One of the most notorious American serial killers of our time Jeffrey Dahmer has been a subject of curiosity for decades. An enigmatic man who from 1978 to 1991 killed 17 men, many who he raped, dismembered and preserved for their body parts, Dahmer was diagnosed with psychotic, borderline personality, and schizotypal personality disorders, but was convicted to sixteen life terms in 1992.
In 1994, Dahmer was killed while serving his sentence at the Columbia Correctional Institution.
But before the killer beckoned there was a deeply troubled gay young man, who endured years of bullying and trauma that could have arguably created the monster we now know.
In 2012, the graphic novel My Friend Dahmer was published about the early life of Dahmer as many of his classmates and ‘friends’ knew him. From the pen of John (Derf) Backderf, who went to school with Dahmer, My Friend Dahmer takes place in 1978 Ohio and is a look into the early life of Jeffrey Dahmer like no one has seen before.
A synopsis of the book reads:
You only think you know this story. In 1991, Jeffrey Dahmer — the most notorious serial killer since Jack the Ripper — seared himself into the American consciousness. To the public, Dahmer was a monster who committed unthinkable atrocities. To Derf Backderf, “Jeff” was a much more complex figure: a high school friend with whom he had shared classrooms, hallways, and car rides.
In My Friend Dahmer, a haunting and original graphic novel, writer-artist Backderf creates a surprisingly sympathetic portrait of a disturbed young man struggling against the morbid urges emanating from the deep recesses of his psyche — a shy kid, a teenage alcoholic, and a goofball who never quite fit in with his classmates. With profound insight, what emerges is a Jeffrey Dahmer that few ever really knew, and one readers will never forget.
The graphic novel was adapted into a film and was highly acclaimed at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival. Starring Disney Channel heartthrob Ross Lynch, My Friend Dahmer is the story of the events leading up to the killer’s earth-shattering murders. The film also stars Anne Heche, Vincent Kartheiser, Alex Wolff, and Dallas Roberts.
After much anticipation from cinephiles and art-house lovers, the official trailer for the film is finally out. This is My Friend Dahmer, skin-crawling, eerie, and full of suspense.
My Friend Dahmer will be in theaters this fall.
