H.H. Holmes: America's First Serial Killer

DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME. It felt like I was back in school listening to a boring lecture from which nothing of value could be gleaned. The "re-enactments" were horrendous. Did not match the time period at all. The visuals made no sense at all, in fact there was a loop of old footage that went on for what seemed like an eternity. This documentary was a travesty and the filmmakers should be ashamed that they put out such dull crap when they had such good material to work with. Honestly this looks like a middle school project. I fell asleep halfway through because it was so boring. I really don't understand why anyone would give this a high rating, especially when there are docs a bajillion times better. What a waste.

H.H. Holmes was not America’s first serial killer. The first American serial killer roamed the streets of Austin, Texas. Do your homework before presenting documentaries.

The justification that Dr. H. H. Holmes gave when he was asked why he did what he did, including the murder of his friend and accomplice, was, "I was born with the devil in me. I could not help the fact that I was a murderer, no more than the poet can help the inspiration to sing...I was born with the evil one standing as my sponsor beside the bed where I was ushered into the world, and he has been with me since." However, I am not here to talk about what Holmes did and how ethical or unethical it was, but rather to review the documentary I watched that told the story of his life and workings. It is not one that everyone would find too interesting but it does give a detailed description of how Holmes (born Herman Mudgett) spent his rather short life, living to be the age of thirty-four and executed only eight days before his birthday. This documentary gave an incredible insight into the life and mind of the late Dr. Holmes (though it did not introduce everything) and showed quite well how exactly he accomplished his work up until the day he was executed. Though it was a documentary, I personally thought that it was missing something. Yes, there were those who knew exactly what they spoke of and they used that knowledge to the best of their abilities to paint a better picture for those listening and or watching but that did not seem to be enough. Even throughout the film, I was seemingly left with more questions than answers as to how and why such things happened. However, there is not really any way to get the answers that I desire as the man in question, the one this documentary is about, is no longer with us in anything but thought and writing. The autobiography that Dr. Holmes wrote in his final days also helped to shed some light on the subject but it still did not tell all. There seemed to be a few things missing from the film about his life in general that may have been deemed unimportant by some but could also have helped to pinpoint the part when his life turned around. I believe that there could have been more mention to his early life and how that affected him later on instead of just there being information on his later years and his overall time in the city of Chicago, Illinois. This film, H. H. Holmes: America's first Serial Killer, brought to light a new aspect of the life of someone that has fascinated many in the times following his deeds. I certainly can believe that I am not the only one who feels that this was a film worth seeing, despite its faults. Even though I did not get everything that I had wanted from this, I still enjoyed myself as I watched it and thought that it was quite informative from the beginning of his life until the end of it. The 2004 documentary of the life of Herman Webster Mudgett, alias Henry Howard Holmes or Dr. H. H. Holmes, tells much of what inspired the serial killers of the modern world and how he showed the world and the United States in general that no one is truly safe from anyone that may potentially follow in his footsteps. Through this and the book which Mudgett wrote, the world will now be better prepared in the case that someone will be bold enough to attempt to recreate the works of the infamous Dr. Holmes.

Interesting to hear the facts of such a prolific killer who designed his own building for killing. Shame it's so shoddily done. Someone should do a great dramatisation because it is gripping.

A very interesting look into America's first serial killer, H.H. Holmes (wow that's a lot of H's). If you have Netflix, I'd suggest giving this a watch. It's a creepy retrospective on a man who was pure evil, though it's more of a fun little film for the curious rather than a solid look into the man's psyche.

It's a good documentary about the first American serial killer in the history.

Interesting documentary

Fascinating and creepy!!

This is a very good documentary about America's first serial killer, H.H. Holmes. With recreations and interviews with psychologists who have analyzed how Holmes operated. This is an engaging documentary, one that is very disturbing considering the nature of it subject. Holmes was inventive in his methods of killing people, operating a death factory hidden away in a hotel that he owned. This is a well done documentary that is very interesting because Holmes was such a unique and disturbed individual. The documentary is worth seeing if you're interested in the subject. The film is pretty short, but there is enough documentation to make it standout. This is not a film that warrants multiple viewings due to its macabre nature, but nonetheless, it may be a worthy film to see if you're interested true crime stories. This is as real as it gets, and it's a chilling account of a meticulous killer who was able to murder countless people within the walls of his "castle", and not raise suspicion for a short time, until he finally got caught and executed. This documentary plays out more as a TV episode than a film, but it does stand out as an important film in the true crime genre. H.H. Holmes was the first serial killer in American history, and possibly one of the inventive in carrying out his crimes. Overall it's a good film to watch and very engaging with interviews and archival footage throughout. Although it's well constructed, H.H. Holmes should have been a bit longer to really make a standout documentary film. As it is, it's engaging, but it's not a movie that is worth seeing again and should be viewed for research purposes or if you're interested the subject.

Not a bad film for information but it could have been livelier for a film about a serial killer.