Wonderful Movie

Perfect cast and a good story

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

For the most part, "How to Be a Serial Killer" is a sharp, charming, and very funny combination of satire and dark comedy. It's so engagingly performed that one is willing to go along for the ride. Granted, towards the end it actually starts to become more conventional and predictable, but getting there is still a good deal of fun. It never gets that gory, so the less squeamish in the audience shouldn't be squirming too much. What's great about it is how completely our lead character believes in himself and his methodology; the movie is at its brightest when it's making fun of the business of motivational speaking and our merry murderer is offering all manner of lessons in the fine art of serial killing. The filmmaking is overall fairly slick and the kills are done in a rather stylized way.The movie is a solid vehicle for prolific working actor Dameon Clarke, who's done a great deal of voice-over work for video games. He delivers a charismatic, confident performance as Mike Wilson, who wishes to impart his wisdom to a young apprentice, whom he's decided will be meek video store employee Bart (Matthew Gray Gubler of 'Criminal Minds'). Mike teaches Bart everything that he knows, from victim selection to body disposal - not to mention trying to keep a loved one, in this case Mikes' girlfriend Abigail (Laura Regan, "Dead Silence") - in the dark for as long as possible. Their scenes are intercut with those of a psychologist, Dr. Goldberg (veteran comedy character actor George Wyner of "Spaceballs") educating us on the nature of serial murderers.This is spirited, high-energy entertainment with a rather profound wrap-up, which shows that there is more going on here than just the comedy quotient. Clarke and the likable Gubler work well together and the story has enough pacing and cleverness going for it to make it worth recommending to others.Eight out of 10.

The best black comedies, such as Fargo or Dr. Strangelove have the genius of the Coen brothers or Stanley Kubrick behind them. How to Be a Serial Killer is an interesting concept which never really develops into anything memorable. Written and directed by Luke Ricci, a man who will never be in the same company as the aforementioned directors of the past(Kubrick) or present(Coens). Mike Wilson is a combination of the articulate and charismatic Ted Bundy, and the fictional Dexter from the Showtime series. Mike is on an infomercial, promoting the killing of annoying people. He takes on a student, Bart, and instructs him on how to dispose of corpses and the many different and creative ways of committing murder. The result is a mildly amusing comedy, which sort of breezes along and is at the level of a made for TV movie.

This movie was a delightful surprise. I bought the DVD after hearing about it on line. Since I got it I have watched it at least 10 times, and each time I do I laugh out loud and notice some little thing that I missed the last time I watched.I was already a fan of Matthew Gray Gubler from Criminal Minds. He did not disappoint. His portrayal of Bart was perfect.I had never heard of Dameon Clarke, but after seeing this film I am a fan and I am checking out his other work. He did an excellent job, and he very much deserved the award as best actor he received from the NYC Horror Film Festival. Laura Regan was adorable as Abigail.I love dark comedy, and this one did it just right. I never get tired of Mike Wilson's (Clarke) enthusiasm for his "craft", such as when he demonstrates all the different and creative ways to kill. I had to cheer him on as he did in the jerk at the video store and the creep who was abusing his dog, just to name a few. I never thought I could find murder so funny.Then in the midst of all this dark humor, there were actually some scenes that turned out to be very poignant. It was a bit of a roller coaster ride, and I like that in a movie.People who don't get this movie and find it funny - well, I would have to guess that they don't have much of a sense of humor. I loved it - so shoot me...

Two solid lead actors with great off-beat chemistry are really wasted here.This film was far from boring, but it sadly fell short of it's potential due to a timid, aimless script that failed to push the boundaries far enough. By that, I don't mean adding blood and guts galore, but making the humour a bit more 'oh-that's-just-wrong' daring and perhaps having something to say about societal desensitization or serial killer groupies which may have given the film a bit of focus and a bit more oomph. The set up and structure of the film were good, but the victims weren't vile enough to keep the viewer on the killers side (quite the reverse in a couple of cases) and the script lacked any real wit. Add to this a fairly cheesy musical score and some dodgy sound editing and the end result was just all a tad *meh*. All in all, the points this film scores are for the performances of the two leads, particularly Matthew Gray Gubler who plays the needy, uncertain apprentice to perfection. These chaps need to be on our screens more - they are quality performers.This film was OK. Just don't expect anything cutting edge.