My Friend Dahmer (2017) on Netflix
R20171h 47mBiographyDramaHorror
In 1970s Ohio, Jeffrey Dahmer picks roadkill clean to the bone. When his father destroys the collection and orders him to make friends, classmates turn his odd behavior into a running joke.
- Netflix3.0/5
- IMDb6.2/1026,016 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes86%
Trailer
Plot summary
In Bath, Ohio, in 1974, Jeffrey Dahmer lives with his father Lionel, a chemist, his mother Joyce, and his younger brother Dave. From the school bus he watches a jogger who runs past, and at home he collects roadkill and dissolves the carcasses in acid until only the bones remain. Four years later, Lionel throws the jars out and tears down the shed, telling his son he needs to be more social. At school Jeffrey mimics his mother's interior designer, copying the man's voice and gestures. The act draws the attention of John "Derf" Backderf, Neil and Mike, who find him funny and invite him to their lunch table. They form a club around him and turn his outbursts in the hallways into a routine, while at home his parents' fights grow worse and Joyce's behavior turns erratic.
Cast
- Nancy Telzerowas Carol Backderf
- Brigid Naughtonas Melody
- Katie Stottlemireas Penny
- Brady M.K. Dunnas Bossy (as Brady Dunn)
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about My Friend Dahmer (2017)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Ross Lynch, previously employed as a teen actor by the Disney Channel and best known for Austin & Ally, was cast as the teenage Dahmer in 2016, and graphic novel author John Backderf was enthusiastic about the casting against type, saying Lynch's performance would make viewers uncomfortable because it's so familiar.
- Scenes depicting Dahmer's home life were filmed in Dahmer's actual childhood home in Ohio; actors in the movie said it was very strange to be in the home where the serial killer lived, and mentioned that the house is where Dahmer's pathology began.
- The film is based on the 2012 graphic novel of the same name by cartoonist John Derf Backderf, who had been friends with Dahmer in high school in the 1970s, until the time Dahmer began his killing spree in 1978.
