This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

A small-town teen confronts demons, internal and external, in "I Am Not a Serial Killer," a cleverly conceived little horror-thriller.

John Wayne Cleaver (played by Max Records, all grown up from "Where the Wild Things Are") is a diagnosed sociopath, living upstairs from the funeral home run by his mother (Laura Fraser) in a Minnesota town. John maintains a list of rules, designed to keep his murderous tendencies in check. When a string of unsolved murders strike in town, John suspects there's a link between the killing spree and his elderly neighbor, Mr. Crowley (Christopher Lloyd).

Director/co-writer Billy O'Brien, adapting Dan Wells' young-adult horror novel, deftly mixes old-school thrills and a streak of dark humor as John stalks Mr. Crowley and discovers something even more alien and sinister at work.

Lloyd gives a rich performance of a character that slyly upends one's expectations of a slasher-film character. O'Brien's other secret weapon is effects legend Toby Froud ("The Dark Crystal," "Labyrinth"), who devises some truly creepy creatures.

'I Am Not a Serial Killer'

Opens Friday, Sept. 9, at Megaplex at Jordan Commons (Sandy); not rated, but probably R for violence, gore and language; 104 minutes.