The exploits of Depression-era homicidal sweethearts Bonnie and Clyde and the 1960s strangler who inspired the necktie murders in Alfred Hitchcock’s Frenzy are among the true stories behind many of cinema’s most famous crimes and criminals. Schechter, author of numerous books on serial killers, tracks the path from felony to film.” —Publishers Weekly
“With this riveting compendium, true crime guru Schechter provides the ghoulish details behind 40 films…Schechter’s expertise is such that three of his previous titles appear as works cited in this well-researched and gripping read. This fascinating look at the intersection of true crime and pop culture is a must.” —Library Journal (starred review)
“Educational and engrossing, true-crime author Schechter’s latest (after Hell’s Princess, 2018) is a collection of essays that pull back the curtain on Hollywood to explain the real stories that inspired movies…fascinating, intriguing, and difficult to put down, Ripped from the Headlines! is a must for movie buffs and true crime fans alike.” —Booklist
“In this fascinating survey, Schechter (Hell’s Princess: The Mystery of Belle Gunness, Butcher of Men) details the links between more than 40 movies and the real-life crimes that inspired them…True crime fans and movie trivia buffs will devour this one like popcorn.” —Publishers Weekly
“Schechter offers new insight on the classic crime movies of the 1930s and 1940s, many of which were sanitized because of stricter enforcement of 1930’s Production Code after 1934, as well as customs of the times…This treasure trove can also be enjoyed like an anthology. Each entry is a pithy gem of chilling details, adorned with folksy drawings of instruments of death…Ripped from the Headlines! is inspiration for mystery writers everywhere, a primer in how to modify a true story for any writing market. It should go on a mystery writer’s reference book shelf, between Kenneth Anger’s Hollywood Babylon books (and [their] follow-ups by other writers) and How To Write Mysteries.” —New City Lit
“Harold Schechter has created a highly entertaining look at the real life stories behind many of Hollywood’s crime films, beginning long before the current true crime boom. Schechter includes a huge number of films, including plenty of Golden Age film noirs, salacious pre-Hays Code thrillers, and modern day dramas. The description of the crimes themselves are necessarily sobering, and the contrast between film criticism and real life events is the tension from [which] the book draws its strength. This will make you want to re-watch all your old favorites with a completely new perspective.” —CrimeReads
“Explains how truth isn’t just stranger than fiction—it’s often far scarier.” —New York Daily News
“Movie buffs and true-crime fans will find this an intriguing look at the truth behind the fiction.” —Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine
05/18/2020
In this fascinating survey, Schechter (Hell’s Princess: The Mystery of Belle Gunness, Butcher of Men) details the links between more than 40 movies and the real-life crimes that inspired them. Many of Alfred Hitchcock’s films were based on real incidents, in particular 1960’s Psycho, which drew on the hideous crimes of Ed Gein, who, after his mother’s death, robbed graves and murdered two women and kept their body parts in his farmhouse. (Hitchcock’s Frenzy and Rope also merit chapters.) The author brings his erudition to bear on other classics including Arsenic and Old Lace (a late 19th-century female series poisoner), Dirty Harry (San Francisco’s Zodiac killer), and Murder on the Orient Express (the Lindbergh baby kidnapping case). Lesser known films get fair treatment, such as 1976’s cheesy Eaten Alive! about a man who kills women and feeds their bodies to his pet alligator, which was based on the story of Texan Joe Ball, who kept alligators in a pond behind his tavern and murdered women. True crime fans and movie trivia buffs will devour this one like popcorn. (July)
★ 05/01/2020
True crime aficionados and movie buffs know that murderers Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb inspired Alfred Hitchcock's Rope (1948) and that Elephant (2003) was informed by the Columbine shootings, but they might be surprised to learn that the killers in Scream and The Hills Have Eyes have real-world counterparts, too. With this riveting compendium, true crime guru Schechter (Hell's Princess: The Mystery of Belle Gunness, Butcher of Men) provides the ghoulish details behind 40 films, from classics such as Arsenic and Old Lace to grindhouse fare including Eaten Alive! Every entry summarizes the movie (beware spoilers) and offers Schechter's account of the crime. He also expands his discussion when a killer has inspired several movies—Ed Gein, the basis for Psycho's Norman Bates, also influenced The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) and The Silence of the Lambs (1991). VERDICT Schechter's expertise is such that three of his previous titles appear as works cited in this well-researched and gripping read. This fascinating look at the intersection of true crime and pop culture is a must.—Terry Bosky, Madison, WI
