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Bestselling true-crime master Harold Schechter explores the real-life headline-making psychos, serial murderers, thrill-hungry couples, and lady-killers who inspired a century of classic films.
The necktie murders in Alfred Hitchcock’s Frenzy; Chicago’s Jazz Age crime of passion; the fatal hookup in Looking for Mr. Goodbar; the high school horrors committed by the costumed slasher in Scream. These and other cinematic crimes have become part of pop-culture history. And each found inspiration in true events that provided the raw material for our greatest blockbusters, indie art films, black comedies, Hollywood classics, and grindhouse horrors.
So what’s the reality behind Psycho, Badlands, The Hills Have Eyes, A Place in the Sun, Arsenic and Old Lace, and Dirty Harry? How did such tabloid-ready killers as Bonnie and Clyde, body snatchers Burke and Hare, Texas sniper Charles Whitman Jr., nurse-slayer Richard Speck, and Leopold and Loeb exert their power on the public imagination and become the stuff of movie lore?
In this collection of revelatory essays, true-crime historian Harold Schechter takes a fascinating trip down the crossroads of fact and fiction to reveal the sensational real-life stories that are more shocking, taboo, and fantastic than even the most imaginative screenwriter can dream up.
Bestselling true-crime master Harold Schechter explores the real-life headline-making psychos, serial murderers, thrill-hungry couples, and lady-killers who inspired a century of classic films.
The necktie murders in Alfred Hitchcock’s Frenzy; Chicago’s Jazz Age crime of passion; the fatal hookup in Looking for Mr. Goodbar; the high school horrors committed by the costumed slasher in Scream. These and other cinematic crimes have become part of pop-culture history. And each found inspiration in true events that provided the raw material for our greatest blockbusters, indie art films, black comedies, Hollywood classics, and grindhouse horrors.
So what’s the reality behind Psycho, Badlands, The Hills Have Eyes, A Place in the Sun, Arsenic and Old Lace, and Dirty Harry? How did such tabloid-ready killers as Bonnie and Clyde, body snatchers Burke and Hare, Texas sniper Charles Whitman Jr., nurse-slayer Richard Speck, and Leopold and Loeb exert their power on the public imagination and become the stuff of movie lore?
In this collection of revelatory essays, true-crime historian Harold Schechter takes a fascinating trip down the crossroads of fact and fiction to reveal the sensational real-life stories that are more shocking, taboo, and fantastic than even the most imaginative screenwriter can dream up.
Harold Schechter is an American true-crime writer who specializes in serial killers. Twice nominated for the Edgar Award, he is the author of the nonfiction books Fatal, Fiend, Bestial, Deviant, Deranged, Depraved, The Serial Killer Files, The Mad Sculptor, Man-Eater, the Amazon Charts and Washington Post bestseller Hell’s Princess: The Mystery of Belle Gunness, Butcher of Men, and the Amazon Original Stories collection Bloodlands. Schechter attended the State University of New York in Buffalo. A professor emeritus at Queens College, Schechter is married to the poet Kimiko Hahn. For more information, visit www.haroldschechter.com.
“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
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