The Jeffrey Dahmer Files

The Jeffrey Dahmer Files
Official film poster
Directed byChris James Thompson
Written byChris James Thompson
Andrew Swant
Joe Riepenhoff
Produced byChris Smith
Barry Poltermann
Jack Turner
Chris James Thompson
StarringAndrew Swant
Jeffrey Jentzen
Pat Kennedy
Pamela Bass
CinematographyMichael T. Vollmann
Edited byMichael T. Vollmann, Chris James Thompson
Music byRobert Mulrennan
The Knife
The Books
Distributed byIFC Films
Release date
  • March 2012 (2012-03) (SXSW Film Festival)
Running time
80 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Jeffrey Dahmer Files (aka Jeff) is an independent documentary film about serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer during the summer of his arrest. The film was directed by Chris James Thompson and stars Andrew Swant as Dahmer in fictionalized re-enactment segments which are interwoven with interviews of the medical examiner assigned to the case (Jeffrey Jentzen), the lead detective (Pat Kennedy), and Dahmer's next door neighbor (Pamela Bass).

The film premiered at the 2012 SXSW film festival under the title Jeff, where it received positive reviews and obtained sales representation from Josh Braun at Submarine Entertainment. The film also played at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival in Toronto, the Independent Film Festival of Boston, and the BFI London Film Festival.

The documentary was picked up by IFC Films who re-titled it The Jeffrey Dahmer Files. Jonathan Sehring, President of Sundance Selects/IFC Films, said: “Chris James Thompson has made one of the creepiest documentaries of the year that lingers in the mind long after the film has ended. He’s approached the well-known subject of Jeffrey Dahmer in a new and inventive way that managed to completely unnerve us." The film was released theatrically and on Video On Demand through IFC on February 15, 2013, followed by a DVD release. The film was later released on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, AMC+, and Google Play.[1]

The film was shot in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Super 16 mm film over the course of three years. It was executive produced by Chris Smith (director of American Movie), Barry Poltermann, and Jack Turner.

  1. ^ Martin, Peter (February 1, 2013). "Exclusive: First Trailer for Chilling Serial Killer Doc - The Jefferey Dahmer Files". Screen Anarchy. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Twitch Film. Retrieved October 19, 2018.