I Am Not a Serial Killer (2016)

From the very few indie films that I have seen, I should really expect the unexpected. Yet here I am, again...wondering what the heck did I just watch!? The story revolves around a teenager who is obsessed with death and murder. His hometown of Clayton is currently experiencing several deaths in which our protagonist attempts to find the culprit. So...automatically, even just by acknowledging the title, I thought this would be a character study on a psychotic teen who slowly becomes a serial killer. In which, to be fair, that concept is explored both on a subtextual and contextual level. His obsession overwhelms him which could be interpreted for any obsession. Defining the line between passion and obsession, the film utilises murder to convey this. Then...then then then...'I Am Not A Serial Killer' becomes 'I Am Under The Skin'. Quite literally. I was so adamant I knew what was going to happen, even before playing the film and yet the indie genre slaps me round the face and shouts "no, you're wrong. Prepare yourself for this...". Honestly, I'm not sure how to feel about this film. It's intelligent and original no doubt, but the forced abnormal plot just seemed too unusual. So unusual that I think it detracts from the ideas that the film evokes. The psychological aspects are thrown to the side line whilst the narrative focuses purely on this weird story. Is he imagining it? Is it actually happening? Whatever it is, it's hard to relate to the characters. I don't know what to say, I just didn't fully connect with this and couldn't jump onboard. Christopher Lloyd was great as usual, glad he got a decent amount of screen time. The direction was solid all round, really liked the smudges and dirt on the camera lens in certain shots. The ending wasn't powerful or clever. I mean...it concludes fine, but I wanted it to be more psychologically stimulating. It just wasn't. In the end, this was a so-so affair. I liked the technical aspects but disliked the surreal plot to illustrate psychotic behaviour.

In the small mid-western town of Clayton County, a serial killer is running rampant and one particular young man John Cleaver (Max Records) becomes interested in the case and starts to use his own skills to track down the killer. When he eventually discovers who the killer is he finds himself on a dangerous collision course with the serial killer in what becomes a perilous battle-of-wits...The main draw with this film (at least in its early stages) is Max Records; he plays a fairly interesting character even if he falls into the usual cliché of being the 'weird kid at high school.' He's a sociopathic kid with obsessive tendencies (in his case he is obsessed with serial killers and the inner workings of their minds). The foundations of the story are promising, but the actual results here are rather meagre; given the way the story began to develop I was really hoping for a good battle-of-wits or cat and mouse game between John and our serial killer, but it never really manifests itself in this manner and the film never becomes as exciting or tense as it could have been.I Am Not A Serial Killer has supernatural undercurrents to it's theme in respect of the serial killer, but the whole basis of this story is rather flimsy and poorly explained; I understand that he's been possessed or is perhaps a ghost of some description, but how did all this come about? Also why was his desire to kill subdued for such a long time? Has he been hibernating? His face is also displayed on the news on a regular occurrence, but no-one recognises him?? Yes I know he's a lot older, but you'd still think that someone would recognise him...One other thing that I noticed was in the scene where John is in the phone box talking to the serial killer there is lots of snow all over the place - yet in the subsequent scene when the serial killer chases him for about 100 yards all of the snow seems to disappear, then in the next scene there's snow everywhere?? I presume that the explanation for this is that it was filmed over several months and at different times of the year, but filmmakers really should check their editing and continuity as errors like this are glaringly obvious and look rather amateurish.The strong links with this film are Max Records who plays the sociopathic odd kid to near perfection and Christopher Lloyd who is also excellent in his respective role and is both creepy and unnerving - although he does seem to mumble some of his dialogue at times making it difficult to decipher what he's saying. The other players do OK with what they have to work with, but this picture belongs to Max Records and Christopher Lloyd.I was originally going to rate the film with a 6 out of 10 because on the whole I found it quite enjoyable, but it lost a star for its rather dumb ending which could perhaps be explained by its supernatural overtones, but it was silly and ridiculous and the end result was something that was more funny than scary. It has some interesting elements, but it also has a lot working against it resulting in a split-decision verdict from this reviewer.

Very Low-Budget Film Festival Darling that is now appearing to have Main-Stream Access and a Faint Buzz of sorts. Supposedly Shot on 16mm Fuji Film (although it's hard to tell) but if that's the Fact, why did They bother. It isn't that Grainy or Gritty and the Small Town Winterized Atmosphere will Show in any Format.Max Records is the Lead Teen, that one Guesses, is forever Telling Himself Inside His Head, "I am not a Serial KIller", although He is Fascinated by the Type and Studies the Phenom and even sets Rules for Himself to Keep His Urges in Check.It's a Different sort of Film in the Genre which Works at times to give it an Off-Kilter Approach. The Pacing is Slow but not to a Detriment. The Acting all around is Professional and the Old War Horse Christopher Lloyd Steal the Show (no surprise) given the Juicy Role.There are some Surprises and it Stuns now and then to Keep Things Moving. Some of the Script calls for Things that Require a Strong "Suspension of Disbelief" (a teen working in a Mortuary...Illegal and Morally reprehensible).Overall, it is an Above Average Genre Piece with enough Intrigue and Solid Professionalism to make the Experience Rewarding. But the Storytelling is Lacking in Exposition and Incoherent occasionally, a Frequent Shortcoming in Low-Budget, Quickie Film-Making.Worth a Watch for Fans of the Type. Original but not a whole lot is Refreshing in the often done Serial Killer Sub-Genre.Note...The Lead Teen Character is named "John Wayne Cleaver". That's just silly.Note 2..."Spirit in the Sky" the song by Norman Greenbaum is once again used over the End Credits. A Pop Song utilized more in Opening and Ending Movies, than perhaps any other and...That's just silly.

This is it. The creepiest killer persona I've seen in a while -- and I've only recently come out of an insane horror-binge that spanned over the length of a couple of months. Laurels to Mr. Lloyd for his incredibly chilly performance that framed so eloquently a very competent ensemble without dominating with experience; barring, of course, his grand "solo" which was just... remarkable.Now, if I cared about the brackets of cinematic categories, I would class this movie as "uncategorizable" for it makes a run through so many genres, it ultimately brakes all the boundaries and uses the shards to create a stunning patchwork quilt of peculiar unity.Providing us with a fresh outlook on a topic old but favorite, the movie, on the whole, is capable of qualitatively standing alone on the merits of its technical points, however, a few pacing issues aside, we are also graced with effective build-up and organic plot progression, making this subtle endeavor an unmissable filmic underdog.