I Am Not a Serial Killer
2016 · Directed by Billy O'Brien
Original language: English
- horror
- mystery
- crime
The story
In a small Midwestern town, a troubled teen with homicidal tendencies must hunt down and destroy a supernatural killer while keeping his own inner demons at bay.
What it’s like
Cold, flat Midwestern light does most of the work here: grey winter skies, snow-dulled streets, a funeral-home interior lit by lamps and fluorescent hush, and a palette of muted blues, browns and sickly yellows that feels faintly unwell. The camera stays close and watchful, with slow pushes into faces and quiet, deliberate framing of ordinary rooms that turn sinister when you notice what's sitting in them. Sound is sparse and tense, with long stretches of wind, creaking houses and a restrained score that surfaces only to tighten the screws. The vibe is bleak, eerie and clammy, a gloomy small-town unease with dark humour underneath, best suited to a grey afternoon or a late night alone with the lights low. Pacing is measured and patient, building toward sharper bursts, and the emotional register is cool and unsettling rather than warm. Its central figure is a withdrawn teenager wrestling with his own dangerous impulses, and the arc follows his uneasy, sometimes uncomfortable attempt to keep control. Intensity is significant: there is gore, bloody and graphic killings, frequent menace, stalking and dread, with violence landing hard and physically when it arrives. It suits viewers who want atmospheric horror with a psychological edge and do not mind a protagonist who is unsettling to spend time with.
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