Film Review: The Jeffrey Dahmer Files

Director: Chris James Thompson

An independent documentary about the serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer from 2012, it toured some film festivals in North America before being released to the general public through Video On Demand by IFC. The result is a more haunting and un-nerving account of Dahmer's crimes and arrest rather than dwelling on the gruesome details. The film was directed by Chris James Thompson and stars Andrew Swant as Dahmer in fictionalized re-enactment segments which are interwoven with interviews of the medical examiner assigned to the case (Jeffrey Jentzen), the lead detective (Pat Kennedy), and Dahmer's next door neighbour (Pamela Bass).

Andrew Swant as Jeffrey Dahmer

The film focuses heavily on interviews with people involved where they describe Dahmer as a person and the surrounding furore after he was arrested. The monstrosity of his crimes and the graphic details are mainly omitted in favour of discussions about what Dahmer was like during the interviews with lead detective Pat Kennedy. The aura about Dahmer made him a particular eerie character as he was "disturbingly normal". Its very much a film for people familiar with Dahmer's crimes already, rather than an opportunity for somebody without any knowledge to learn about him.

2.5/4 Intriguing short documentary about one of America's most notorious serial killers