Serial Killing 4 Dummys

This movie has Lisa Loeb casted in it for, as far as I know, her only movie part ever. There are several interesting death scenes and gratuitous comedy. Thomas Hayden Church, aka Loel from "Wings," plays a janitor with a dark side. See it, if you can find it.

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!!

It's nice to see Thomas Haden Church doing some work, as his performances are always good. On top of everything- this film was well made, I thought. Cinematography, acting, and the editing. The music wasn't my favorite, in places (check out the White Zomby rip-offs).

I spent most of the movie wondering why Lisa Loeb was there, and wondering why she was in a high school flick, when she'd be in her 30s. She and the Casey character acted quite well, I thought.

Favorite line was was the coach talking about how someone couldn't hide up a rope in a large gymnasium. Not that that's really a cliché (hiding up a rope), but this movie didn't really deconstruct serial killers (sure, it profiled them), as it was a comedy first and foremost and a gore flick somewhere later.

Oh, so THAT'S why they were throwing frisbees...

This film seems to have been made on a budget, and took about two years to go from filming to release. And, mysteriously, it looks to be set in 1995, with the way Marilyn Manson is presented. (If it is actually in 2002, the Manson posters and shirts are very out of date.)

Thomas Haden Church is amazing, Lisa Loeb actually pulls off a good look, despite being in her thirties and playing a high school girl. Corey Feldman shows up briefly... so briefly, in fact, it is a wonder why he appears at all.

The plot is great. Some aspects are predictable, others not so much. Anyone who enjoys studying serial killers should enjoy this film, and the gore effects are decent, too. There are a few moments of really bad CGI, but they are not so obnoxious that they cannot be overlooked.

I would not say to go out of your way to see this film, but it really is better than you might expect from the cover. If the purpose of a film is to entertain, this one succeeded.

Yet another disappointing low budget horror comedy. Serial Killing 101 has no real horror, and is not that funny either. I maybe laughed twice. It's not worth wasting your time with. It has made such a lasting impression on me that I can't even think of anything to write about...and I just finished watching it! That should let you know what kind of film it is. I expected a darkly humorous hit considering Thomas Hayden Church just got an Oscar nod. How do you go from this film to an Oscar nomination? Strange. Justin Urich (from Monster Man), Lisa Loeb (yeah, that one...and she's playing a 17 year old to boot), and Corey Feldman co-star. Fans of the Fel-dog should be warned, he has a tiny cameo.