An acclaimed true-life comic book adaptation peers into the beginnings behind one of history’s most notorious serial killers on Netflix

Individually, comic book adaptations and serial killer thrillers are among the most popular forms of content in all of media, and when you combine the two in the most unexpected of circumstances, My Friend Dahmer was always in with a shot at ending up as one of the most-watched movies on Netflix.

Adapted from the hybrid of graphic novel and memoir by John “Derf” Backderf that dived into his childhood friendship with a young Jeffrey Dahmer, the story was drawn from its originator’s experiences of being a buddy of the future mass murderer during their high school years in the 1970s.

Of course, Dahmer has been the subject of countless feature films, TV shows, documentaries, and podcasts over the years, but very few of them have had the personal connection that Backderf had with the teenage Jeffrey, which adds an unsettling layer of authenticity and lived-in experience to the proceedings.

Ross Lynch is excellent in the title role, with Alex Wolff lending solid support as Backderf, and the end result was a Certified Fresh approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes of 86 percent. Six years on from its release, and My Friend Dahmer has capitalized on the collective obsession streaming subscribers everywhere have with history’s most notorious killers, with FlixPatrol revealing the film to be one of the newest additions to Netflix’s global charts.

Hardly your standard comic book movie, then, but a riveting story told from firsthand recollections that stands out from the pack of Dahmer-derived tales thanks to its uniquely-crafted narrative.