Raising Jeffrey Dahmer (2006)

Why so much hype?

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Touches You

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

I read Lionel Dahmer's book. The film doesn't show any of the gore, blood, bones, and body parts but only allude to it. The film is about how a father like Dr. Lionel Dahmer deals with his son's brutal, horrific crimes. This film is low budget to begin with. There are some scenes like the flashbacks that seem repetitive. It's not a great film but low budget films don't have the financing to be better. This film actually centers on Lionel and his second wife, Shari Dahmer, and Jeffrey's paternal grandmother, Catherine Dahmer, whom he had a close relationship. I thought when I read the book that the Dahmers had left Catherine's house because of the press hounding on them. Jeffrey Dahmer was raised in a broken home with an unstable mother whom we never see so we don't' know her side. We do see Lionel as a broken man coming to terms with the realization of his son's crimes, There were signs but Jeffrey was skilled enough to be aware of his father's obvious questions. He wasn't close to his parents but to his grandmother. The male mannequin in the closet is a frightening clue to something wrong. There is a scene where Lionel tries to keep Jeffrey locked up but he can't do much. If you read Lionel Dahmer's book, he paints a portrait of a frustrating parent who knows something is terribly wrong but can't help his own son. Jeffrey had an alcoholism problem, pedophile, and terribly secretive which led to his compulsion to bury his victims. Lionel is ridden with guilt just as his second wife. Jeffrey's mother was not in this film. While it's an okay low budget film, the actors do the best they can with the material. The flashbacks help slowly unravel Jeffrey's behavior. Unfortunately, they don't mention the victims by names. They should have listed them in remembrance and not to forget them as well.

This movie is more for people who have studied up on Jeff Dahmer in order to try to understand why a human being would do what he did to other humans. It also serves as a warning to other parents to be on the lookout for typical serial killer childhood behavior. The actors were a bit stiff, but the inner struggle by Dahmer's father was portrayed very well. Everything that occurred in the movie was true as reported by Jeff's father (except I was not sure about the truth as to what occurred with Detective Amos in the movie).The artsy flashbacks to Jeff's childhood were effective and well done. This was a difficult subject matter to put into film. Since I already had an interest in Jeff Dahmer and was aware of what has been reported about his childhood - I feel that I got more out of it than the typical viewer.

Snooty, pompous, and pointless. This movie makes a very weak attempt to use art-house-style drama to represent the story of Dahmer. I actually got fooled into initially thinking that it was a documentary. The cover is somewhat misleading in this regard, and, if you make the same mistake I did, then you will be super-disappointed. The acting is poor, the film-work is poor, even the soundtrack is corny and revolting. There is nothing in this movie that is good. The only good thing that happened was when my flatmate walked in front of the TV and obscured my vision. I gave Raising Jeffrey Dahmer 1 star because I was forced to by the system. My real rating is definitely in the negatives. To the movie maker: Why oh why did you do this? To the consumer: Do NOT buy this. Spend your money on ANYTHING else.

I rented this movie with my girlfriend as a late night movie. We haven't seen a scary movie in a while, and I've always been fascinated with serial killers overall.This movie was laughable.. The acting was a joke. The father made me laugh at him at parts I should have been feeling the shock and fear he was feeling. It did keep me interested with the flashbacks, but the movie would have been so much better if it actually showed what it was titled, Jeffrey Dahmer being raised. It showed it through a series of flashbacks, which were the only interesting parts in the movie.I knew it was going to be a disappointment, but I saw it in the advertisement the guy at the movie store gave to me. Next time I go with my gut, which this movie should have showed more of.