Welcome one and all to part 38 of my weekly blog, The 52 In 52. The concept is simple, each week I take a DVD or Blu Ray from my collection that has been gathering dust and I review it. Last week I
reviewed the nightmare fuelling The Banana Splits Movie.
As always if you have any comments or feedback on this or any of my posts, leave a comment in the section below or by following me on Instagram or Twitter.
This week I will be writing about the 2015 SciFi/Horror film, I Am Not A Serial Killer. Based on the 2009 novel of the same name written by Dan Wells, I Am Not A Serial Killer stars Max Records as John Wayne Cleaver, a teenage son of a small town undertaker who is obsessed with death and serial killers. As his town is rocked by a series of mysterious killings John tries to solve the mystery but, unknowingly stumbles upon something all together stranger.
I can't recommend I Am Not A Serial Killer enough. As the nights are getting darker and Halloween is approaching this film is absolutely perfect viewing. The film was made on a shoe string budget and this really works in its favour. There is a Low-Fi grittiness to the film that makes it feel a lot older than it is and this also makes the sight of gore and science fiction elements appear more fantastical. There is a claustrophobia that adds to the suspense, being shot in a small town during winter really made it feel that there was nowhere to go for John as he witnesses some really strange things happening.
The creature effects by Brian Froud, are done incredibly well and are something fantastical and nightmare inducing without being over the top and cheap looking. The scenes that take place in the prep room in the funeral home are incredibly realistic and stomach churning. The score is a great addition to the suspense that builds throughout. As the film unfolds there is a score that is a great mix of classical horror and modern tones that brilliant without distracting from the story.
The story itself is much more than a straight forward horror film. There are elements of science fiction that are woven in a way that poses more questions than it answers and lead to a fantastic and slightly tragic ending. There are also elements of teenage drama/young adult story telling, which is understandable as the original novel was aimed at the young adult market. The relationship that John has with his mother (Laura Fraser) and also his therapist (Karl Geary) are a great mix of concern and dark humour that really sets the film apart from most horror films.
Christopher Lloyd is on great form as the disarming and slightly menacing neighbour, Bill Crowley, really putting one of his best performances in. Max Records is outstanding, really inhabiting the role as the slightly sociopathic teenager perfectly.
Overall I Am Not A Serial Killer is one of the best horror films made in the past ten years. There is a great mix of suspenseful thriller and science fiction horror that are in perfect balance. There are great performances throughout and a visually stunning film that has an equally great score.
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