The first glimpse of My Friend Dahmer has been released—a new film that chronicles the troubled teenage years of one of America’s most notorious serial killers.
The movie is based on the best-selling graphic novel by John "Derf" Backderf—who attended high school in Milwaukee with Jeffrey Dahmer—and shows how the infamous murderer developed his obsession with death.
The film’s description reads: “Jeffrey Dahmer murdered 17 men and boys in the Midwest United States between 1978 and 1991 before being captured and incarcerated. He would become one of America’s most infamous serial killers. This is the story before that story.”
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The lead role is played by former Disney Channel star Ross Lynch who said he “had no idea” who Dahmer was before he was contacted by the film’s producers.
"I thought it was awesome to just be unpredictable. Hopefully, my next role could be something that most people won't expect from me,” he told Rolling Stone.
Lynch—who is also a founding member of pop rock group R5—went to meet Marc Meyers, who adapted the screenplay, to discuss whether he would take the part, a much darker role than his previous work on theTeen Beach Movie series.
"Marc told me, 'If you end up doing this movie, that's a bold move – and I like that,'" Lynch said.
The 21-year-old actor has mentioned in an interview that the film was shot in Dahmer's actual childhood home, where he committed his first murder.
The film also stars Anne Heche—who plays Dahmer’s mother—as well as Vincent Kartheiser and Alex Wolff.
You can watch the trailer below:
