Serial Killing 4 Dummys (2004)

Director:

Trace Slobotkin

Writer:

Trace Slobotkin (writer)

Genre:

Comedy | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

School is Hell. And it just got a lot worse.

Plot:

Casey Noland, a high school kid with no direction in life, decides to pursue the serial killing profession. Only problem...

Plot Keywords:

Serial Killer | High School | Gym Teacher | Police | Death Trap

Cast

Thomas Haden Church	...	Vince Grimaldi
Justin Urich	...	Casey Noland
Lisa Loeb	...	Sasha Fitzgerald
Rick Overton	...	Mr. Korn
George Murdock	...	Detective Ray Berro
Barbara Niven	...	Donna Noland
Stuart Stone	...	Amil
Raymond O'Connor	...	Frank
Esther Scott	...	Sally Lindon
Elise Ballard	...	News Anchor
Corey Feldman	...	Store Clerk
Jennifer Loto	...	Marni Greenstein
Katherine D'Armond	...	Girl Victim #1
Chris Weber	...	Mark Pekla
Mark Thompson	...	Chuck, Weatherman

Also Known As:

Serial Killer (UK)
Serial Killing 101 (USA) (DVD title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence and language.

Runtime:

Canada:89 min (DVD) | UK:83 min (TV)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Australia:MA | Singapore:NC-16 | UK:18 | USA:R

Company:

Parlay Productions

Trivia:

Lisa Loeb, aged 34 in 2002, plays a student half her age - 17.

Goofs:

Continuity: Production designer Erich W. Schultz is credited in the opening credits as Eric Schultz, but as Erich Schultz in the closing credits.

Quotes:

Vince Grimaldi: Pull up your pants, you're talkin' out your ass!

Movie Connections:

References The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Soundtrack:

Truth That Never Sleeps

a pleasant surprise

I bought the dvd very cheap, had never heard of this movie before, knew none of the actors by name and just went for the title (which incidentally on my copy just read: "Serial Killer"), the summary on the backside ("teen has an obsession to become a serial killer and looks for persons to test his skills on") and the genre-indication "horror". So I figured that I was in for some highschool slashing and akward acting (which can actually be quite amusing when you've nothing better to watch). Surprise!! This is no horror at all, not even scary, and I didn't even sense any pretension to be a parody for a horror-movie. It's just a very funny movie, based on a horror-like theme, which is of course totally unrealistic (a highschool teen who tells everyone that his career-prospective is to be a serial killer) but treated so consistently that you kind of get along with it. It's not hilarious, but has a dry, tongue-in-cheek kind of humour. There's some good acting (Justin Urich, who's very cute by the way, and the mother), and Thomas Haden Church's acting goes in a convincing and funny way totally over the top! I really had a great time watching it. So if anyone can get his hands on it: don't hesitate but buy it!!