''Killer Legends'' is a 2014 American documentary written and directed by Joshua Zeman for

Chiller A chiller is a machine that removes heat from a liquid coolant via a vapor-compression, adsorption refrigeration, or absorption refrigeration cycles. This liquid can then be circulated through a heat exchanger to cool equipment, or another p ...

. Zeman and Rachel Mills, a researcher, investigate the real-life origins of several

urban legend An urban legend (sometimes contemporary legend, modern legend, urban myth, or urban tale) is a genre of folklore comprising stories or fallacious claims circulated as true, especially as having happened to a "friend of a friend" or a family m ...

Plot

Joshua Zeman and Rachel Mills investigate the origins of several urban legends: ; The Hookman : In

The Hook The Hook, or The Hookman, is an urban legend about a killer with a pirate-like hook for a hand attacking a couple in a parked car. In many versions of the story, the killer is typically portrayed as a faceless, silhouetted old man wearing a rai ...

, a man with a hook for a hand attempts to murder teenagers who park in a

lovers' lane A lovers' lane is a secluded area where people kiss, make out, or engage in sexual activity. These areas range from parking lots in secluded rural areas to places with extraordinary views of a cityscape or other features. "Lovers' lanes" are t ...

. Zeman and Mills trace this to the

Texarkana Moonlight Murders The Texarkana Moonlight Murders, a term coined by the contemporary press, was a series of four unsolved serial murders and related violent crimes committed in and around the Texarkana region of Arkansas and Texas in the late winter and sprin ...

, an unsolved crime that was the basis for the early slasher film ''

The Town That Dreaded Sundown ''The Town That Dreaded Sundown'' is a 1976 American thriller horror film directed and produced by Charles B. Pierce, and written by Earl E. Smith. The film is loosely based on the 1946 Texarkana Moonlight Murders, crimes attributed to an unide ...

''. Zeman and Mills compare and contrast the film to the real-life events, and both to the urban legend. Neither the real-life events nor the film feature a killer with a hook for a hand, but they do have a serial killer who preys upon teenagers who make out at a lovers' lane. ; The Candyman : Zeman and Mills travel to Houston, Texas, to investigate the urban legend of poisoned candy. Though they dismiss the widespread belief that strangers have handed out poisoned candy to neighborhood children, Zeman and Mills describe Ronald Clark O'Bryan, a man who poisoned his own son for insurance money and used the urban legend to deflect suspicion from himself. To mask his son's murder, O'Bryan also attempted to kill several other children, but they did not eat their poisoned candy. O'Bryan was convicted and executed for the crimes. ; The Babysitter and the Man Upstairs : In Columbia, Missouri, Zeman and Mills investigate the legend of

The Babysitter and the Man Upstairs The babysitter and the man upstairs — also known as the babysitter or the sitter — is an urban legend that dates back to the 1960s about a teenage girl babysitting children who receives telephone calls from a stalker who continually asks her ...

, in which a babysitter is harassed and ultimately killed by a man already inside the house. Although there are no documented cases of serial killers who have targeted babysitters, Zeman and Mills describe how Janett Christman was murdered while babysitting. An African-American man was convicted of a similar murder four years earlier and executed for the murder, but Zeman and Mills question whether he was guilty. They instead point to an acquaintance who knew Christman was babysitting and had become obsessed with her. ; The Killer Clown : In Chicago, Zeman and Mills investigate the evil clown trope and associated "phantom clown" sightings across the world. In these cases, children report having seen a suspicious clown that attempts to entice them into an unmarked van, presumably to kidnap them. Zeman and Mills express skepticism and explain it as a manifestation of

coulrophobia The evil clown is a subversion of the traditional comic clown character, in which the playful trope is instead depicted in a more disturbing nature through the use of horror elements and dark humor. The modern archetype of the evil clown wa ...

, the fear of clowns. They trace this urban legend to

John Wayne Gacy John Wayne Gacy (March 17, 1942 – May 10, 1994) was an American serial killer and sex offender who raped, tortured, and murdered at least 33 young men and boys. Gacy regularly performed at children's hospitals and charitable events as " ...

, a serial killer who unrelatedly worked as a clown. Although Gacy never killed anyone while dressed as a clown, they state that his infamy popularized the trope.

Cast

* Rachel Mills * Joshua Zeman

Production

After directing '' Cropsey'', a documentary that examines the similarities between a New York urban legend and a real-life kidnapper, Zeman approached Chiller with the idea of a series based on the intersection of urban legends and true crime. For business reasons, the series was retooled into an anthology TV film. Clowns were not initially planned to be a subject covered in the documentary, but Mills uncovered a large amount of information on them. Upon bringing this to Zeman's attention, he agreed to expand the documentary to include them.

Release

''Killer Legends'' played for one night at the

Nitehawk Cinema Nitehawk Cinema is a dine-in independent movie theater in Brooklyn, New York City. It operates two locations, in the neighborhoods of Williamsburg and Park Slope. The theater, which offers a menu of food and drinks that can be ordered and c ...

in Brooklyn, New York on March 13, 2014.

aired it on March 16, 2014. Breaking Glass Pictures released the DVD on July 1, 2014. It was one of the top ten best-selling independent film on iTunes in July 2014.

Reception

Patrick Cooper of '' Bloody Disgusting'' rated it 4/5 stars and called it "a wholly fascinating experience on a lot of levels", though he criticized it for focusing so much on the filmmakers. Brutal as Hell wrote, "Overall what we have here is a very thoughtful and interesting documentary. It will entertain you, creep you out and you will probably learn some history along the way." Michel Sabourin of HorrorTalk rated it 4.5/5 stars and praised the atmosphere and pacing. Horror Society rated it 4/5 stars and called it "insightful and well put together".

References

External links

* * {{Rotten Tomatoes, killer_legends 2014 television films 2014 films 2014 documentary films American documentary television films American independent films Films based on urban legends Documentary films about Chicago Films shot in Houston Films shot in Columbia, Missouri Horror films about clowns Films set in Houston Films set in Columbia, Missouri 2010s English-language films 2010s American films