Editor Reviews:

Description:
One of the most influential documentaries in recent years, the Sundance favorite PARADISE LOST is an emotionally raw, must-see crime doc from two of today's most exciting filmmakers--Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky (the team behind Metallica: Some Kind of Monster, Brother's Keeper). This dark odyssey began with the tragic murders of three 8-year-old boys, whose bodies were discovered in a shallow creek in West Memphis, Arkansas. The community demanded justice, and one month later the police delivered: three local teenagers accused of sacrificing the boys as part of a Satanic ritual. Despite overwhelming public antipathy towards them, defendants Damian Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley steadfastly maintained their innocence. Although the trial produced virtually no physical evidence connecting the defendants to the crime, the town, the jury, and the police felt that they had their killers, and used the young men’s penchant for heavy metal music and black clothing and a fascination with the Wicca religion as evidence of their guilt. With unprecedented access to all the players, Berlinger and Sinofsky captured the events as they unfolded before their cameras. From actual courtroom footage and clandestine jailhouse interviews to behind-the-scenes strategy meetings and intimate portraits of grief-stricken families, PARADISE LOST is a shocking yet uniquely American real-life drama. DVD Features: Exclusive Trial Footage; Timeline of Events; Trial Updates; Theatrical Trailer; Filmmaker Biographies; Interactive Menus; Scene Selection

Amazon.com:
On May 6, 1993, the mutilated bodies of three 8-year-old boys were found in a shallow creek in West Memphis, Arkansas. A short time later police arrested three local teenagers, linking the boys' killings to a satanic ritual. One of the boys confessed. The intriguing court case was about to unfold as filmmakers Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky ventured forth to make this documentary. They captured footage of not only courtroom proceedings but also interviews with the major players in trial--parents, suspects, lawyers. The documentary filmmakers, whose previous film, Brother's Keeper, is as intriguing of a crime story you'll ever see, tells this story without re-creations or flashbacks. The film makes a clear argument that the court trial may not be about witchcraft but a witch hunt. As with any great drama, the faces and situations are etched upon the viewer; however, we are dealing with real lives and real crimes (told gruesomely and necessarily by police photographs and videotape), and the impact is far greater. And so is the maddening ambivalence of the trial. Like the O.J. Simpson fiasco, a verdict is reached but the truth is questioned. Did police make fatal errors the night of the crime? Do last-minute clues lead to justice? Who's lying on the stand? As with Roger and Me and Hoop Dreams, we have a provocative single incident that holds a mirror to many of society's problems. The results are just more horrifying. The Emmy-winning film was followed four years later by Paradise Lost 2: Revelations. --Doug Thomas

Rating : - A MUST SEE
THIS IS INJUSTICE AT ITS FINEST. PLENTY OF REDNECK AND TRAILER TRASH CULTURE. I WOULD HATE TO LIVE IN A PLACE WHERE YOU CAN BE CONVICTED FOR WEARING A BLACK T-SHIRT. IN THIS CASE, MURDER. IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE THAT PLACES LIKE WEST MEMPHIS STILL EXIST. A HUGE FLOOD WOULD DO US ALL SOME JUSTICE OR MAYBE AN F5 TORNADO. A SMALL A-BOMB WOULD ALSO DO THE TRICK. YOU HAVE TO WATCH THIS TO BELIEVE IT. YES, YOU WILL GET MAD. NOT MUCH, IF ANY EFFORT WAS MADE TO TRACK DOWN THE REAL KILLER OR KILLERS. NO EVIDENCE OF ANY KIND EXISTED EXCEPT A COERCED CONFESSION FROM THE "SLOW JOE" OF THE 3. THAT WAS A 12 HOUR ADVENTURE AT THE REDNECK POLICE STATION. IT IS UTTERLY RIDICULOUS THAT THEY WERE ARRESTED MUCH LESS CONVICTED. WEST MEMPHIS, ARKANSAS....THE BUTT-CRACK OF THE U.S.A....THE TOE-JAM OF AMERICA....YOU MUST SEE THIS DVD