A Documentary
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The Gunness Mystery

The amazing true story of history’s most prolific female serial killer

 
 

In 1881, Belle Gunness emigrated from a small town in Norway to the bustling city of Chicago. Following the curious death of her first husband, she moved with several of her foster children to a farm in La Porte, Indiana. Belle began luring men from across the Midwest through a series of want ads in Norwegian language newspapers.     

 
 
Fascinating and factual — a superb combination of story-telling and photographs. Johnson and Ruminski have captured the whole gruesome story.
— Sylvia Shepherd, Author of The Mistress of Murder Hill: The Serial Killings of Belle Gunness
 
 

Men who replied to her ads were promised a bright future as a partner in her farm. They were also instructed to not tell anyone anything, sell their belongings, bring only cash, and plan to stay forever. Those who came were never seen alive again.

 
 
Richly illustrated with rare archival photographs and briskly narrated by historian Bruce R. Johnson, this first-rate documentary vividly evokes the life, times, and unspeakable crimes of one our nation’s most darkly fascinating serial murderers. A must-see for fans of historical true crime.
— Harold Schechter, author of hell's princess: The Mystery of Belle Gunness, Butcher of Men
 
 

Written and narrated by Bruce Johnson and directed by Stephen Ruminski, The Gunness Mystery is the most accurate documentary film chronicling the life and crimes of the mysterious Belle Gunness.