Green River Killer (film)

Last updated
Green River Killer
Ulli Lommel's Green River Killer.jpg
DVD release cover (USA)
Directed by Ulli Lommel
Written byUlli Lommel
Produced byNola Roeper
StarringGeorge Kiseleff
Jaquelyn Aurora
Shannon Leade
Naidra Dawn Thomson
CinematographyUlli Lommel
Edited byChristian Behm
Music by Robert J. Walsh
Production
companies
Heidenheim Films
The Shadow Factory Inc.
Distributed by Lionsgate Home Entertainment
Snp
Release date
  • June 13, 2005 (2005-06-13)
Running time
83 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Green River Killer is a 2005 American crime film by Ulli Lommel starring George Kiseleff, Jaquelyn Aurora (as Jacquelyn Horrell), Georgina Donovan, Shannon Leade, Naidra Dawn Thomson, and Shawn G. Smith. [1] It is based upon the crimes of serial killer Gary Ridgway. [2]

Contents

Plot

Based on the true story of serial murderer Gary Ridgway, the film depicts how he would approach prostitutes in bars, take them to his homes, brutally kill them and throw the corpses into the Green River, a pattern of behavior which explains his sobriquet, "Green River Killer." Soon, however, the police are on his track. [3]

Cast

Filming

The documentary footage is of the real Gary Ridgway confessing to the killings.

The flashback of Ridgway's fictional "mentor," Boris, has a distinctly different look and atmosphere compared with the rest of the movie. That is because the footage was not shot by director Ulli Lommel but by German actor-director "Marian Dora," a pseudonym for the physician who began making gory horror films around the same time Lommel directed Green River Killer. Dora made Cannibal – Aus dem Tagebuch des Kannibalen , for example. Dora, who also worked on Lommel's Zombie Nation , in this flashback directs actor Carsten Frank as he strangles a woman.

Green River Killer was the second in a series of direct-to-DVD titles directed by Lommel and released by Lions Gate Entertainment under its Artisan label. The first was Zodiac Killer (2005). Green River Killer would soon to be followed by BTK Killer (2005) and Killer Pickton (2005). Other direct-to-DVD movies directed by Lommel and featuring serial killers would follow in 2007 and 2008.

Ridgway's home in the movie, which is a residence located in Marina del Rey, California, was also the house inhabited by "Producer McCoon" in Black Dahlia (2006).

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Ridgway</span> American serial killer (born 1949)

Gary Leon Ridgway is an American serial killer known as the Green River Killer. He was initially convicted of 48 separate murders committed between the early 1980s and late 1990s. As part of his plea bargain, another conviction was added, bringing the total number of convictions to 49, making him the second most prolific serial killer in United States history according to confirmed murders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green River (Duwamish River tributary)</span> Tributary of the Duwamish River in Washington, United States

The Green River is a 65-mile (105 km) long river in the state of Washington in the United States, arising on the western slopes of the Cascade Range south of Interstate 90.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Macabre (band)</span> American extreme metal band

Macabre is an American extreme metal band from Chicago. Since their formation in 1985, the band has featured the same three members with no lineup changes. The group's style blends thrash metal, death metal, and grindcore. Lyrically, Macabre have a strong focus on serial killers, mass murderers and humorous elements. The group is currently signed to Nuclear Blast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jake Busey</span> American actor

William Jacob Busey is an American actor. Among his most prominent roles have been serial killer Johnny Bartlett in 1996's The Frighteners, Ace Levy in 1997's Starship Troopers, Kyle Brenner in 2001's Tomcats, Aiden Tanner in the 2014–2016 TV series From Dusk till Dawn: The Series, and Sean H. Keyes in the Predator franchise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ulli Lommel</span> German actor, film director and screenwriter

Ulli Lommel was a German actor and director, noted for his many collaborations with Rainer Werner Fassbinder and his association with the New German Cinema movement. Lommel spent time at The Factory and was a creative associate of Andy Warhol, with whom he made several films and works of art. He moved to the United States in 1977, where he wrote, directed and starred in over 50 films.

Robert David Keppel was an American law enforcement officer and detective. He was also an associate professor at the University of New Haven and Sam Houston State University. Keppel was known for his contributions to the investigations of Ted Bundy and Gary Ridgway, and also assisted in the creation of HITS, the Homicide Investigation Tracking System.

<i>The Boogey Man</i> 1980 film by Ulli Lommel

The Boogey Man is a 1980 American supernatural slasher film written and directed by Ulli Lommel, and starring Suzanna Love, John Carradine, and Ron James. The film's title refers to the long-held superstition of boogeymen beings, and its plot concerns two siblings who are targeted by the ghost of their mother's deceased boyfriend which has been freed from a mirror.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zodiac Killer in popular culture</span>

The Zodiac Killer was a serial killer who operated in Northern California from at least the late 1960s to the early 1970s. His identity remains unknown. His crimes, letters and cryptograms to police and newspapers inspired many movies, novels, television and more.

