My Friend Dahmer (4 Stars)

True Stories #33

Name: Jeffrey Dahmer

Lived: 21 May 1960 – 28 November 1994

Film dates: 1974 to 1978

Film made in 2017

This is a chilling story about the formative years of the serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. It's told from the perspective of John Backderf, one of Jeffrey's few friends in high school. It was a weird friendship, and John later expressed guilt for the way he treated him. Jeffrey Dahmer was a clown. He did things to shock the others in school or make them laugh. John thought Jeffrey was funny as well, so he encouraged him to do it even more.

What did he do? Jeffrey Dahmer performed the activities of a mentally deficient person. In the words of the film, he spazzed out. He made wailing sounds and moved erratically, finally writhing on the ground as if he were having an epileptic fit. It was hilarious for those who were in on the joke.

Jeffrey Dahmer was a mixed up kid from his early years. His hobby was dissolving dead animals in acid, because he wanted to see what they were like inside. He was able to do this because his father gave him acid that he brought home from work. That's a weird thing for a father to give his son. Later on he cut the meat off dead animals so that he could examine their bones.

Dahmer was having problems with his sexuality. He realised that he was homosexual, but he felt guilty about it. This was one of the things that contributed to the young boy becoming mentally unbalanced. When his parents got divorced, he was pushed totally over the edge. And his alcoholic consume can't be underestimated. He drank strong spirits every day, even in breaks between school classes. Didn't the teachers notice, or didn't they care?

One of the film's most unnerving scenes is his high school prom. He invited a girl called Bridget to the prom. Maybe he wanted to fit in, but it's more likely that he wanted to overcome his homosexual urges by having a relationship with a girl. It didn't work out. Soon after the start he walked out, saying he wanted to pee, but he never came back. He sat in his car eating until the prom was over.

Could Dahmer's killing spree have been prevented? Maybe. Maybe not. Those are questions that can never be answered. It's easy for Dahmer's friends and school teachers to blame themselves for not doing more, but it's possible he would have become a killer anyway. We'll never know.

Success Rate:  - 1.1

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