HH Holmes - Murder Hotel

422 South Gets Gruesome For Five

422 South has just completed content graphics for a special 50 minute programme called ‘Murder Hotel’ a documentary based around the life of America’s first known serial killer.

The tale of HH Holmes is a pretty gruesome one. Central to the story is the Murder Hotel, a building Holmes constructed specifically for the business of trapping, murdering, concealing and disposing of his victims. From the outside the building appeared like any other 18th century commercial lot. However behind the façade of the buildings, shops and rooms lay a harrowing tale of depravity and deception.

To help illustrate how Holmes’ hotel functioned, 422 South’s design team went back to basics and built a 1/24 scale model of the building, based on various illustrations and personal accounts surviving from the 1890’s. Using stop frame animation and basic compositing techniques this giant “dolls house” was then used to re-construct some of the murder scenes, and help communicate the intricacy of Holmes’ design. Using miniature Victorian replica dolls, furniture and props, the viewer is given a very creepy period in-sight into the mind of a madman.

422 also used Maya to construct the building in 3D to further aid the often complicated story telling. The scenes were art directed by 422’s Charles Golding, who was assisted by designer Tom Hodgkinson with 3D elements created by Andy Bean.

The show is an ITV West production in association with David Monaghan Productions.

The programme is due for its first UK transmission on Five on Monday 17th October.

author: DT
2004-12-12