From DHD – And you thought Hannibal Lector was scary. Get ready to meet Dr. H.H. Holmes, one of America’s first documented serial killers – Leonardo DiCaprio, his Appian Way partner Jennifer Killoran and Double Features partners Michael Shamberg and Stacey Sher have joined forces to acquire the screen rights to The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic And Madness At The Fair That Changed America, Erik Larson’s bestselling non-fiction book. DiCaprio will play Dr. H.H. Holmes, a man who is believed to have murdered anywhere from 27-200 people while Chicago was hosting the World’s Fair of 1893.
Holmes constructed The World’s Fair Hotel, later known as the “murder castle,” specifically for the purpose of luring in young single women. The hotel had a secret chute for transporting bodies to the basement, where Holmes had a gas chamber, crematorium and a dissecting table. There he would murder his victims and strip their skeletons to sell for medical and scientific study. Many of Holmes’ victims were his employees, who were required to take out life insurance policies, of which Holmes was the beneficiary.
Makes Stieg Larsson seem downright cheery, doesn’t it?
Book Jacket:
Bringing Chicago circa 1893 to vivid life, Erik Larson’s spellbinding bestseller intertwines the true tale of two men–the brilliant architect behind the legendary 1893 World’s Fair, striving to secure America’s place in the world; and the cunning serial killer who used the fair to lure his victims to their death. Combining meticulous research with nail-biting storytelling, Erik Larson has crafted a narrative with all the wonder of newly discovered history and the thrills of the best fiction.
You can read an excerpt here.
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