Do you truly enjoy your life? Do you jump out of the bed every morning, appreciating that you’re still around? If not, Mike Wilson has the cure for you! With just 10 easy to follow steps, you’ll learn how to keep your life interesting and make everyone in the neighborhood cherish their existence! Be a hero! Be…a serial killer!
Warning – this is dark comedy. If you aren’t able to laugh at all facets of life, you’ll probably not like the subject material of this movie. Or the news, for that matter.
How to Be a Serial Killer is a very multi-faceted production. You might be a little lost trying to figure out where it’s all leading. But if you imagine it as if it were a comic book, it all makes a great deal of sense.
First, there’s reoccuring scenes where a psychiatrist (George Wyner as Dr. Goldberg) talks about sociopaths, and more specifically, serial killers. It’s all very candid and somewhat technical without ever coming off as dry. The good doctor helps viewers possibly understand Mike Wilson, or at least his sickness. Conversely, since Mike talks a great deal about why he does what he does, it also shows how his perspective is completely different than the professionals.
Here's the doc, speaking in front of a lot of boring-looking books.
Secondly, there’s the self-help seminar run by Mike, which is where the movie gets its title. Here, Mike Wilson (played with some infectious charisma by Dameon Clarke) cheerfully goes over the ‘rules’ of being a serial killer, with helpful tips spread throughout the movie. This part is actually going on in the character’s imagination while he’s doing his…uh…job…and follows the plot to an extent. These would be narration during the theoretical comic, and is always a treat when it shows up.
Thirdly, the actual plot. Mike recruits young Bart (an introvert video clerk, played very convincingly by Matthew Gray Gubler) to be his protege in the serial killing business. Mr. Wilson is a very articulate and likable guy, so he ever so slowly warps Bart into thinking more like him. This “training” involves having Bart tag along and take notes as Wilson finds his daily victim and eliminates him/her. Mike’s social life complicates things slightly, as his girlfriend starts to wonder why Mike is always hanging out with Bart every night. Thankfully Dameon & Matthew play off each other incredibly well, making the cameraderie genuine and the many scenes together always fresh.
The hapless Bart, telling the audience how he feels about being chosen by Mike.
Finally, there’s the character narration of Bart. This part is filmed like a documentary, as if the plot just stops and Bart is talking to the camera, explaining how he feels at the moment. Although it might come off as gimmicky, these 4th wall-breaking segments are kind of fun and really help the viewer get a better understanding of what is going through Bart’s head.
So…How to Be a Serial Killer is a bit warped. But it also manages to be funny and intriguing, leaving the audience to wonder when somebody is going to start connecting the dots. Unlike most movies on this topic, the detectives have no screen time, so you’re left entirely in the dark how close Wilson might actually be to getting busted. For those of you concerned about the violence…well, it’s there, but still (somewhat) tasteful. The gore is doled out in realistic proportions. I dunno, despite the hurl-worthy subject of corpse disposal, the camera always manages to cut away before things get real nasty. This Hitchcockian style of hinting rather than showing might be worse for some!
Mike asking Bart what he'd like to do to an irritating customer. It involves a sledgehammer.
I’d recommend buying this movie if you like your comedies with a darker tone. For most other people, you might want to consider renting it first.
This movie is distributed by Monterey Media. They have also released Trucker, Humble Pie, and One Peace at a Time.
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