Dahmer (2002)

Director:

David Jacobson

Writer:

David Jacobson (written by)
(more)

Release Date:

13 March 2003 (Sweden)

Genre:

Biography | Crime | Drama | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

The mind is a place of its own.

Plot:

Based on the true crime story of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, this movie tells the emotionally riveting story of a man who turned his darkest fantasies into a horrifying reality. |

Plot Keywords:

Serial Killer | Grandmother Grandson Relationship | Dumb Bell | Red Light | Clothing Store

Awards:

3 nominations

Cast

Jeremy Renner	...	Jeffrey Dahmer
Bruce Davison	...	Lionel Dahmer
Artel Great	...	Rodney (as Artel Kayàru)
Matt Newton	...	Lance Bell
Dion Basco	...	Khamtay
Kate Williamson	...	Grandma
Christina Payano	...	Letitia
Tom'ya Bowden	...	Shawna
Sean Blakemore	...	Corliss
Mickey Swenson	...	Officer Phillips
Julius Branca	...	Officer Powell
Pierson Blaetz	...	Officer Martin
Vincent Zangari	...	Ohio Officer
Xavier Lawrence	...	Young Man in Bar
David Manis	...	Shop Steward
Lily Knight	...	Mother
Steve Keyes	...	New Guy
Daniel McInerney	...	Bartender
Archie Howard	...	Bouncer No. 1 (as Archie J. Howard II)
Damian Forester	...	Bouncer No. 2
Christopher Louis	...	Corpse
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Beau Clark	...	Party Kid (uncredited)

Directed by
David Jacobson

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
David Birke		uncredited
David Jacobson		written by

Produced by
Matt R. Brady	....	line producer
Larry Rattner	....	producer
Susan R. Rodgers	....	co-producer
Leonard Shapiro	....	executive producer
Tim Swain	....	executive producer (as Timothy Swain)

Original Music by
Christina Agamanolis
Mariana Bernoski
Willow Williamson

Cinematography by
Chris Manley		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Bipasha Shom

Casting by
Ricki Maslar

Production Design by
Eric Larson

Art Direction by
Kelley Wright

Costume Design by
Dana Kay Hart		(as Dana Hart)
Katie Moore

Makeup Department
Elizabeth Hoel	....	assistant makeup artist
Christien Tinsley	....	designer and creator: special makeup effects
Christien Tinsley	....	on-set makeup effects supervisor
Michele Tyminski	....	makeup department head

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Anthony J. Nahar	....	first assistant director
T.K. Shom	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Abby Cobelli	....	property master
Mark McQuown	....	carpenter

Sound Department
Lori Dovi	....	sound mixer-Northern California location
Gary S. Gelfand	....	sound designer (as Gary Gelfand)
Mark Linden	....	sound designer
Phillip W. Palmer	....	sound mixer
David Scharf	....	dialogue editor

Camera and Electrical Department
Tim Arasheben	....	camera loader
Scott Dropkin	....	additional camera loader
Erik Gonzales	....	electrician
Gayle Hilary	....	second assistant camera
John Hoffma	....	key grip
Gaylan Andrew Hussain	....	key grip
Tassaduq Hussain	....	best boy grip
Eric McCandless	....	still photographer
Joe Pacella	....	second assistant camera
Joseph Pacella	....	second assistant camera
Don Presley	....	first assistant camera
Andrew D. Stadler	....	assistant camera: San Francisco
Wayne Swab	....	grip
Danielle Tsuboi	....	second assistant camera: San Francisco
Dave Wightman	....	first assistant camera
Sue Young	....	camera loader: San Francisco

Casting Department
Tim Marshall	....	casting assistant

Music Department
Renee Travis	....	music supervisor

Other crew
Blake Busby	....	graphic artist: titles
James E. Fitzgerald	....	location manager (as Jim Fitzgerald)
Sherry Gunderman	....	script supervisor
Jasper Jan	....	production assistant
Johnathan Leonard Mills	....	researcher
Cale Mitchell	....	set production assistant
Dave O'Brien	....	production coordinator
Bob Reif	....	key set production assistant

Thanks
Lisa Bacchus	....	special thanks
Ehud Bleiberg	....	special thanks
Kathy Chaudhry	....	special thanks
Val DeKeyser	....	special thanks
Mary Fry	....	special thanks
Yitzhak Ginsberg	....	special thanks
Karl T. Hirsch	....	special thanks
Jennifer Kuwabara	....	special thanks
Josh Schiowitz	....	special thanks
Shoshannah Day Strauss	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Blockbuster Films
• DEJ Productions
• Peninsula Films Inc.
• Península Films
• Two Left Shoes Films

Distributors

• Península Films (2002) (USA) (theatrical)
• Dream Entertainment (2002-????) (non-USA)
• Manga Films (2004) (Spain) (DVD)
• Peninsula Films Inc.
• Transformer (2004) (Japan) (DVD)
• e-m-s the DVD-Company

Special Effects

• Tinsley Transfers (prosthetic make-up effects)

Other Companies

• Alexander, Nau, Lawrence & Frumes  production legal services
• Animal Actors of Hollywood  animal provided by
• City National Bank  banking services
• Digital Hammer  editing facilities
• Hollywood Rental Company  grip & electrical equipment
• Kino Flo  lighting
• Leffler, Miller, Ward & Company  financial services
• MG Digital  editing facility
• Magic Film and Video Works  Lokbox electronic negative conforming
• Magic Film and Video Works  telecine services
• Media Distributors Film Source  Fuji film provided by
• Newzone Studio  music recording facility
• On Location Studio Rental  honeywagon
• Protocol  walkie talkies
• Shotmaker Co., The  camera dollies
• Siren Music Production  music mixing
• Sound Two Audio  post-production audio facility
• Supreme Caterers  catering
• Title House Digital  titles and opticals
• USI Entertainment Insurance Services  insurance
• United Rentals  truck rentals
• Universal Costume Department  costumes
• Walt Disney Studios Costume Department, The  costumes

Also Known As:

The Mind Is a Place of Its Own (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for aberrant violence, sexuality, language and some drug use.

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Sweden:15 | Australia:R | Canada:18A | Germany:18 | Norway:15 | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #38948)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Blockbuster Films

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: At the end when Dahmer and Rodney are fighting, Rodney's wife beater changes from white to red and back to white again.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Title Card: On February 15, 1992 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer was convicted of 15 counts of murder and sentenced to 937 years of federal prison. The following story was inspired by events from his life. Certain characters and events are fictional.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Gacy (2003) (V)

Soundtrack:

Every Beat of My Heart

Slices of Life and Death

"Dahmer" tries to tell one of the most horrific stories of recent years. But the whole story of Jeffrey Dahmer does not get told in this movie. There are some shocking moments, but most of the movie gets bogged down in flashbacks (and even flashbacks-within-flashbacks). At some points, you cannot tell if you're watching another flashback or the present moment in the story. Jeremy Renner plays the title character, with an adequately creepy air. Some of his ghastly crimes are shown, while the gore is kept to a minimum. And Dahmer's homosexuality is mentioned, but much of it is kept just off-camera, as evidenced by the montage of Jeffrey's date rape drug-fueled sodomy marathons. This movie does not try to present Jeffrey Dahmer as Dr. Hannibal Lecter. (How could anyone glamorize this murderer?) But I would have preferred some kind of analysis as to why he became a killer. The strange and tragic story of Jeffrey Dahmer left a lot of people sad and wanting answers. But this movie left me wanting satisfaction.