Fifteen-year old John Cleaver is dangerous, and he knows it. He’s obsessed with serial killers, but really doesn’t want to become one. Terrible impulses constantly tempt him, so for his own sake, and the safety of those around, he lives by rigid rules to keep himself “good” and “normal”. However, when a real monster shows up in his town he has to let his dark side out in order to stop it – but without his rules to keep him in check, he might be more dangerous than the monster he’s trying to kill.
The idea of witnessing a killing spree from the p.o.v. of a town's funeral home is full of rich discomfort. It's the stuff of the sub-subgenre itself that gives you a boregasm.
– Michael Atkinson,
Village Voice,
24 Aug 2016
fresh:
A uniquely wry tone sets the film apart. I Am Not A Serial Killer is unmistakably a drama, but it's a strangely cheerful one given its dark subject matter.
– Katie Rife,
AV Club,
25 Aug 2016
fresh:
A well-filmed indie that doesn't let its low budget get in the way of some true chills.
– Daniel M. Gold,
New York Times,
25 Aug 2016
rotten:
The arbitrary value of life in I Am Not a Serial Killer makes its nature as an ostensibly character-driven mystery that much harder to swallow.