Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills

Paradise Lost: Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills
DVD cover
Directed by	Joe Berlinger Bruce Sinofsky
Produced by	Joe Berlinger Bruce Sinofsky
Starring	Home Box Office (HBO)
Release date	June 10, 1996 (1996-06-10)
Running time	150 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills is a 1996 American

, Arkansas.

The film uses the music of

in 2011.

Description

The film documents the events following the arrests of Misskelley, Echols and Baldwin for the murders of Christopher Byers, Michael Moore and Stevie Branch, whose naked and

hogtied

bodies were discovered in a ditch in Brandon Mississippi Robinhood.

Filmmakers Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky interviewed numerous people connected with the case, including the parents of the victims, the parents of the accused, members of the West Memphis Police Department (WMPD) and all the defendants involved in the trial. Berlinger and Sinofsky are not filmed themselves, and the dialogue is provided by the interviewee, rather than using a "Q & A" format.

The film starts with an introduction to the case, before moving on to the arrests of the three teenagers. Much of the community, including the detectives and the victims' parents, believe the murders were committed by the teenagers as part of a Satanic ritual. During the trial, Damien Echols is asked about his familiarity with Aleister Crowley's belief system. Echols also states that he likes reading books by Anton LaVey and Stephen King.

The community is shown to be

. Because Misskelley had provided police with a confession, his trial is separated from that of Damien and Jason, and is covered in the first half of the film.

Trials coverage

The first trial to be covered in the film is that of Misskelley, a trial which was severed from those of Echols and Baldwin since it was Misskelley who confessed. Emphasis is placed on the fact that there is a strong possibility that the confession was

. Interviews are conducted with Misskelley himself, his family and friends, and his attorney Dan Stidham. Misskelley is sentenced to life in prison.

Part two of the film documents the trials of Echols and Baldwin. Like the coverage of Misskelley's trial, there are interviews with both defendants, their attorneys and their families. The families of the victims also share their views.

During the course of filming,

was similar to that of Mark Byers and Christopher, but the evidence was nonetheless inconclusive since the DNA evidence produced was fragmented and could not provide concrete links.

Production

The production had 79 filming days over a 10-month period, starting in the weeks after the murders through the trials and convictions, at the actual Arkansas locations.[2] The movie marks the first time Metallica allowed their music to be used in a movie.^[1] A decade later, the directors made Metallica: Some Kind of Monster about the band.^[3]

Reception

The movie was well received by critics, including

Aftermath

Following a successful decision in 2010 by the Arkansas Supreme Court regarding recently uncovered DNA evidence, the West Memphis Three reached a deal with prosecutors. On August 19, 2011, they entered Alford pleas, which allow them to assert their innocence and were sentenced to time served, effectively freeing them.

See also

• West of Memphis – a 2012 documentary also covering the West Memphis Three
• Devil's Knot – a 2013 feature film dramatization of the case, directed by Atom Egoyan.

References

External links

• Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills at
  IMDb
• Paradise Lost movies at
  Curlie