Serial Killing 4 Dummys

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Serial Killing 4 Dummys (also known as Serial Killing 101) is a 1999 dark comedy written and directed by Trace Slobotkin. The story follows Casey, a troubled teen who wants to be a serial killer, and his suicidal classmate Sasha who aims to be his first victim. They hatch a plan for murders, but a real serial killer begins preying on their town, turning victims into furniture—and that killer turns out to be Casey’s gym teacher.

The film stars Thomas Haden Church, Justin Urich, Lisa Loeb, Rick Overton, George Murdock, Corey Feldman, Barbara Niven and others. Cinematography is by John P. Tarver; editing by Daniel Candib, Richard Candib and Pamela Raymer; music by Jeffery Alan Jones. It was produced by Parlay Productions and distributed by Lionsgate Films, with a running time of 89 minutes.

Serial Killing 4 Dummys first screened at film festivals in the late 1990s under the title Serial Killing 101 and had an official theatrical release in February 2002; a 2004 video release used the title Serial Killing 4 Dummys.

Reception noted its provocative, self-conscious dark humor. The Providence Journal described the film as “fresh” but in very bad taste—deliberately so, to critique sensational crime headlines. Beyond Hollywood felt the movie was better than expected and praised Slobotkin’s directing, even as it acknowledged some flaws, with the real-killer twist not fully landing until after the first 20 minutes.