What a wonderful piece of work! A documentary that is at once informative, intriguing and terrifying - a "horror flick" not due to gruesome special effects and jolting surprises, but rather to the grisly reality that demented acts do occur, and they shape us profoundly from our personal psychologies to our communal attitudes.
Having spent my life on the West Coast, I'd never heard of this town or the murder, so I came to the film knowing only that it was "about an ax murder." It is so much more. Yes, the historical mystery is presented, clearly and fascinatingly. But it goes on to build the psychology and personality of the town itself, as shaped by the murder and its aftermath.
This was a small town in the early 1900s murder was personal and close and horrifying, there was no way for the townspeople to shrug it off as we might now that we've become more accustomed to, and desensitized to, violent crime. The town changed overnight, from welcoming and warm and trusting, to fearful, prejudiced and defensive. A community that had gone along in harmony became split, with half believing these had been murders for political/financial/community gain and the other half believing it was merely the work of a madman. One belief generated battles and hard feelings within the community, splitting families and friends to opposite sides and lifelong feuds. The other created a fearful, racist, closed society, completely distrustful and rejecting of any stranger or person of color. The town remains split even over the reality of this piece of its history - those who believe it to be historical fact which should be remembered are accused of celebrating it by those who consider it a shame that should be hidden and forgotten.
The documentary presents it all in a fair and non-partisan manner. No sides are taken, so we viewers get the full story and can develop our own conclusions we are still, after seeing the film, in exactly the same position as the town and the authorities, "living with a mystery" we have all the information at hand, but still no positive conclusions.
Artistically, this is a documentary with a twist
the narration is so calm and cool and presentational, that it eventually creates a chilling and horrific atmosphere. In our modern world we are so familiar with murder, and so surrounded by excitement and sensationalism, that this calm matter-of-fact voice talking of bashed heads and sundown laws becomes spine-shivering, and we are reminded of the true horror of some things we've begun to accept as common in our modern world.
