The Happy Face Killer: Mind of a Monster

Obituary of a Beast

January 1985 •German

Between 1962 and 1966, sex murderer Jurgen Bartsch cruelly tortured and killed four children in an old air raid bunker in Germany. This documentary examines the personality of the killer who died in 1976 during voluntary castration surgery at the age of 30. Vilified by the press for his heinous crime, Bartsch also became a case study for famous found criminal psychologists like Alice Miller (who maintains that no one abuses without being abused as a child, and murderers tend to have their own childhood abuse denied by the adults around them). Bartsch never met his birth parents, he was raised in a clinic and later adopted by a cold, unaffectionate couple. By the age of 15, he tortured and killed his first child victim. This informative, fact-filled documentary provides enough details for viewers to come away with a broader understanding of the nature of the criminally insane and society's role in their formation.

Serial killer, autopsie d'une fascination

June 2023 •French

Confluence

January 2011 •English

The Lewiston / Clarkston valley has a rich history. It is here, at the confluence of the Clearwater and Snake Rivers, where Lewis and Clark camped on their westward journey over two hundred years ago. Residents boast that the valley is the gateway to Hells Canyon, that Lewiston was Idaho's first capital. However, the valley also has a much darker past, one that many know about, but few publicly acknowledge. From 1979 to 1982, five people disappeared. Only three of the bodies have ever been found. All share one suspect.

Room Zero

February 2009 •English

Wayne Adam Ford is a convicted serial killer on Death Row. Victoria Redstall is a model who trained to be a cop. Together, and against all odds, Ford and Redstall take us on a roadtrip into the mind of a serial killer and attempt to find the identity of his first victim. All that remained of her was a dismembered torso.

Hunting the Zodiac

July 2003 •German

A film by John Mikulenka documenting various people's investigation into the mystery of the Zodiac.

Murder: No Apparent Motive

April 1984 •English

This documentary about serial killers and FBI Behavioral Sciences profilers features interviews with Ed Kemper and Ted Bundy as well as crime victims and law enforcement officials. The film includes some dramatic recreations.

The Real Des: The Dennis Nilsen Story

September 2020 •English

Known as a “kindly killer”, this documentary details Nilsen’s moves between 1978 and 1983, after which he admitted to killing as many as 15 young men.

Encounter with a Killer

Invalid date •Spanish

In 1980, the capture of the infamous serial killer Pedro Alonso López, also known as the Monster or the Strangler of the Andes, seemed to end his nearly decade-long reign of terror. However, Ecuadorian laws benefited the murderer by giving him a shorter sentence and even the option of leaving in less time. When the Monster's release draws near, a group of family members struggle to find ways to keep him in jail, while he, from the inside, searches through a series of letters to clear his name and unmask the real killer: Jorge Patiño. The problem is that Jorge Patiño exists only in his mind.

Confessions of a Psycho Killer

February 2023 •English

When the body of 63-year-old vicar, Anthony Crean, was discovered in the quiet village of Shorne, Kent in March 1975, the community were shocked. Father Crean hadn’t died of natural causes; he had been hacked to death with an axe and left in a bath of blood. One detective was certain the killer was 22-year-old career criminal named Patrick Mackay, but he had no proof.

Faces of Death III

March 1985 •English

The third installment of the infamous "is it real or fake?" mondo series sets its sights primarily on serial killers, with lengthy reenactments of police investigations of bodies being found in dumpsters, and a staged courtroom sequence.

BTK: Chasing a Serial Killer

September 2020 •English

A three-part documentary series that recounts the notorious killer's crimes, the decades long investigation that captured him, and the effect his brutal murders had on everyone in his orbit, especially his daughter who speaks openly about what it is like to be the daughter of a serial killer.

Claremont: Catching a Killer

September 2020 •English

The untold story of the Claremont serial killings. For the first time, those touched by the disappearance of three young women in Perth's affluent nightlife district break their silence. Hear from those who lived through the reign of terror.

Deadly Legacy

December 2018 •English

In 2011, Detective Sergeant Jason Moran from the Sheriff’s Department of Cook County Illinois, reopened the case of one of America’s most notorious serial killers, ‘The Killer Clown’ John Wayne Gacy. Although Gacy was convicted of 33 murders and killed by lethal injection in 1994, unbelievably, EIGHT of his victims remain unidentified. Today, 40 years after the discovery of the crawlspace under Gacy’s Chicago home, where he buried most of his victims, Detective Moran knows time is running out to identify the remaining unnamed victims of this sadistic killer.

Albert Fish: In Sin He Found Salvation

August 2007 •English

Albert Fish, the horrific true story of elderly cannibal, sadomasochist, and serial killer, who lured children to their deaths in Depression-era New York City. Distorting biblical tales, Albert Fish takes the themes of pain, torture, atonement and suffering literally as he preys on victims to torture and sacrifice.

The Russian Cracker

August 1999 •English

Russia is grappling with a critical issue: they have become the country with the most at large serial killers in the world particularly concentrated in Rostov, the same city that witnessed Andrei Chikatilo's infamous killing spree. In response, law enforcement has turned to Dr. Alexander Bukhanovsky, a prominent psychiatrist and criminal profiler, who is implementing radical measures to understand the root causes of this phenomenon and develop effective solutions. Within Dr. Bukhanovsky's clinic, we encounter three of his young patients: Edward and Igor, whose families express deep concerns about their disturbing fantasies, and 'Mischa', who has perpetrated acts of torture and sexual assault. Dr. Bukhanovsky's approach is groundbreaking, offering treatment to potential serial offenders. However, critics argue that by keeping individuals like 'Mischa' anonymous, he may inadvertently shield them from public awareness and accountability, prompting debate over the ethics of his methods.

Interview with a Serial Killer

April 2008 •English

In this jailhouse interview, Arthur Shawcross, the Genesee River Killer, shares candid details of his crimes and his surprising family bonds.

Chaplin Today: 'Monsieur Verdoux'

September 2003 •English

A short documentary in the Chaplin Today series about Chaplin's "Monsieur Verdoux." Includes an interview with Claude Chabrol, whose 1963 film "Landru" concerns the same serial killer that inspired Chaplin's film.

The Butcher Baker: Mind of a Monster

September 2020 •English

Feature length documentary about the little known serial killer Robert Hansen, who killed for 12 years in the wilderness of Alaska before finally being caught in 1983. A compelling mixture of archive, actuality, interviews and a challenging drama shoot in Alaska brings his story to life.

Terror in the Aisles

October 1984 •English

A non-stop roller coaster ride through the scariest moments of the greatest terror films of all time.

In Paradisum

September 1993 •Estonian

In Paradisum relates two disturbing stories simultaneously. The female narrator tells her personal tale of imprisonment as the wife of the notorious Estonian serial killer, Andreas Hanni. Although her story is bizarre, it touches familiar themes that run throughout modern life: the desire to be loved and the fear of being alone. Pille Hanni's tale unfolds over cinema vérité images of life in several Estonian prisons. At times the images reflect in a literary way the events of the narration, yet they are representations and impressions, rather than traditional documentary style footage of the people involved. This opens the story to a more general interpretation, often with unsettling results. The parallel contents reveal, at two levels of story and social organisation, how the bizarre and inhuman can be tolerable and even addictive in the face of our fears.