I Am Not a Serial Killer (film)

I Am Not a Serial Killer is a 2016 supernatural psychological horror film. Billy O'Brien directed it, basing the screenplay on Dan Wells' 2009 novel of the same name. The cast includes Christopher Lloyd, Max Records, Laura Fraser, and Christina Baldwin. Principal photography began in Virginia, Minnesota, on 28 February 2015. The film had its premiere at the South by Southwest Film Festival on 13 March 2016, then went into limited theatrical release and video-on-demand on 26 August.

John Wayne Cleaver, a teenager living in a small Midwestern town, has been diagnosed as a sociopath. He works part-time as an assistant mortician at the funeral home run by his mother, April. To control his homicidal impulses, he relies on strict personal rules, mental barriers, and sessions with his therapist, Grant. A morbid fascination with death and serial killers consumes him.

After a murder, John notices a puddle of black oil at the scene. When another identical killing occurs, rumors of a serial killer spread, capturing John's interest. While trick-or-treating with his friend Max, John spots a drifter lurking near neighbor Bill Crowley's house. At the high school Halloween dance, John threatens a bully by saying he will kill him, scaring the bully off.

John sees the drifter join Crowley on an ice fishing trip and follows them. On the water, just as the drifter is about to attack Crowley, Crowley kills the man with his bare hand, which transforms into a branch-like shape. Crowley then cuts out his own lungs and replaces them with the drifter's. John builds a profile of the killer, noting that every victim had organs removed. He tails Crowley and his wife Kay on a date night. Because Crowley limps from a weak leg, a local barber named Greg invites Kay to dance.

John becomes upset when he finds his mother having dinner with Grant. He then researches fairy tales and mystical folklore. Police link the recent murders to a missing person named Emmett Openshaw. John follows Crowley to Greg's barbershop and watches him attack Greg. John impulsively sets off the barbershop's alarm, drawing two police officers, whom Crowley kills. Crowley leaves the barbershop looking rejuvenated and without a limp. John sees a puddle of black oil at the scene and realizes it was Crowley's old leg, now replaced with Greg's.

John leaves Crowley an anonymous note revealing what he knows. Later, he