Dan Wells's "I Am Not A Serial Killer" Movie...A Review

I knew the movie was out there since filming began. I followed Dan Wells's posts as he updated the fans of both him and his novel, I Am Not a Serial Killer. So, when it was first released and later when it hit Netflix, I made it a point to watch it.

And I did watch it--just a few years later.

There's so many things I liked about the film. I liked the style. It had a gritty, real "meat-and-potatoes" feel. It's set in winter in a small town in Minnesota and I felt like I was a visitor in a place that made me uncomfortable. The snow added a layer of isolation for the characters.

If you're not familiar with the book, it's more the story of how a teenager deals with his inner demons and then, the real demon he faces in the story (sorry, spoiler alert...). I should re-read the book again because I kept thinking back and wondering if a particular scene in the film was in the book. I've forgotten a lot of details from the book, but I do remember how Wells masterfully created a character in John Cleaver that both terrifies us and earns our sympathy at the same time. When John learns the mystery of why (and, more importantly, how...) the citizens of his small town are dying, he's probably the best one in the entire city to deal with the situation.

I don't know the budget they had for this film. It looked like the filmmakers were frugal in how they spent their money, but for me, this added to its charm. I wanted to see John overcome the battles both inside and outside his own mind. The film showed me that. We see a strange kid who knows himself and what he is. And, of course, watching Christopher Lloyd as the neighbor was a genius example of casting.

I Am Not a Serial Killer is a great little film that worked for me. Then again, I wanted it to succeed. I was glad to hear the film was being made, glad the story would read a whole new audience. And, perhaps the best thing I can say about the film--the best news I can give to Dan Wells--watching the film made me want to read the book again.

Dan Wells's "I Am Not A Serial Killer"...A Book Review

If you don't know about the Wells brothers, Dan and Robison, you should get to know them. They're writers, each having achieved an impressive level of success. I know a lot of brothers try to outdo each other playing one-on-one basketball, or with their grades at school. I don't know a lot of dueling brother authors. Then again, I don't know if they "duel" over their writing. However, the dedication in Dan Wells's I am Not a Serial Killer suggest they do.

Speaking of that book, I finished it this week.

What a great book!

I've known of Dan Wells for years. He's one of the Writing Excuses Podcast members, a podcast I follow. He has written several highly regarded series. I am Not a Serial Killer was his first published work.

The book's protagonist is a teenager who loves everything about serial killers, the same way a die-hard baseball fan loves to collect baseball cards. It's his thing. Even his name, John Wayne Cleaver almost destines him to have a fascination on the subject. And having his mother and aunt own and operate a mortuary where he sometimes get to work also helps.

A book with such a title must include several deaths performed by...well, a serial killer. Because of his natural curiosity and access to information on the deaths, John tracks down the killer, who kills and leaves evidence like no other killer before. Soon a game of cat-and-mouse begins between John and the killer until the inevitable end when hero and demon face each other for their final battle.

If you believe the book to be one of just "blood and guts," it's not. It's more. There's an internal fight inside of John that's intriguing. All of us who've survived our teen years know how difficult it can be. With John, we understand his inner battle because the first-person narration let's us feel it with him. I also liked the level of detail Wells included describing the mortuary and how a body is processed for burial. It reminded me of when my father passed away and the mortuary allowed my siblings and me to tour the embalming facility (with no bodies visible, of course...). I was fortunate enough to speak with Mr. Wells last weekend and I praised him on how well he described the process. He said he's gotten many compliments on that particular part of the book.

The pacing is great. The conflicts feel real and I recommend this book. I remember asking Dan to sign my copy of the book, a book I bought at a yard sale that Dan signed to someone else. You can see not only can Dan write a great horror story, but he's got a great sense of humor as well.