In the annals of American crime, few monsters are more infamous than the serial killer. Men (and occasionally women, as Aileen Wuornos demonstrated) who kill multiple victims over an extended period of time have captivated our collective consciousness from the days when Jack the Ripper began his bloody reign in Whitechapel all the way through to the present. An examination of American serial killers will invariably mention Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, Jeffrey Dahmer, and countless other rogues—but the grandfather of American serial killing still remains largely unacknowledged…until now.

H. H. Holmes was America's first serial killer of note--a conman with a taste for killing and a flair for the macabre that is arguably still unequaled to this day. Filmmaker John Borowski has attempted to shed light on this little-known monster with his mesmerizing documentary H. H. Holmes: America's First Serial Killer.

Winner of the Best Documentary award at this year's Screamfest L.A., and filmed over the course of three years, Borowski's film follows Holmes' life from his birth in New Hampshire, his medical school tenure in Michigan, his "castle of horrors" in suburban Chicago (a building whose second floor was a purposely designed maze of false doors, stairways to nowhere, and rooms designed solely for torture and killing--no one knows how many people met their grisly demise in the castle, but odds are many who went missing during the World's Fair Columbian Exhibition wound up in Holmes' basement), to his eventual capture and execution.

Utilizing old newspapers, memorabilia collections, testimony from criminal profilers and author and leading serial killer historian Harold Schechter, Borowski recreates Holmes' era--giving his chilling crimes even more power.

Rarely has a genuine documentary been creepy--but this one is. With Tony Jay's excellent narration, Borowski's period recreations (shot in black & white and made to look quite old—with a visual style that was clearly reminiscent of Universal's classic monster movies of the 1930s), and a hauntingly evocative score, H. H. Holmes: America's First Serial Killer is actually more atmospheric than half of the purported "horror films" coming out of Hollywood today. This may be Borowski's first film, but if it's a sign of what the filmmaker is capable of, I'll certainly be interested in checking out more of his work.

Ultimately, this is a little shorter than my standard review--and not because the film doesn't deserve a detailed analysis. The trouble in covering documentaries is invariably that the reviewer doesn't want to give away too many of the details of what's covered by the film--audiences should experience that for themselves. Rarely has that been truer than in this instance. H. H. Holmes: America's First Serial Killer tells a compelling story about one of history's lesser-known monsters--and it's a film that's best experienced in person as opposed to read about in a review. It gets nothing short of my highest recommendation.

Anyone interested in grabbing a copy of the DVD (which includes the full-length feature documentary, an excellent behind the scenes segment, and some supplemental material) or other merchandise should be sure to check out the film's official website: www.hhholmesthefilm.com




Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening