See I AM NOT A SERIAL KILLER on the big screen!
The time has come!
I AM NOT A SERIAL KILLER, based on my book and starring Christopher Lloyd, Max Records, and Laura Fraser, comes out this weekend. This weekend! I can’t even tell you how long I’ve been waiting for this day. Actually I totally can: it was June of 2009 when I first got the email from Billy O’Brien, the amazing director, telling me he loved the story and asking if the rights were available. I still have the letter; here’s a snip from the first paragraph:
“I like John. I believe in him. It reminded me of my teenage years, not that I feared I would be a serial killer, but that the world around me was juddering and that I needed something to hold on to until it steadied again.”
That sentence, more than anything else, was why I said yes–because I knew that Billy saw the story behind the story, and that he loved it for the same reasons I do. It’s a murder mystery, and a horror story, and a coming-of-age story, and a very dark comedy, but mostly it’s a story about a boy trying to hold himself together in a world we can’t understand. Very few of us (I assume) have been hunted by ageless beasts who prey on the fringes of society. But all of us can relate to John Cleaver.
So enough talking: where can you see the movie? You have three choices: theater releases, one-night big-screen events, and VOD. As an indie film, the theater engagements start off fairly small, and your support is key. The more you see it, the more you talk about it, the more you call your local theaters and demand that they talk to IFC and request it, the more the movie will spread. We need to get the word out, and drum up support, and vote with our dollars. Little indie movies compete with the big boys all the time, but only when they have an army of fans to back them up. You are my army of fans. Let’s make this happen.
Opening Dates for Theater Releases
August 26:
Arena Cinema, Hollywood, CA
IFC Center, New York, NY
September 2:
Cine-Rama, Chattanooga, TN
Gateway Film Center, Columbus, OH
O Cinema Wynwood, Miama, FL
Screenland Armour Theatre, North Kansas City, MO
Alamo Drafthouse, Yonkers, NY
September 9:
Celebration Cinema, Grand Rapids, MI
September 16:
PFS Theater at the Roxy, Philadelphia, PA
September 20:
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, Winchester, VA
September 23:
Guild Cinema, Albuquerque, NM
Festivals and Events
September 2:
I will host a special screening of the film at DragonCon, in Atlanta, GA.
September 9:
I will host a special screening of the film in Utah. More details coming soon.
Video On Demand
The absolute best way to see this movie is on a big screen, but you can also download it starting August 26 from pretty much any streaming content provider. I will update this list as it grows, including links, but for now I know we’re on Amazon, iTunes, Playstation, and Xbox.
If you want to help this movie, do these three things
1) Tell everyone you know. Rave about the book, show them the trailers, and tell them about the incredible buzz the movie has from its early reviews–especially for Chrisopher Lloyd. One of our SXSW reviewers said that the movie “reminds us why Christopher Lloyd is a national treasure.” Don’t you want to see that? I want to see that. And so do all your friends, so make sure they know about it.
2) If you’re near one of the theaters on the list above, go see it there. Take all your friends. Go seven times. Money talks, and a movie that makes money in a limited release will slowly and powerfully spread out across the world.
3) Download it through VOD. Download it even if you’ve already seen it, or even if you plan to see it elsewhere, or even if horror movies are too scary you don’t dare watch it–download it anyway. Vote with your dollars and your clicks.
Please Note: I do not currently have any information for non-US screenings. I’ve been contacted by a few different international distributors, and I’m planning some neat stuff with some of them (Australia is ON TOP OF IT), but I don’t have a complete list of countries where it will be available, and I don’t know dates. I will add that info here as I collect it, and I will broadcast it through social media, but for now just remember that I haven’t forgotten you 
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Oh my gosh, I had no idea this was even in the works! Found out 20 minutes ago and I've already got at least one buddy for the movie, can't wait to purchase!Is it wrong that I'm already picturing all my favorite scenes from later books playing out on the big screen? It'll be so strange to see the story from outside John's head, I just can't wait :D
Hooray for Albuquerque! Put it on the calendar. :-D
yesssss! There's nothing close enough for me to go see in theaters but I will definitely try streaming it :)
I'm so happy with this, but a bit sad because I'm from Argentina and don't know how to see the movie. I guess I have to wait. Meanwhile I will share all about this movie and books with all my friends.
Good movie (definitely worth a trip to the theater or a couple of hours on a tablet or an Internet capable display...I recommend the latter...particularly if you have a theater setup...while the movie is not a special effects horror extravaganza, the ambience is more involving with a larger screen and enveloping sound...tablets/phones will NEVER do a movie justice) based on a great book.
The movie is much better than the last two "blockbusters" I saw with my sons...not mentioning any names, but looking at you TMNT and X-Men...
Hopefully will see the movie this weekend in a theater in Atlanta.
I just finished watching the movie after renting it on Amazon. I love the book, and I have been waiting for the movie to become available every since I heard about the film fesitival. I was very excited for it, and it met and exceeded my expectations! I am usually disappointed with book-to-movie adaptations(I am very picky about them), but I loved this one. I'm so happy with how it turned out!! I really wish I could go see it at Dragoncon but sadly my schedule will not allow it. I will try and help spread the word about it and hopefully make some more fans out of my friends. To everyone reading this: Go watch the movie! It is awesome and totally worth it! :)
I didn't know anything about the movie until I saw Mr. Wells' blog post. I enjoyed the book.
I agree with you about the movie. Very well done, and more deserving of a wide release than a lot of the other junk that actually got one.
I'll be at DragonCon, but my DragonCon veteran friend (I've never been) warned me that we may not be able to get seats.
I, too, struggled with the plot/genre twist.
Dan Wells spoke directly to that after screening the movie. He said that he had read every one-star review of the book on Amazon, and almost all focused on that same criticism. He stated that turn had always been his intention from almost the inception of the book.
After accepting what I was reading, and getting past the feeling that I had been "tricked", I enjoyed both the protagonist's and antagonist's stories. As you mentioned, and I agree, the book is well written with above average pacing for a primarily YA psychological thriller.
Percentage wise, the identification of the killer happens a bit later in the movie than the book, but then the pace of the revelations in the movie becomes almost frantic. The climactic scene is very different from the book. The true nature of the killer is much more graphic. Initially, I disliked the scene compared to the book. But, in the end, the scene actually worked for me...and brought back the feelings I had when reading about what Stephen King called the "Holy Grail"...a sympathetic villain.
An amazing book, and the translation to screen will be interesting to see.
Will do the iTunes and PSN purchase, and then see you at DragonCon. (My friend goes every year...he's dragging me along this year. I'm not really a convention kind of person. Too many people which I guess is the point of a "convention.")