Ulli Lommel's Black Dahlia (film)
Encyclopedia
Ulli Lommel's Black Dahlia is a 2006 United States
production horror film
that is inspired by the mysterious unsolved murder of "Black Dahlia" -- Hollywood actress Elizabeth Short. Instead of dramatizing the infamous 1947 murder of Short and the ensuing investigation, writer-director Ulli Lommel
follows a series of contemporary L.A.-area homicides patterned after the 1947 slaying.
Lions Gate Entertainment distributes this film on DVD .
The film showcases four violent death sequences. The actresses whose characters are brutally killed are, in order of appearance, Lorielle New, Laura Leigh Hofrichter (as "Laura Leigh"), Crystal Nelson, and Jana Laurin.
All of the scenes filmed in the Lincoln Heights Jail were completed in one day by director Ulli Lommel
.
Three versions of "Ulli Lommel's Black Dahlia" were submitted to the Motion Picture Association of America
(MPAA) for a rating. The first version, which ran 83 minutes, received an NC-17 rating from the MPAA. A second edit, created by producer Jeff Frentzen in response to the MPAA's claims that the film was overly gory and violent, ran 80 minutes and also received an NC-17 rating. A third version, also edited by Frentzen, ran 77 minutes and had 7 minutes of extreme violence removed. That version also received an NC-17. The distributor, Lions Gate Entertainment, decided to release the 80 minute version on DVD, unrated.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
production horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
that is inspired by the mysterious unsolved murder of "Black Dahlia" -- Hollywood actress Elizabeth Short. Instead of dramatizing the infamous 1947 murder of Short and the ensuing investigation, writer-director Ulli Lommel
Ulli Lommel
Ulli Lommel , is a German actor and director, noted for his many horror films, and for his career as an actor on Rainer Werner Fassbinder's films.-Career:...
follows a series of contemporary L.A.-area homicides patterned after the 1947 slaying.
Lions Gate Entertainment distributes this film on DVD .
Plot
In a brief prologue set in 1947, Elizabeth Short (Danielle Petty, as "Ivy Elfstrom") is murdered by an unseen assailant. In present-day Los Angeles, a "copycat" serial killer is dumping partially mutilated female bodies in an emulation of Elizabeth Short's murderer. Women answering an ad for a movie audition are systematically killed by Satan worshippers. One of the cops becomes obsessed with the story of Elizabeth Short, looks up the original 40s murder online, and dreams about it. Eventually, he comes face-to-face with the killers.The film showcases four violent death sequences. The actresses whose characters are brutally killed are, in order of appearance, Lorielle New, Laura Leigh Hofrichter (as "Laura Leigh"), Crystal Nelson, and Jana Laurin.
Filming
Production of Ulli Lommel's Black Dahlia took place in Marina Del Rey, California and at the Lincoln Heights Jail. an abandoned jail site on N Avenue 19 in Los Angeles, California, in January 2006. The final shot was filmed in Venice, California at a house located on Victoria Avenue.All of the scenes filmed in the Lincoln Heights Jail were completed in one day by director Ulli Lommel
Ulli Lommel
Ulli Lommel , is a German actor and director, noted for his many horror films, and for his career as an actor on Rainer Werner Fassbinder's films.-Career:...
.
Three versions of "Ulli Lommel's Black Dahlia" were submitted to the Motion Picture Association of America
Motion Picture Association of America
The Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. , originally the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America , was founded in 1922 and is designed to advance the business interests of its members...
(MPAA) for a rating. The first version, which ran 83 minutes, received an NC-17 rating from the MPAA. A second edit, created by producer Jeff Frentzen in response to the MPAA's claims that the film was overly gory and violent, ran 80 minutes and also received an NC-17 rating. A third version, also edited by Frentzen, ran 77 minutes and had 7 minutes of extreme violence removed. That version also received an NC-17. The distributor, Lions Gate Entertainment, decided to release the 80 minute version on DVD, unrated.