My Friend Dahmer trailer glimpses the origins of a serial killer

Before he became a notorious serial killer, Jeffrey Dahmer was an awkward teenager struggling his way through high school, and the new trailer for My Friend Dahmer offers a chilling glimpse of his coming of age.

Directed by Marc Meyers and based on the graphic novel by Dahmer’s real-life acquaintance John “Derf” Backderf, the film stars Disney veteran Ross Lynch (Austin & Ally) in the title role. Over the course of the trailer, he collects roadkill, fixates on a neighborhood jogger (Vincent Kartheiser), deals with an unstable mother (Anne Heche) and a well-meaning father (Dallas Roberts), and begins to act out at school.

“You seem healthy to me,” a doctor tells him at one point.

“What about what’s on a patient’s mind?” Dahmer asks ominously.

Earlier this year, Lynch spoke to EW about what drew him to the film. “I was looking for a role that would somewhat be a challenge for me,” he said. “I had done a lot of work with Disney, and sort of a younger demographic, and I was excited to do something that maybe people didn’t expect from me. And I had a really good time doing it.”

My Friend Dahmer is slated to open this fall. Watch the trailer above.