Killer Legends (2014)

Picked randomly on Netflix i found the content directly relating to each incident quit fascinating. Problem is the film comes off amateurish due to the fact that the documentarian(s) find it necessary to insert themselves with filmed commentary, including the two of them bumbling around on location attempting to identify murder sites and rather pretentiously speculating on the case circumstances and the killers motives. Most superfluous and unnecessary are the occasional, random personal reaction shots during interviews or in hotels rooms while conducting research. Wish i could give more positive feedback. The filmmaker's just seem to be stretching this a bit, most likely due limited resources on the chosen subjects.

Oh wow, this "documentary" is really just a couple of hours of self-indulgence. Made by the same man who made "Cropsey" (which was ok), this film purports to reveal the origins behind 4 urban legends. The facts are sparse because it's not a real documentary. So the time is filled with visiting old locations where literally nothing else happens, telling innocent residents that their homes were formerly occupied by killers, and a plodding, uninteresting, downright irritating narration that I suppose is supposed to sound menacing but comes off as ridiculous and heavy-handed. If you're really into urban legends, your time would be way better spent at Wikipedia. This "film" is dull, uninspired, and boring.

I decided that I needed to watch the Killer Legends documentary tonight. This was a serendipitous choice, it seems, since I just recently watched the meta sequel to The Town That Dreaded Sundown (sharing the same title), considering that this documentary begins with an exploration into that particular series of murders in Texarkana. It goes on from there to a chilling story of a real life incident of a child dying on Halloween night from poisoned candy as well as the basis for the urban legends that provide the substrate for numerous movies including When a Stranger Calls. This was a terrific documentary about a truly fascinating subject...and I wish that I had thought to do it myself. It would be an absolutely captivating thing to do with my time, traveling around and investigating the horrifying real life crimes that have birthed the numerous urban legends we grow up hearing and sharing with others.

In 2010 there was a chilling documentary called Cropsey about the real-life disappearances of five children in Staten Island and the urban legend it spawned. Now from Chiller TV, the director of Cropsey Joshua Zeman, is back with a new and equally unsettling documentary taking on four more classic urban legends and the real-life crimes that inspired them. Zeman and researcher Rachel Mills travel across the U.S. and dig deep to find the truth that inspired some of America's most chilling campfire tales… and truth is always scarier then fiction. Zeman and Mills first travel to Houston, Texas to investigate the murder of a little boy poisoned by tainted Halloween candy and quite possibly the case that started the popular fear-inducing Halloween urban legends of candy filled with glass, razor blades and poisons… of which there are actually no recorded incidents aside from this sad tale. We learn of the death of 8-year-old Timothy O'Bryan in 1974 and the intense police investigation which culminated in the arrest, conviction and eventual execution of the "Candyman", the man who poisoned the Pixie Stick that lead to Timothy's death and the start of these scary Halloween tales. Even more shocking was the man's name was Ronald Clark O'Bryan… the boy's own father. Proving the most frightening ghouls and goblins are the ones living in our very own backyards. The duo next take us to Columbia, Missouri to tackle the popular urban legend of babysitters being stalked by unknown fiends with the heart breaking rape and murder of young Janett Christman in 1950, who was sexually assaulted and strangled while babysitting for a local family. We are treated to an investigation that finds how the popular urban legend was fueled by the possibility that the same man may have committed a number of similar crimes and was never caught…though some unfortunate individuals were blamed for his heinous acts. Even more chilling is their research points to a man who was questioned but, never connected to the crimes… a man some of the victims knew as a neighbor and friend. This segment was particularly disturbing to think someone got away with murdering these poor young women and actually might have lived among them in plain sight. Zeman and Mills then travel to Texarkana to investigate a series of brutal murders of teens at a popular make-out spot that occurred in 1946 and inspired not only the urban legend of the "Hookman" but, the chilling horror classic The Town That Dreaded Sundown. We get another chilling investigation into a series of attacks and murders by a man dubbed "The Phantom", a crime spree that was never solved and even more unsettling is how the town is still haunted by these horrific events decades later and it has provoked some equally disturbing customs from the residents. Our final segment is sure to send goosebumps rippling up and down arms with a story touching on the fear of clowns and some really creepy clown cases and tales from the windy city of Chicago. For decades Chicago has suffered reports of clowns driving around in white vans trying to lure children inside and even more disturbing is that there are actually police reports and eye-witness accounts of this occurring… and the reports suggest there were more then one of these 'clowns' stalking the city. Thankfully, no children were abducted... that we know of. It's a case that has never been solved. We also get an in-depth look into a city that was home to the world famous Bozo The Clown show and to perhaps the spookiest clown creep of them all… John Wayne Gacy, who was convicted of killing over 30 people. Where did the fear of clowns originate?… Chicago apparently! All these stories are given some very thorough investigations by the documentary filmmaker and his researcher. We get some bone-chilling facts, shocking crime scene photos, interviews with those involved and visits to some of the actual locations which these real-life crimes and occurrences took place. It's very informative and the information provided can really be unnerving as we find the true start to some popular urban legends and the movies they inspired. And Zeman and Mills take us on this journey of discovery, eagerly trying to get to the bottom of these cases from which some of our culture's scariest bedtime stories have spawned. They dig deep and it's not only fascinating but, also quite horrifying that, in most cases, the perpetrators were never caught, or worse still, the wrong person was charged or suspected of the crime. And what better way to start an urban legend then an unsolved real incident?… and Zeman and Mills are more then happy to give us some hauntingly all-too-real facts that will make one sleep with a light on far more effectively than any movie or bedtime story. A very effective and disturbing documentary that chills and informs equally.