A riveting and quietly unsettling blend of interviews and fictionalized re- enactments of his daily life (not the murders), The Jeffrey Dahmer Files take a look at the quiet neighbor whose apartment became an abattoir of horrors.Therefore, Overall it's an incredibly well-made documentary about one of America's most infamous serial killers. Not only do the three interviewees have extremely interesting stories to tell, the narrative is filmed in such a chilling way that it is the most disturbing form of simple film-making I have ever seen. This documentary makes the story of Dahmer feel even more gruesome by leaving many things up to the viewer's imagination, even though the story is well known.

This is a chilling and interesting insight into the case of Jeffrey Dahmer - a man who committed unbelievably appalling murders. It chooses to focus on the people who surrounded his life leading up to, and after the horrific discovery of the murders. The documentary is able to convey the absolute horror of the situation through interviews with neighbours and detectives. Most of the footage contains interviews with Detective Pat Kennedy - who was initially with Dahmer after his arrest - and you can still feel Pat's utter bewilderment as he recalls the events. You can still sense his adrenaline as he recalls the aftermath and there is a clear sense of excitement within him as opposed to the utter horror one would expect. It's also interesting to see how it affected his life after, in both positive and negative ways. Where I think it falls a little short as a documentary is the lack of clear narration as to what was happening. Due to a lack of actual footage hypothetical re-enactments were used that did well to convey Dahmers apparent alcoholism - but didn't offer much more of an insight into his character and his motivations. I know that this was not the aim of the documentary - but I think it would have added more to help the viewer to try and begin to make sense of witnessing the re-construction of a situation that was inhumanely senseless.

This starts off very slow to the point that I almost turned it off after a few minutes. However, when I saw that one of the speakers was the lead investigator on the Dahmer case, I continued to watch for a little while longer. And it was then that the documentary got interesting. This short movie follows the story of the lead investigator who interrogated Dahmer during his confession and how he corroborated with forensic investigators to determine just how many people Dahmer had killed. The deceive's and forensic's stories are good. The other chunk of the documentary interviews Dahmer's neighbor and a few others who knew him and their experience during his arrest. Although it offers another story/point of view to the case, it ultimately was not needed and made the picture feel slow and lackluster. The final chunk follows an actor playing the role of Dahmer just shopping and walking around so just reenacting his everyday life. This was absolutely a waste of footage and time. More footage of the Dahmer case would have been better to show in it's place.

If what you're looking for is a slasher movie, The Jeffrey Dahmer Files is not for you. Director Chris Thompson is not interested in showing you actual scenes of blood, severed heads, or other grizzly images. If that's what you're into, you won't like this movie.If what you're looking for is a smart, insightful, and unique look at three people who's lives were forever changed by Dahmer's deeds, this is the ticket. Pat Kennedy, the detective handling Dahmer's case, Jeffrey Jentzen, the medical examiner called in to deal with the bodily remains, and Pamela Bass, a neighbor who had befriended Dahmer tell their incredible stories with chilling detail. Thompson is a brilliant interviewer knowing just what questions to ask of these three unique individuals who have never been asked what their personal experiences were, instead having been barraged with questions about the gory details they witnessed only for purpose of media sensationalization. In Thompson's film they are allowed to spill their guts which is a chilling experience for the viewer.Throughout the film, the intense testimonies of Kennedy, Jentzen and Bass are intersected with short docudramas of Dahmer going through his daily life being played by Andrew Swant. At first these seemed a bit amateur and even annoying, but with time they gave this viewer a moment to catch her breath - much needed after the chest-tightening details of Dahmer's murders. Swant plays Dahmer as the seemingly dull and uninteresting man he actually was which seems so contrary to the horrific actions taken behind his apartment door. You will witness Dahmer buying fish at an aquarium, a large blue barrel and taking it home on a bus, and bleach at a grocery store, all in a sort of daze. Of course we know what he will use the barrel and bleach for and we would expect Dahmer to be creepy. But instead he looks like a regular guy who is somewhat slow and disinterested in the world. After a couple of these dramas I began to relax and enjoy the break they provided.I would recommend this movie to anyone who is interested in personal stories of people experiencing something none of us are every likely to experience. Kennedy, Jentzen, and Bass will walk you through their harrowing personal life-changing experiences of knowing Jeffrey Dahmer. Thompson's story will leave you with lot's to think and talk about. Can't recommend it enough.