Villisca: Living with a Mystery

I saw "Villisca" this fall and thought it was great. I wasn't expecting to get so caught up in the story of the town and how it has been impacted by a grisly murder that took place almost 100 years ago. At the end of the film I felt like I'd lived in the town of Villisca. The historians are wonderful and entertaining interviews, as are the older people who were alive at the time the murders took place. Every time I thought I had the murder suspect nailed down, I was proved wrong. But that is what keeps you glued to the story. I had never heard of the case and that made it all the more interesting. It really is an excellent murder mystery and a good historical documentary worth seeing.

This film is a documentary focusing on the June 1912 Villisca, Iowa axe murders that killed eight people. The movie tells the story of the crime itself, the suspects, the attempts at solving the crime and the lasting effects this heinous act had on the small town of Villisca. Townspeople, criminal experts and Villisca "buffs" are interviewed. Suspects are presented and theories given, but the mystery goes on....

An enjoyable movie for crime buffs and historians - very well presented. You don't have to know about the crime in advance to understand and enjoy the movie. Since it is a documentary, it is full of still photos, but nothing squeamish like the subject might suggest.

When this film ran on the Iowa Public TV Network recently, I was excited to see it since I have been interested in the crime for a long time and knew that a film was being made about it. My expectations about quality and amount of information in the film were not too high, however. Boy was I wrong! It is a two-hour film and is excellent in every respect (except for naming President William Howard Taft incorrectly as "Howard Taft", minor detail). Lots of information given, many photographs and interviews with local people and a very credible suggestion at the end as to who the real killer actually was with believable evidence presented. Only a couple of elderly people who were alive and living in Villisca at the time of the murders were able to be located and interviewed, however. Everybody else is apparently either deceased or unable or opposed to talking with the filmmakers. That is the only small disappointment in the film, and not one the filmmakers could control for. It's just too bad that nobody sought to interview people who were alive at the time of the murders while more were still living. All in all, great documentary for true crime buffs, well worth seeing!

I just saw this film for the first time and was captivated from beginning to end. I had never heard about the Villisca ax murders, and this documentary hooked me on the subject. If you like true crime stories or mysteries, this story will knock your socks off. I have read books on all of the well-known murder mysteries that have been done again and again, so it was great to see something completely new. The movie is full of details about various suspects and puts you through the process of trying to figure out "who done it". I will have to see it again, because there was so much to sort through. It really is one of the best murder mystery documentaries I have ever seen. I am a huge fan of Robert Ressler, and was pleasantly surprised to hear his comments about the case. If you haven't seen it, see it!

I live near Villisca and grew up hearing the stories and theories concerning this horrible crime which still persist today in books, discussions and the memories of those few who still remember when it happened. Now the house is a museum for the macabre crime. The Rundles did such a great job in the documentary so long in the making. The meticulous attention to not just the crime but to the town and people affected was lovingly crafted. I highly recommend this documentary as both a great outlet for crime and history buffs and for those who appreciate that this can be presented without forgetting the human factor.