My Friend Dahmer

My Friend Dahmer is a crime drama set in Ohio in the mid-1970s, following the teenage Jeffrey Dahmer in the years before he became a serial killer. At home, his parents' marriage is breaking down and his mother has recently returned from psychiatric care, while his father spends more time on his chemistry work than with the family. At school, Jeff is an outsider who collects roadkill and preserves the carcasses in acid. A prank at his high school unexpectedly earns him a circle of friends, including the aspiring cartoonist John "Derf" Backderf and a group of classmates who call themselves the Dahmer Fan Club. As graduation approaches and the friendships that gave him stability fall away, Jeff's behaviour grows more erratic and his grip on himself weakens. The film is based on Backderf's graphic memoir about attending school alongside Dahmer.

Marc Meyers wrote and directed the film, his second feature after How He Fell in Love, and he is also among its producers. Ross Lynch plays Dahmer, with Alex Wolff as Backderf, Anne Heche and Dallas Roberts as his parents, and Liam Koeth as his brother. It was made by independent production companies and took about a million dollars worldwide, a modest return consistent with a limited release.

On IMDb it holds 6.2 out of 10 from roughly 26,000 votes, with a similar 6.5 on TMDB from a much smaller sample. A critics' rating of 7.1 from 103 reviews places it somewhat above the audience scores.