I Am Not a Serial Killer

Name: I Am Not a Serial Killer
Genre: Thriller
Released: August 26, 2016
Duration: 104 min
Rating: 54

2016

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Mixed or average reviews based on 11 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 30 Ratings

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6.8

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6.8	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 30 Ratings

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Movie Details & Credits

IFC Midnight | Release Date: August 26, 2016 | Not Rated

Summary: In a small Midwestern town, a troubled teen with homicidal tendencies must hunt down and destroy a supernatural killer whilst keeping his own inner demons at bay.

Director: Billy O'Brien

Genre(s): Thriller

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 104 min

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Critic Reviews

Katie Rife

Aug 25, 2016

What sets I Am Not A Serial Killer apart from other takes on this “killers hunting killers” concept (Dexter, anyone?) is its naturalistic, character-based approach. Read full review

Empire Hamish Macbain

Dec 12, 2016

Breathing new life into the overfamiliar terrain of the serial killer, Irish director Billy O’Brien here both successfully reintroduces Max Records to the world, and elicits Christopher Lloyd’s best performance in a long time. His film deserves cult classic status at the very least. Read full review

Matt Glasby

Dec 22, 2016

Intelligent, original and committed, it’s also a little meandering. But Records cuts a strikingly amoral figure, and the sight of Christopher Lloyd intoning poetry over dying embers reminds us what a wonderful actor he is. Read full review

Katie Walsh

Aug 25, 2016

The film meanders, and the climax descends into campy fantasy worthy of any ’80s B-movie, but Records is quietly winning. Read full review

Mike Scott

Sep 1, 2016

It's a dark, troubled world that O'Brien has created, and one that's not without its occasional predictabilities. (As soon as you see Christopher Lloyd in the cast, you know he'll figure into the plot at some point. And you'd be right.) Still, it's one that -- like "Stranger Things" -- proves hard to resist. Read full review

Daniel M. Gold

Aug 25, 2016

Mr. Records (the child actor in “Where the Wild Things Are”) is nimble and unsentimental in playing a character who is playing at normal, supported by a solid cast in a well-filmed indie that doesn’t let its low budget get in the way of some true chills. Read full review

Oleg Ivanov

Aug 23, 2016

The film comes unsettlingly close to being an apologia for the kind of violence that stems from adolescent disaffection. Read full review

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User Reviews

Prosmooth

Aug 28, 2016

I'm giving it a 10 because originality is in short supply these days. This is a weird, kind of wonderful little movie about a teen who was raised in a funeral home. There is something creepy about him--and also something creepy about his elderly neighbor (a fantastic Christopher Lloyd) whoI'm giving it a 10 because originality is in short supply these days. This is a weird, kind of wonderful little movie about a teen who was raised in a funeral home. There is something creepy about him--and also something creepy about his elderly neighbor (a fantastic Christopher Lloyd) who lives across the street. The less said about this one in a review--the better.… Expand

2 of 4 users found this helpful22

Deanomite

Jan 13, 2020

I like a movie where someone questions themselves. The protagonist here seeks to understand his nature and the role will plays in relation to it. I think just asking these questions in itself is enough to alienate someone. Our society seems intent on crucifying the individual, anyI like a movie where someone questions themselves. The protagonist here seeks to understand his nature and the role will plays in relation to it. I think just asking these questions in itself is enough to alienate someone. Our society seems intent on crucifying the individual, any deviation from the norm is taken to be a serial killer. He seems to be logical, dispassionate and curious. Everyone assumes themselves to be perfect and any inspection of any sort implies an imperfection and must be attacked. I really like that he makes a point to compliment someone every time he starts fantasizing about killing them, the only problem with that is complimenting people feeds their narcissism. I also like that he knows sociopaths don't see people as people (sociopaths are gossips, they cause trouble through gossip), the thing is that narcissists, psychopaths and histrionics see things the same way, so technically there are more people like him than not. Really, since most people are dominated by unconscious instincts, they are not really people so he's not looking wrong. I like the sleepy winter town setting, and that he has friends explicitly to be more normal. I really like Max Records, it's strange he has not done a movie since this 4 years ago. The William Blake poem was really good too 'Did he who made the lamb make thee?'… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Mahmus

Oct 14, 2020

I Am Not a Serial Killer might just be one of the most underrated movies in recent years. Nobody talks about this movie, and that's a real shame.

