Killer Legends

I loved Joshua Zeman's first documentary Cropsey even though it was frustratingly short on details and hard facts. Killer Legends was uneven and hard to follow, especially the first segment about the hookman killing a couple in a lover's lane in Texas. It got better and more focused later, especially the candyman segment but it just wasn't as good as Cropsey. Watch that instead of this one.

I came across this quite by accident mistaking it for something else, I am however very happy I did.

This feature length documentary looks at four urban legends and their origins, where did they come from and did they start with an element of truth?

Those that are looked at are the babysitter killer, the hook man, tainted Halloween candy and the killer clown phenomenon and all are very engrossing.

Sadly with some they do digress somewhat and only look into a story that vaguely resembles it, but the stories are so well told and presented I really couldn't care less.

I've never seen anything by Joshua Zeman, his methods appeal to me and I'll be actively seeking out more of his work now.

The subject matter is certainly grim, crime scene photos and grisly descriptions don't help matters but if you can stomach it this is an interesting and enjoyable piece.

The Good:

Very well made

Extremely engaging

Likeable hosts

The Bad:

Some of the stories do digress from the source material

Could have been a tad longer

Things I Learnt From This Documentary:

Be not afraid of the story, be afraid of the storyteller

I find a weird appeal in all things clown

I always thought the tainted Halloween candy might have been a Christian ploy to keep people away from the Pagan holiday that is Hallows Eve

I stumbled across the film Cropsey last year on Netflix and was blown away. I did a little research on IMDb and found that Joshua Zeman had another film in the works about urban legends. I have been an avid collector of urban legend stories for many years so I was super excited.

Last night I was finally able to watch Killer Legends. It did not disappoint. There are four different segments researching and examining the truth behind these stories. My only complaint is that I wish it had been longer. I feel that it could be a great TV series with each episode examining a new legend.

I for one can not wait to see what he does next!

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.

Just like the directors other documentary, Cropsey, I found myself interested in the concept, but it really just let me down. It has a few little interesting moments, such as the clown segment, but overall it doesn't give a whole lot of information that you couldn't find online yourself with a little bit of research.

The film explores the concept of how certain urban legends come from real crimes that actually happened. In theory this sounds good, but it ends up kind of covering what we could already assume. It also covers some stories that have already been covered before, such as the case of the poison pixie stick a kid ate on Halloween. It would have been more interesting to hear about urban legends that came from surprising real events. I think Cropsey did the same thing. It was a documentary that had a good concept but just kinda goes into territory that is less relevant and becomes boring. It also seems ridiculous how the filmmakers try to "solve" these crimes themselves, as if they are going to find something that the tons of people who investigated it before them, including police and other interested people. I just knew that they wouldn't discover anything new or shocking.

I do wish this had more to offer, but it ends up being a forgettable documentary. I mean, if you really are interested in it, check it out, but if you know a little bit about urban legends, you might not get anything new from this.