrey Dahmer - the most notorious serial killer since Jack the Ripper - seared himself into the American consciousness. To Derf Backderf, “Jeff” was a much more complex figure: a high school friend with whom he had shared classrooms, hallways, and car ri You only think you know this story. Think of it as Prelude to a Sicko.You only think you know this story. My Friend Dahmer is a quirky film, not quite entertaining in a classical sense, but definitely a compelling watching experience, with moments of sick levity in depicting a tortured young man who would eventually become a torturer himself – a sort of intensified entr’acte of flagitious transgression. The narrative arcs a line between Dahmer’s childhood and his later crimes – an authentic representation of the environment and late-seventies epoch. It easily could have gone down the road of tropes and misdirection, but by not indulging in disturbing scenes, the message is all the more powerful. Consider Hannah Montana as Charles Manson and you get the in-joke: equal parts human and horror.Įspecially refreshing is how My Friend Dahmer consciously avoids sensationalizing or trivializing Dahmer’s life. Starting from the ground up casting Disney alum Ross Lynch, Marc Meyers reinforces the transgressive nature of this movie. This is first and foremost a coming-of-age story, despite the bleak atmosphere and subject matter. His home life is especially intriguing, with mother Joyce ( Anne Heche ) deep in thought, as if she knows what her disturbed boy is going to become. What’s presented is a cross-section of Dahmer’s life, and a dividing wall between each section. His school life takes a turn as his outbursts garner him a small following. Director Marc Meyers ( How He Fell in Love ) is able to present the story as a real slow-burner, delving deep into the psychology of its principal character, juxtaposing scenes of a lonesome school experience with Dahmer experimenting with animal entrails and dropping acid. ĭahmer is presented as an alcoholic loner whose desires and fantasies are slowly realized throughout the film. The story, tracing Dahmer’s life from his time in high school through to his first murder two weeks after graduating, is an adaptation of the graphic novel of the same name by John “Derf” Backderf. It’s a treat of a film, juggling tones without much fault.
Verdict: My Friend Dahmer is a bleak coming-of-age story about the serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer ( Ross Lynch ). Logline: Troubled teen struggles with adolescence, alcoholism, and killer urges. By: Nathan Hardisty ‘My Friend Dahmer’: A killer coming-of-age story