"Villisca: Living with a Mystery" Documentary Tour Ends at State Historical Building Theater
For Immediate Release August 16, 2004
The Iowa documentary "Villisca: Living with a Mystery" will end its run with three special final events at the State Historical Building on Aug. 20 and 22. Movie times are: August 20, at 7 pm and on August 22, at 2 pm and 7 pm. All showings will be in the State Historical Building Theater, 600 E. Locust, Des Moines. Tickets are $8-$10/pp at the door and advance tickets are available online at www.villisca.com.
"Villisca" explores the history and mystery surrounding the still-unsolved 1912 Villisca, Iowa axe murders of eight. The film asks the question: what if murder visited a small town and never went away? It also examines a possible link between similar mass murders in five midwestern states.
Both entertaining and thought provoking, "America's Greatest Unsolved Mystery" has been overwhelmingly well received by audiences since premiering two months ago and has prompted glowing reviews from media critics.
The Des Moines Register's Jeffrey Bruner gave the documentary 3 ½ stars, and said, 'Villisca: Living with a Mystery' discusses what many have refused to speak about...terrific interviews...accessible and not academic."
Quad City Times film critic Linda Cook gave the film 4 stars and said, "Impressive...a fascinating tale...I'm still astonished at this well-made film!"
"Villisca" combines period photographs, computer animation, original art, limited reenactments, and interviews with historians, town residents, eyewitnesses and forensic experts to shed light on the 92-year-old mystery, and to reveal the face of a new suspect.
Each showing in Des Moines will feature pre-show ragtime music and magic lantern slides, a lobby display of historical artifacts including the infamous axe, the 2-hour historical documentary, and a Q&A with the filmmakers and historian Dr. Edgar Epperly. Epperly has spent nearly 50 years researching the axe murder story.
The movie was conceived and completed by Kelly and Tammy Rundle, former Iowans
now living in Los Angeles, where they own and operate Fourth Wall Films, a film
and video production and
publishing company.
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