<i>The Capture of the Green River Killer</i> American TV series or program

The Capture of the Green River Killer is a 2008 television miniseries that first aired on Lifetime Movie Network and tells the story of the Green River killer serial murders between 1982 and 1998.

<i>Cannibal</i> (2006 film) 2006 German horror film directed by Marian Dora

Cannibal is a 2006 German direct-to-video horror film written, directed and produced by Marian Dora in his feature film debut. The film centers on a mentally disturbed individual simply known as "The Man", who has cannibalistic fantasies. He makes a deal with a suicidal man known as "The Flesh" who agrees to let The Man eat him.

<i>Killer Pickton</i> 2005 American horror film

Killer Pickton is a 2006 American horror film loosely based on the crimes of Canadian pig farmer Robert Pickton.

Curse of the Zodiac is a 2007 American horror film from Lionsgate, written and directed by Ulli Lommel, inspired by the true story of the hunt for a notorious serial killer known as "Zodiac" who claimed responsibility for the still unsolved murders.

<i>The Tomb</i> (2007 film) 2007 American film

HP Lovecraft's The Tomb is a 2005 American horror film directed by Ulli Lommel and starring Victoria Ullmann, Christian Behm, Gerard Griesbaum, and Michael Barbour. It is supposedly based on H.P. Lovecraft's 1917 story, "The Tomb". However, the plot of the film is completely unrelated to the Lovecraft short story. The film was compared to the 2004 film, Saw, and the series was mentioned on the box art. The film is also known simply as The Tomb, but the title on the DVD case is HP Lovecraft's The Tomb. However, on the film itself, the title is given as "H.P. Lovecraft The Tomb", with no apostrophe or 's'.

<i>The Rage</i> (1997 film) 1997 Canadian film

The Rage is a 1997 Canadian-American action-thriller film directed by Sidney J. Furie.

<i>Game of Death</i> (2010 film) 2010 American film

Game of Death is a 2010 American action film directed by Giorgio Serafini, and starring Wesley Snipes, Zoë Bell, Gary Daniels and Robert Davi. The film was released on direct-to-DVD in the United States on February 15, 2011.

<i>The Tenderness of Wolves</i> (film) 1973 film

The Tenderness of Wolves is a 1973 West German crime drama film directed by Ulli Lommel. The story is based on the crimes of German serial killer and cannibal Fritz Haarmann. It was written by Kurt Raab, who also stars in the film, and produced by Rainer Werner Fassbinder. It was entered into the 23rd Berlin International Film Festival.

<i>Kemper: The CoEd Killer</i> 2008 American film

Kemper: The CoEd Killer is a 2008 American direct-to-video horror film directed by Rick Bitzelberger, and written by Jack Perez. The film is loosely based on the murders committed by California serial killer Edmund Kemper.

<i>House on the Hill</i> (film) 2012 American film

House on the Hill is a 2012 American horror film directed by Jeffrey Frentzen and based on the real-life killing spree of serial killers Leonard Lake and Charles Ng. The film had its world premiere on May 11, 2012 at the Monaco Charity Film Festival and was released to DVD in the United Kingdom and United States in 2015. In the United Kingdom, 7 minutes and 12 seconds were cut from the film by the British Board of Film Classification in order to obtain an 18 rating.

<i>The Riverman</i> American TV series or program

The Riverman is a 2004 American biographical crime drama television film directed by Bill Eagles and written by Tom Towler, based on the 2004 non-fiction book The Riverman: Ted Bundy and I Hunt for the Green River Killer by Robert D. Keppel and William J. Birnes. Shot in Halifax, Canada, the film stars Bruce Greenwood, Sam Jaeger, Kathleen Quinlan, and Cary Elwes. It premiered on A&E on September 6, 2004. The film follows real life incidents around how convicted infamous serial killer Ted Bundy helps detectives Robert D. Keppel and Dave Reichert by providing insights into the mind of a psychopath killer to catch then active murderer Green River Killer aka Gary Ridgway.

Marian Dora is the pseudonym most commonly used by an anonymous German art director, cinematographer, actor, screenwriter, editor, producer, composer, assistant director, makeup artist, special effects/sound/camera/electricity technician, and set decorator/designer, anagram of his actual name, occasionally also credited under several other pseudonyms including Marian Dora Bolutino, Marian Dora Botulino, Marian D. Bolutino, M.D. Botulino, Dr. M. Duran, Marian D. Botulino, M. Duran, Art Doran, M.D. Bolutino, A. Doran, Marian Bolutino and Marian Dallamano.

References