![]() ![]() Hours of the discovery of the bodies, rumors attributing the killingsĪ comment from West Memphis Police Department Chief Inspector Gary InĪ detailed analysis of the case, Mara Leveritt (2002) wrote: Of the boys, Chris Byers, had been castrated, and they all had extensiveĬontusions, cuts, and evidence of sexual assault (Leveritt, 2002). Hills, adjacent to the ever-present sprawl of ex-urban cityscape. In a drainage ditch in a small patch of woods known as Robin Hood Theīodies of these boys were found naked, bound with shoelaces and dumped Theseįilms document the May 5th, 1993 murders of three eight year oldīoys, Stevie Branch, Christopher Byers and Michael Moore. Move between and across the landscapes of contemporary U.S. Lost films provide a compelling example of the ways gothic narratives The clarion call of dystopian fantasy and science fiction, these are non-fiction filmsĪnd the stories they tell continue to live in modern day United States. Of the United States at the turn of the third millennium. Stark images of the systemic horrors that haunt the small town courtrooms Tradition of dystopian fantasy, the Paradise Lost films represent The collapse has already occurred” (emphasis in original text,Ĭase, these films allow us to witness the monster that has become ourĬlass based system of justice in the United States, announcing theĬollapse of our right to a fair and impartial jury. As Ingebretsen (2001) argues,Īre less agents of social collapse then announcers that Who rally in support of the accused and ultimately the U.S. These films represent a host of monsters-the teensĪccused of the crimes, the vindictive parents of the victims, the fans The concept of “the monster” plays a central role in thisĮssay. In these films are consistently referred to as “monstrous” and Of a gothic, monstrous gaze, implicated in the actual crimes of murderĪnd the virtual “crimes” of fandom and spectatorship. That has manifested an extensive website in response ( portray a moving field of monstrosity, where all the subjects who becomeĮntangled in the story, including the filmmakers, become the object These films, combined with the audience reaction 1997) as it spirals intoĮxistence, transgressing boundaries of fact and fiction as it constitutes The circuit of culture (du Gay, Hall et al. InĪ dynamic example of Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle and aĬultural Studies articulation of the active audience, these films chronicle Popular opinion, the news media and the U.S. Gothic imaginary as it circulates within and between popular culture, These films capture the crystalline refraction of the Trial and conviction of three “goth” teens in West Memphis,Īrkansas. Lost II: Revelations (2001) are two powerful documentary filmsĭetailing the brutal murder of three eight year old boys and the ensuing Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills (1996) and Paradise This essay confronts the permeableīoundaries of fiction and reality, narrative and documentary. Theĭifference? Real people die” (Ingebretsen 2001, 9).Ĭase, they end up on death row. On the streets might borrow the words and rubric of the movie house,Īlthough on the streets fear moves to a qualitatively different closure. ![]() The film constantly draws attention to the process of news making. Pam Hobbs, mother of victim Stevie Branch, here interviewed by local news media. Her husband Mark, the child’s stepfather, plays a central role in both films. Melissa Byers, mother of victim Christopher Byers. Todd and Diane Moore, parents of victim Michael Moore. His hair length and color are repeatedly cited as evidence of his satanic worship. Jessie Misskelly are the first images the news media circulates of the suspects, framing them as convicts.ĭamien Echols in detention. The documentary film incorporates repeated news clips, commenting on the power of representation.Īt a press conference Police Inspector Gary Gitchell announces the arrest of Baldwin, Misskelly, and Echols. ![]() The news story cites “satanic ritual” as a possible motive. KAIT8 News shows these pictures of the suspects. KAIT8 News shows these pictures of the victims shortly after the murder. Recurring aerial view of Memphis AR, showing small patch of woods on right where bodies are found. Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills (1996) "Paradise Lost" films by Andrew Opel JUMP CUT ![]()
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