Going in blind is the best way to experience this movie. And that can either lead to a great watch or seriously disappointing one, depending onI Am Not a Serial Killer might just be one of the most underrated movies in recent years. Nobody talks about this movie, and that's a real shame.

Going in blind is the best way to experience this movie. And that can either lead to a great watch or seriously disappointing one, depending on how you feel about the unexpected turns the story takes.

I, of course, loved the twists and turns. What at first seemed like a simple psychological thriller turned out to be something completely different.

I won't spoil anything for those who haven't seen it. Give it a watch and judge for yourselves. I definitely don't regret doing that. It's pretty crazy.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

jberkowitz

Aug 28, 2016

Interesting story that bogs down only because reality and fantasy blurs. It loses its way a little and what I thought was a suspenseful drama turns into a black comedy.

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

MattBrady99

Jul 1, 2018

I'll be the judge of that.

Putting aside it's flaws, I enjoyed this quite a bit. Not forgetting the great performances from Max Records and Christopher Lloyd. Oddly funny, but unsettling in some scenes.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

LeZee

May 16, 2017

Knowing everything, but can't do anything about it.

The title sounds like it is a crime-thriller, that's what I was anticipating. But it was very different, especially at each stage when development takes a new facet. Totally unexpected, the character played by Christopher Lloyd. I had someKnowing everything, but can't do anything about it.

The title sounds like it is a crime-thriller, that's what I was anticipating. But it was very different, especially at each stage when development takes a new facet. Totally unexpected, the character played by Christopher Lloyd. I had some doubt, but my guesses were wrong on the basis of genre. That was the best part of this film with a kind of dark comedy atmosphere.

Based on the first book in the trilogy of the same name. An Irish- British psychological-thriller. Kind of like a B movie, but much better production quality. It has been weeks that I saw this film, but only now I'm reviewing it, yet it still feels like I saw it yesterday, despite I've seen dozens of films in between. It's going to be just a cult-film, not cult-classic.

Because of being a non-Hollywood film, the concept had worked for me. It's about a teenager in a small town who keep witnesses strange disappearance of people. Knowing what's going on, he could not convince others about it. So he had to deal with it all by himself and how the tale ends come with a little twist. A good film, at least it would be for a few people, particularly those who like small scale suspense-thriller.

5/10… Expand

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

Tss5078

Jun 7, 2019

John Wayne Cleaver (Max Records) has some pretty dark thoughts, he even works at a funeral home. When a serial killer becomes active is his town, people are sure it's John, and he is certainly fascinated. John decides to track the killer himself, but even he's not sure if he's going to turnJohn Wayne Cleaver (Max Records) has some pretty dark thoughts, he even works at a funeral home. When a serial killer becomes active is his town, people are sure it's John, and he is certainly fascinated. John decides to track the killer himself, but even he's not sure if he's going to turn him in or turn him into a mentor. This film got rave reviews, proving once again that in order to be successful in this business, you need to promote what they tell you to and completely talk out of your ass. There wasn't anything good about this film, I knew that as soon as I realized Christopher Lloyd was the man John was looking for. At this point, Lloyd is so old that he can barely walk, much less be believable as a killer! Not to mention that his mumbling has gotten so bad, it's to the point where I needed to turn on the subtitles to figure out what the hell he was saying. As for his counterpart, Max Records, is just a dull kid, and serious John Wayne Cleaver? He wasn't anything special in the Sitter or Where The Wild Things Are and things haven't changed. In my wildest dreams I wouldn't have imagined that a film with Serial Killer in the title would be as boring as this film was. Not only are the actors a joke, but there is a distinct lack of blood in this movie. All these guys seem to do is talk until the shocking ending. I'll admit they got that part right, when the filmmakers said that you'd never see it coming. That's because it really comes out of nowhere and is so beyond stupid, that you won't be able to believe that anyone would actually allow it to be put on film. I've seen some bad movies, they miss the mark for all sorts of reasons, but I Am Not A Serial Killer is just terrible in every single way possible. This isn't even the type of film that's so bad that it's funny. It's so bad, that I can't believe someone actually made this or that anyone of name would agree to star in it bad.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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