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Peter Jackson Investigates Infamous West Memphis Three Case

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I just recently decided to delve into Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky’s Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills, which has since turned into a trilogy of films about the “West Memphis Three”. It appeared to have everything you could possibly need to translate into a film, but apparently it wasn’t enough.

Peter Jackson and his Wingnut Films have announced completion of helmer-scribe Amy Berg‘s West of Memphis, a docu about the West Memphis Three, who were jailed for murder and recently freed, reports Variety.

What’s interesting is that Damien Echols, one of the three, produced the film with his wife Lorri Davis. 8 years in the making, Jackson and Fran Walsh helped reinvigorate the case in 2005 when they funded a new probe into the conviction of Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelly Jr., who were teenagers at the time of the murders of three 8-year-old boys and spent 18 years in prison.

A statement from Jackson said the film reveals unknown forensic evidence surrounding the arrest and conviction of the three defendants. The new evidence prompted the Arkansas Supreme Court to overturn previous denials of appeals and allowed for a new evidentiary hearing to proceed. This film represents the trial these men didn’t have. With the support of Damien and Lorri, along with unprecedented access to those closest to the case, we were able to make a film that shows the inner workings of the defense — the investigation, research, and appeals process, in a way that has never been shown before,” said Berg.

The state of Arkansas struck an unusual plea deal with the Three, freeing them but requiring them to plead guilty, despite their assertion of innocence. The film examines how the State Prosecutor’s declaration that the case is closed leaves the men convicted of a crime they did not commit while the murder goes unsolved.

Jackson said he hoped further investigation would lead to finding the killer and exonerating the three defendants.

Music for the film was written by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis. Exec producer Ken Kamins will conduct discussions with potential distributors. The West Memphis Three have also been covered in three “Paradise Lost” docus by Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky. The New York Times reported Sunday that there has been jostling for access to sources between the Jackson’s camp, the “Paradise Lost” filmmakers and others making films about the case.

Horror movie fanatic who co-founded Bloody Disgusting in 2001. Producer on Southbound, V/H/S/2/3/94, SiREN, Under the Bed, and A Horrible Way to Die. Chicago-based. Horror, pizza and basketball connoisseur. Taco Bell daily. Franchise favs: Hellraiser, Child's Play, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, Scream and Friday the 13th. Horror 365 days a year.

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Exclusive ‘The First Omen’ Featurette Video Previews Connection to the Original Horror Classic

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The Omen

20th Century Studios’ The First Omen is a true prequel to The Omen, arriving almost fifty years after the Richard Donner-directed horror classic introduced Antichrist Damien Thorn and terrified audiences. The film’s legacy is front and center in an exclusive new featurette.

First released in 1976, The Omen stars Gregory Peck as affluent diplomat Robert Thorn. It begins on June 6, at 6 am in Rome, where Robert Thorn learns his newborn has died, and the Church convinces him to accept an orphaned infant in its place. Robert’s wife, Kathy (Lee Remick), is none the wiser.

As the child, Damien, turns five, it coincides with a wave of strange happenings and coincidences that leads Robert down a harrowing journey where he’ll discover his adoptive son may be the Antichrist.

Written by David SeltzerThe Omen was a massive commercial success upon release in theaters. Donner injected plenty of dread and shocking deaths, but the film also earned its place in the pantheon of horror classics for an unsettling performance by child actor Harvey Spencer Stephens as Damien and a number of iconic scenes, including the “All for You, Damien!” hanging that arrives a mere 13 minutes into the film.

Watch the featurette below to learn more about The Omen‘s legacy and its connections to the upcoming prequel, The First Omen.

Nell Tiger Free (“Servant”) stars in The First Omen, alongside Tawfeek Barhom (“Mary Magdalene”), Sonia Braga (“Kiss of the Spider Woman”), Ralph Ineson (The Witch, Onyx the Fortuitous), and Bill Nighy (“Living”).

In the film, “When a young American woman is sent to Rome to begin a life of service to the church, she encounters a darkness that causes her to question her own faith and uncovers a terrifying conspiracy that hopes to bring about the birth of evil incarnate.”

The new movie is directed by Arkasha Stevenson, based on characters created by David Seltzer (“The Omen”), with a story by Ben Jacoby (“Bleed”) and a screenplay by Tim Smith & Arkasha Stevenson and Keith Thomas (Firestarter).

The First Omen releases in theaters on April 5, 2024.

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