 | |
| Author | Steve Lillebuen |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | True crime |
| Publisher | McClelland & Stewart |
Publication date | March 2012 |
| Publication place | Canada |
| Media type | Print (hardcover and eBook) |
| Pages | 352 |
| ISBN | 978-0771050336 |
The Devil's Cinema: The Untold Story Behind Mark Twitchell's Kill Room is a true crime book by journalist and author Steve Lillebuen. [1] [2] [3] The book is a work of narrative nonfiction. [4] [5] [6] In May 2013, the book won Best Non-Fiction at the Arthur Ellis Awards. [7]
The book is set in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and follows several detectives working on a missing persons case and the intersecting lives of Johnny Altinger and aspiring filmmaker Mark Twitchell.r [8] who is under investigation for luring strangers to his "kill room," [9] which police believe is designed to replicate elements and methods used by fictional serial killer Dexter Morgan. [10]
Twitchell's arrest and trial attracted substantial media attention since his crimes were inspired by Dexter , the television series. ABC's 20/20 , [11] Dateline NBC , [12] CBC's The Fifth Estate , [13] and many newspapers around the world covered the story, from England's The Guardian [9] to Australia's The Age . [14]
Steve Lillebuen had been an Edmonton Journal crime reporter when Twitchell was arrested, leading to a three-year project on writing and researching the book. [1] He also spent a year corresponding with Twitchell after he called the author from prison to volunteer for an interview. [15] [16]
A film adaptation of the book was acquired by David Permut with Sam Hobkinson (Misha and the Wolves) set to direct. [17]
A snuff film, snuff movie, or snuff video is a theoretical type of film, produced for profit or financial gain, that shows, or purports to show, scenes of actual homicide. The victims are supposedly typically lured to their murders by false pretenses and their murder is then filmed and the video depicting it is sold to buyers.
True crime is a nonfiction literary, podcast, and film genre in which the author examines a crime and details the actions of people associated with and affected by criminal events. It is a cultural phenomenon that can refer to the promotion of sensationalized and emotionally charged content around the subject of violent crime, for the general public. Many works in this genre recount high-profile, sensational crimes such as the killing of JonBenét Ramsey, the O. J. Simpson murder case, and the Pamela Smart murder, while others are devoted to more obscure slayings.
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.
James Renner is an American author, investigative journalist, producer, and director. He worked as a reporter for Cleveland Scene and was editor of the alternative newspaper The Cleveland Independent. He is known for his work in the thriller, science fiction, and true crime genres. In 2019, Renner founded The Porchlight Project, a nonprofit dedicated to offering support for the families of the missing and murdered.
The Lords of Chaos was a self-styled teen militia formed on April 13, 1996, in Fort Myers, Florida, United States. It was led by Kevin Donald Foster. The group gained notoriety for a crime spree that ended on April 30, 1996, with the murder of one of the boys' teachers, Mark Schwebes, the Riverdale High School's band director.
Social network services are increasingly being used in legal and criminal investigations. Information posted on sites such as Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook has been used by police and university officials to prosecute users of said sites. In some situations, content posted on Myspace has been used in court to determine an appropriate sentence based on a defendant's attitude.
Oxygen is an American television network owned by the NBCUniversal Media Group division and business segment of NBCUniversal (NBCU), a subsidiary of Comcast. The channel primarily airs true crime programming and dramas targeted towards women.
Dexter is an American Crime television series that aired on Showtime from October 1, 2006, to September 22, 2013. Set in Miami, the series centers on Dexter Morgan, a forensic technician specializing in blood spatter analysis for the fictional Miami Metro Police Department, who leads a secret parallel life as a vigilante serial killer, hunting down murderers who have not been adequately punished by the justice system due to corruption or legal technicalities. The show's first season was derived from the novel Darkly Dreaming Dexter (2004), the first in a series of novels by Jeff Lindsay. It was adapted for television by James Manos Jr., who wrote the first episode. Subsequent seasons evolved independently of Lindsay's works while using many of the same characters and concepts.
Dexter Morgan, also known as The Bay Harbor Butcher, is a fictional character introduced as the antihero protagonist of the Dexter book series written by Jeff Lindsay, as well as the television series of the same name. In the television series, Dexter is portrayed by Michael C. Hall.
Snapped is an American true crime television series produced by Jupiter Entertainment which depicts high profile or bizarre cases of women accused of murder. Each episode outlines the motivation for murder, whether it be revenge against a cheating husband or lover, a large insurance payoff, or the ending to years of abuse, with each murder's circumstances as unique as the women profiled.
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.
Pedro Rodrigues Filho, also known as Pedrinho Matador, Killer Lil' Pedro, Killer Killer Petey, or simply Killer Petey, was a Brazilian serial killer, spree killer, vigilante, and YouTuber known for pursuing and killing exclusively suspected criminals as a teenager, between the age of 14 and 19, in particular an entire gang in response to the murder of his pregnant girlfriend. Officially sentenced for 71 murders but claiming to have killed over 100 drug dealers, rapists, and murderers, he served 34 years in prison before his release in 2007. In 2011, Rodrigues was imprisoned again on charges of inciting riot and deprivation of liberty; he was sentenced to eight years in prison, but was released again in 2018 after seven years on good behavior.
Mathew William Phelps is an American crime writer and investigative journalist, podcaster, and TV presenter.
Mark Andrew Twitchell is a Canadian filmmaker convicted of first-degree murder in April 2011 for the murder of John Brian Altinger. His trial attracted particular media attention because Twitchell had allegedly been inspired by the fictional character Dexter Morgan.
The sixth season of Dexter premiered on October 2, 2011, on the television cable network Showtime, and consisted of 12 episodes. The season follows Dexter's and Miami Metro's investigations into a string of bizarre ritualistic killings featuring overtly religious apocalyptic symbolism. On November 18, 2011, it was announced that Dexter had been renewed for two more seasons.
Steve Lillebuen is a Canadian author and journalist. He divides his time between Australia and Canada.
In May 2012, Jun Lin, a Chinese university student, was fatally stabbed and dismembered in Montreal, Canada, by Luka Rocco Magnotta, who then mailed Lin's hands and feet to elementary schools and federal political party offices. After a video that showed Magnotta mutilating Lin's corpse was posted online, Magnotta fled Canada, becoming the subject of an Interpol Red Notice and prompting an international manhunt. In June 2012, he was apprehended in Berlin.
Shanna Hogan was an American non-fiction author and journalist. She was best known for writing the book Picture Perfect about convicted murderer Jodi Arias.
Damien Wayne Echols is an American author who first became known as one of three teenagers, the West Memphis Three, convicted of a triple murder in 1994 despite the lack of physical evidence connecting them to the crime and the dubious nature of the other evidence. Upon his release from death row in 2011 under an Alford plea, Echols authored several autobiographical and spiritual books. He has been featured in multiple books, documentaries, and podcasts about his spiritual works and the West Memphis Three case.