|
„Death Is Everlasting“
Ein Interview mit dem Filmemacher John Borowski
nbk:
John Borowski
Do you believe in the „bad seed theories“ (that means serial killers or
sexual psychopaths are „born bad“, or do you think those people (like H.H.
Holmes, Jeffrey Dahmer or Albert Fish) are made by their environments?
It’s my belief that serial killers are created from their environments.
During my research about serial killers I found that some of the worst
(e.g. Earle Nelson, the murder of 27 women when being struck by a street car) did suffer a brain damage .
Since I am a filmmaker, not a scientist or physician, I really cannot
comment on the head injury theory. However, I draw attention again to the
the serial killers who had no abnormality; in this case, head injuries. The
ultimate question that will continually haunt us all is how can serial
killers coldly murder other human beings time and again? We can guess that
it might be a combination of factors. We can also study numerous serial
killers and learn what may have caused them to kill. In the case of HH
Holmes, it’s my opinion that his drive was motivated by money and status,
which was en vogue during the „guilded age“ of America. Holmes‘ training in
medical school just furthered his perception of other humans as merely
„material“.
Why H.H. Holmes? There are more infamous and hideous killers in the U.S. My personal interesst in Holmes did rise, when I heard of the enormous power and criminal energy that made him build such an enormous project like his „castle of horrors“. For a long while, I was familiar with Holmes‘ story and had several script ideas in my head. When I read Schechter’s „Depraved“ and learned of Holmes‘ entire life of evil, I had enough material to create some type of film on Holmes. After researching, I was astounded to learn that no one had ever attempted to create a film on one of the worst evils that ever lived. I decided to create a documentary that would state the facts of the case and tell the story in a method that utilizes every visual technique available to make the film visually compelling, and not just another talking-head documentary. The reenactments are especially important. Being a fan of the classic Universal horror films, I always envisioned the film resembling the grainy black and white films in which every room had a creaky door opening or a secret trap door leading into a basement dungeon torture chamber. Could a person like Holmes (a pathological liar, soziopath, killer and sexual psychopath) in our modern days be unfit for plead? Jeffrey Dahmer’s verdict was „guilty“ in spite of the testimony of Amercias star Profiler Robert Ressler. Dahmer went into prison, where he got killed. Al Fish was seen „completeley insane“ by the jury, but in spite of that sentenced to death. Do our modern societies want revenge instead of justice? Or is this the same? (sometimes to ME it seems revenge is a understandable sentiment, when hearing of the criminal deeds of thos killers) Watching the film, „The Green Mile“ When John Coffee is about to be executed, you see more evil and hate on the faces of the people in the audience than you do in the killer, as they all wish him to burn. People can be easily driven by their fears and hatred, asking for justice and revenge. Humans need to transcend these feelings in order to advance our society and culture. Such negativity creates an endless cycle of suffering and violence. We know so little about the minds of serial killers and what makes them kill. They should be studied to learn why they kill and hopefully be able to prevent it from happening in the future. I also believe (this ties in with the environment factor) that we, as a people, must begin appreciating one another and treating each other with respect, and infusing our children with the same values, while they are living and learning at the most influencial time of their lives. It has become second nature to tease, provoke and make fun of others. People have yet to realize the lasting effects these types of treatment can cause on fragile minds.
Why is there such a morbid fascination for serial killers? Hollywood stars
like Tim Burton and Johny Depp are in possession of John Wayne Gacys
paintings. The original signature of 1930’s killer Albert Fish is worth 10
000 Dollars.
You are dealing with Holmes memorabilia too, to fund your project. What items can be orderes on your website? Being a truly independent filmmaker, and in order for me to effectively spread the word about my film, I have created several items, such as the „Who Is H.H. Holmes?“ t-shirt. Additionally, I produced a CD-ROM which will operate on any computer and contains Holmes‘ complete confession, „Holmes‘ Own Story“, which was written by Holmes in prison, and „The Holmes-Pitezel Case“ detailing Holmes‘ trail and the search for the missing Pitezel children. I make these available on the film’s website. Throughout time, humans have always been fascinated with death and violence. The thrill of watching the guillotine has long dissappeared, but it has been replaced with violence in (among other things) TV, video games, and mass media. If you look back in literature and the arts you will see a long history of violence and death in writings of Shakespeare and Poe as well as in the films of Hitchcock and Scorsese. Death is everlasting.
Writer James Ellroy explains in „Clandestine“ that the U.S. are haunted by so
many serial (or spree)killers because of it’s high mobility. He explains
that cars and mobility are modern tools for killers. As long as they move,
they cant get them! Holmes was moving too, a lot.
Traveling to the serial killer is freedom. Holmes traveled a lot, but then it was much harder to be detected in 1894. Now you have video cameras at many street corners here in Chicago and other places across America.
In a Springfield, IL State Journal Article you declaired that you made your
movie like Holmes started his career: without a penny in your pocket. How
did you manage to realize such an ambitious film project ?
I told myself I was going to make a film on Holmes, and my philosophy is merely „do it“. The film was pieced together over a three year period, which was beneficial because some photographs and other pieces of information became available later into production. I really received a tremendous amount of help and support from others that had worked on prior Holmes projects or were just interested in his story. Harold Schechter is such an inspiration! „Depraved“ is the best true-crime version of the Holmes story. Rick Geary and I spoke back and forth as he was working on a Holmes graphic novel. Dale Anthony Tremaine, a Holmes collector in Australia, graciously sent his collection to peruse through. Kazutoshi Miyamoto M.D., a doctor in Japan, sent his period scalpels to use in the film. So, I see myself being the core of the film, with help and inspiration from others with like interests from around the world. Even though currently the film has not been distributed, I am receiving requests from Scotland, Germany, and other countries around the world interested in screening H.H. Holmes. You told me that your next film project would deal about Ed Gein. Authors like Tom Harris and Robert Bloch and films like „Psycho“, „Silence of the Lambs“, or „The Texas Chainsaw Massacre“ where inspired by the life of this man. I think Gein is a very powerful motor for our modern suspense cinema. Please tell me more about the Gein project. I believe Gein is the perfect example of the „environment“ factor. Goulish, unbelievable, almost Grimm-fairy-tale-like in the sense of the ogres and witches living in the woods. To this day there has not been a Gein film that captures the essence of the Gein story, and it is my goal to make a film that not only reflects the true horror of Gein’s crimes, but also the environmental factors that led him to committ them. Serial Killers are our modern monsters, the monsters of frightening fairy tales represented in true life. Alle Grafiken, und Filmausschnitte haben das Copyright von John Borowski Die DVD „H.H. Holmes, America’s First Serial Killer“ mit über 2 std Material könnt ihr bei: www.hhholmesthefilm.com bestellen. Bezahlung mit Kreditkarte ist möglich. (Details siehe weiter unten) Our thanks go to John Borowski, who gave us the kind permission and providing of the Holmes material from his website www.hhholmesthefilm.com
The Torture Doctor alles über den Dokumentarfilm von John Borowski. Download der Trailer etc. |
|
