Paradise Lost (1996)

A true-crime film that credits a "Heavy Metal Music Consultant?"  
Believe it or not, a sparse soundtrack by Metallica is one of the 
many pleasures to be partaken in PARADISE LOST: THE CHILD MURDERS 
AT ROBIN HOOD HILLS.  This fascinating though overlong documentary 
from the makers of BROTHER'S KEEPER recounts the events surrounding 
the discovery of three murdered boys in West Memphis, Arkansas, the 
reaction of their families, and the resulting trial that convicted 
three adolescent outcasts with nary a shred of physical evidence.  
Though the details of the crime-- involving sexual mutilation-- are 
graphic enough to make your hair stand on end, the most harrowing 
portrait of evil is that of an unforgiving Christian community.  
Filmmakers Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsy, who were given access 
to anyone and everyone associated with the trial, take us into the 
churches, the trailer parks, and, in one unforgettable sequence, 
onto the firing range where a grieving father imagines the suspects 
as the giant pumpkin he's using for target practice.  Recommended.  
(Rated "R"/150 min.)

Grade: B+

Copyright 1996 by Michael J. Legeros

Originally posted to triangle.movies in MOVIE HELL: October 6, 1996