Three Must-See Documentaries

With Halloween fast approaching, I thought I would review a spooky movie this week. Although I saw Zombieland (and found it entertaining) and re-watched a couple of horror classics, I wasn't inspired to write about any of them. Instead, I realized that the scariest thing I've come across over the years (through my love of documentary films) is the American judicial system. So I decided to rummage through my movie collection and recommend my three favourite crime-themed documentaries that should definitely succeed in scaring you sh**less.

Each film, in my opinion, does an excellent job at illustrating all the injustices that can occur due to shoddy police investigations, questionable eye-witness testimony, fear tactics and emotional juries. Although I highly recommend you watch these films (because they are all important and extremely well made), I don't recommend watching them with the lights off. These things really did happen to both the victims and the accused -which in itself, makes these stories all the more terrifying.

Two of these films show graphic crime scene photos. One of the films deals with the murder of three eight year old boys. But if you can brace yourself for some upsetting images, I hope you will watch these films and find them as fascinating and enlightening as I did.

THE THIN BLUE LINE (1988) *****

This documentary film directed by Errol Morris relays the details of how Randall Adams found himself convicted of the murder of a police officer in Dallas County in 1976. Adams, who was a drifter was picked up by a teenage runaway (David Harris) one night while walking towards a gas station. Their night together ended with a police officer being shot and killed on the side of the road. The events of that evening are described in detail through Adams' recollections, interviews with David Harris, the police, the lawyers involved in the case and the three eye-witnesses who testified against Adams.

Morris' style of this film incorporates re-enactments of the events of that night giving the film a very unique look into various possibilities of what may have happened. Adams, who was 28 years old at the time always insisted on his innocence. While Harris, a 16 year old juvenile delinquent convinced the police of Adams' guilt and became the County's star witness. This documentary was ground-breaking both in its narrative techniques and the effect this film had on Randall Adams' fate.

MURDER ON A SUNDAY MORNING (2001) *****

This film won an Academy Award for Best Documentary in 2001. The director, Jean-Xavier de Lestrade films the trial of Brenton Butler. Brenton, a 15 year old black male is accused of murdering Mary Ann Stephens, a white tourist visiting Jacksonville, Florida. She and her husband were robbed at gunpoint at their motel and when the robbery went bad, Mrs. Stephens was shot and killed. Although Mr. Stephens witnessed the murder (and identified Butler as the assailant) and Brenton signed a confession, his lawyers Pat McGuinness and Ann Finnell are convinced of his innocence.

This movie follows the court room drama as it unfolds, and interviews McGuinness extensively. Both lawyers, though public defenders, are passionate and determined to prove that Butler had nothing to do with this crime. Instead, they insist he was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time when picked up by the police. As McGuinness gets closer to the truth through his own investigations and cross-examination skills, you will be left stunned by the revelations he uncovers one by one. If I were ever in need of a criminal trial lawyer in Jacksonville Florida, this guy would be first on my list!

* If you pick this movie up, make sure to watch the special features as well. The additional interviews are just as interesting as the ones that made it into the film. Interviews with some of the jury members are also included so you can find out what they thought about what they heard in court and why they delivered the verdict that they did.

PARADISE LOST : THE CHILD MURDERS AT ROBIN HOOD HILLS(1996) *****

This HBO film follows the trials of 18 year old Damien Echols, 16 year old Jason Baldwin and 17 year old Jessie Misskelley Jr. for the murder of three 8 year old boys who were found naked and hog-tied in the woods in West Memphis, Arkansas in 1993.

The State is convinced that the murder of the young boys was part of a Satanic ritual killing. The three victims were found beaten and sexually mutilated. The three accused teenagers were viewed as outsiders by their Baptist community- They wore black, listened to heavy-metal music and possessed books about the Wicca religion. They were picked up by the police one month after the murders occurred.

The film begins with the trial of Jessie Misskelley. Because the 17 year old (who has an IQ of 72) signed a confession to the murders, he is tried separately from the other two suspects. The film follows both trials and interviews both the victims' families and the families of the accused.

This film is fraught with grief, fear, out-rage, disbelieve and multiple theories of the events of the crime when there is little to no physical evidence at the scene of the murders.

The graphic nature of the three young victims' demise is extremely disturbing. The outcomes of the trials are astonishing.