On July 1, 1981, Hollywood was rocked by probably the most brutal murders in its historical past — the Wonderland Murders.
With ties to medication, intercourse, and notorious names like John Holmes and Eddie Nash, the case has captivated true crime lovers for many years.
Now, best-selling writer Michael Connelly (Bosch, The Lincoln Lawyer) and Emmy-winning director Alison Ellwood (Laurel Canyon, San Francisco Sounds) are bringing this chilling story again to life with The Wonderland Bloodbath & The Secret Historical past of Hollywood, a four-part docuseries premiering on MGM+ on September 8.
We had the pleasure of talking with Connelly and Ellwood about their collaboration, our fascination with this crime, and the way they’ve turned a infamous Hollywood story right into a compelling visible expertise.
For anybody who’s adopted the Wonderland case — or these discovering it for the primary time — this collection guarantees to be each an eye-opener and a deep dive into Hollywood’s shadowy previous.
“A Visible Story Begging to Be Informed”
Connelly, whose Audible podcast in regards to the Wonderland Murders impressed the collection, was satisfied early on that this was a narrative that wanted to be seen.
“I simply thought it’s extra of a visible story,” he shared. “I imply, had the identical producers on each issues, and so One Traveler Productions felt that they might go the space as a documentary.”
Partnering with Ellwood was a pure selection. “They’d a relationship with Alison and introduced it to her,” Connelly defined. “We took her from the chic to the sordid with out ever even leaving Laurel Canyon.”
Regardless of the jarring material, it labored, and Connelly says the choice to deliver the story to display screen paid off. “I didn’t even anticipate all of the deep dive into archival stuff that Alison and her crew have been capable of finding.”
Ellwood, who had simply wrapped her highly-praised Laurel Canyon collection, agreed that diving into Wonderland was a stark distinction.
“This story to me was the unfavorable picture of the attractive, constructive, bucolic picture of the Laurel Canyon music scene,” she famous. “It began to dissipate… due to the introduction of cocaine.”
A True Crime Story with a Hollywood Twist
The Wonderland Murders have lengthy fascinated true crime followers, partially due to the forged of characters concerned.
John Holmes, the porn star whose profession had declined into drug dependancy, discovered himself embroiled in a lethal feud between drug sellers and kingpins like Eddie Nash.
Whereas this larger-than-life setting is what first captures the creativeness, The Wonderland Bloodbath goes deeper into the crime’s ripple results on Hollywood.
“The key historical past of Hollywood,” as Connelly describes it, lies on the coronary heart of this story.
“This actually is a narrative in regards to the overworld and underworld of Hollywood and these those that have been the go-betweens, largely via medication,” Connelly defined. The documentary peels again the layers of a metropolis the place success, fame, and crime are inextricably linked.
And, as Ellwood identified, the crime itself is indicative of a broader societal shift. “It’s not only a true crime story. It’s about society, and it’s about societal change,” she added.
“The introduction of cocaine had such an enormous affect, and also you see it in how the environment round these properties modified.”
Michael Connelly, The “Unrequited Detective”
One of many distinctive components of the docuseries is Connelly’s function as a sort of on-screen detective. Whereas the best-selling crime novelist is not any stranger to the style, moving into the function of interviewer for the collection was a brand new expertise for him.
“I’ve spent my complete life writing about detectives, so I feel it’s fairly apparent I want I used to be a detective,” Connelly joked. “And Alison gave me that shot.”
Ellwood noticed the potential in Connelly’s deep data of the case and his rapport with the individuals he interviewed. “Within the podcast… you’ll be able to see the sort of cat and mouse, Michael attempting to get data out of Scott [Thorson],” she defined. “I needed to seize that visually.”
Connelly’s relationship with the detectives who labored on the unique case additionally provides a layer of authenticity. “I’ve had plenty of face-to-faces with them through the years,” he famous.
However maybe most fascinating was his evolving dynamic with Thorson, a key determine within the Wonderland murders who was as soon as Liberace’s lover. “After I first talked to him, he was in jail… Then he obtained out however was on probation and couldn’t go away his condominium in Las Vegas.”
Finally, the interviews with Thorson moved to in-person, together with a scene filmed on the iconic Musso & Frank’s in Hollywood.
“I used to be slightly nervous about it,” Connelly admitted. “We name him the unreliable narrator… you by no means know what he’s going to deliver up, how stunning it may be, after which we now have to show round and attempt to show or disprove it.”
The Unreliable Narrator: Scott Thorson
Thorson’s function because the enigma of the collection is plain. He’s the connection between Hollywood royalty like Liberace and the crime world, however his credibility has at all times been in query.
For Ellwood, it was a problem to resolve when and the way to introduce him into the collection. “The trickiest factor was attempting to determine the construction of how it will work,” she defined. “If we launched Scott too quickly, you wouldn’t have that thriller of ‘Who is that this individual?’”
In the end, Thorson is launched on the finish of the primary episode, permitting his story to weave out and in of the principle narrative.
“He wasn’t found by the police till eight years after it occurred,” Ellwood added, giving viewers simply sufficient time to construct the intrigue earlier than revealing his larger-than-life claims.
A Fascination with Hollywood’s Underworld
What makes The Wonderland Bloodbath distinctive is its exploration of Hollywood’s darkish facet. Why are all of us nonetheless so fascinated with Hollywood normally? You get a criminal offense in Hollywood, and it’ll by no means go away.
Connelly attracts comparisons between the Wonderland Murders and different infamous instances. “It is a story that… pierces all ranges of society from street-level drug dealing to the upper echelons of Hollywood.”
The docuseries doesn’t shrink back from displaying how these worlds collided. Connelly highlighted that, in contrast to the Manson murders, the victims on this case have been perceived otherwise.
Connolly famous, “It is a crime as terrible because it was, 4 individuals murdered and in actually violent methods. That, alone, is massive stuff. However I imply, the tentacles of this case that unfold throughout all of Los Angeles simply bodily, Laurel Canyons.”
He continued, “But in addition this touches the harmless lives that have been destroyed by the crack epidemic. And you may hint the crack epidemic in Los Angeles, at the least to Eddie Nash’s mansion. And that, to me, is a big a part of the storytelling.”
The collection emphasizes that not all of the victims have been concerned in legal exercise. Some have been simply within the unsuitable place on the unsuitable time, highlighting the randomness and hazard of life within the Hollywood underworld.
Unearthing New Data
Regardless of many years of protection, Connelly and Ellwood’s work manages to uncover new particulars in regards to the case.
“We have now uncovered new stuff,” Connelly revealed. “We met with the chilly case unit… and we obtained to share what data they’ve. We prolonged it previous the podcast.”
Probably the most hanging revelations is that nobody has ever been dropped at justice for the precise murders. Whereas Eddie Nash, a key determine in orchestrating the killings, was sentenced to 3 years in jail, Connelly identified that “he wasn’t in the home.”
“The those that killed these 4 individuals have by no means been dropped at justice,” Connelly mentioned, underscoring the continuing thriller surrounding the case.
A Story That Nonetheless Resonates
As The Wonderland Bloodbath makes its solution to audiences, its themes are as related right now as ever. The obsession with true crime, the darkish attract of Hollywood, and the human value of fame and fortune are timeless.
This crime and others like it should at all times fascinate individuals.
Connelly, ever the detective, doesn’t rule out the chance that the collection may even stir new developments within the case. “This documentary collection… would possibly make individuals change their minds and go into the police and so forth.”
Whether or not it results in new revelations or just captivates audiences, The Wonderland Bloodbath is certain to depart viewers questioning the myths and realities of Hollywood’s shadowy previous.
The Wonderland Bloodbath & The Secret Historical past of Hollywood debuts on MGM+ on September 8.
