Bazaar Bizarre

"Bazaar Bizarre" is an engaging 2004 documentary film centered around the infamous crimes of Robert Berdella, known as Kansas City’s “Butcher.” The film boasts a gritty approach to the true crime genre, punctuated by a starkly unvarnished reflection on human behavior. Noteworthy features include captivating interviews, thought-provoking commentaries, and a dose of unexpected humor.

The film was directed by Benjamin Meade and contributed towards by J.S. Bernstein, Roger Coleman, and Albert Reiderer - the prosecuting attorney during the Berdella case. Crime fiction author and historian James Ellroy also lends his unique narrative style and distinctive insights into psychopathy.

"Bazaar Bizarre" investigates the harrowing tales surrounding Berdella, a seemingly ordinary man who ran a mysterious shop called Bob's Bazaar Bizarre in Kansas City during the 1980s. The shop was brimmed with a collection of peculiar oddities and antiquities, presenting a front of curious eccentricity that masked a chilling secret. Berdella's seemingly innocuous facade concealed a gruesome reality: he was a sadistic serial killer who terrorized the city from 1984 to 1987.

The film extensively explores Berdella's dark world in an unusually creative way, delivering a comprehensive and harrowing account of his crimes without recourse to gratuitous details. It does this through a blend of interviews, archival materials, theatrical reenactments, and dramatic narration, deftly balancing between providing insights into Berdella's twisted psyche and investigating his brutal crimes' societal context.

In "Bazaar Bizarre", James Ellroy serves not only as narrator but also as a central character with something of a personal stake in presenting the tale. Ellroy, renowned for his crime novels rooted in American history such as "L.A. Confidential" and "The Black Dahlia", brings a discerning eye to the proceedings. With a firm grasp on criminal psychology, Ellroy unveils the details with an intense savviness and a knack for storytelling that enthralls the audience.

Another key figure in the documentary is Roger Coleman, one of Berdella's close friends before the latter’s horrific secrets came to light. Coleman's interviews provide a disturbing insight into Berdella's life, highlighting the deceptive placidity of his demeanor which enabled his monstrous behavior to go unnoticed for years.

Albert Reiderer, the prosecutor who put Berdella behind bars, also plays a crucial role in the film. His interviews offer a first-hand perspective on the legal proceedings that marked the sensational case and offer a deeper understanding of the killer's disturbing method operandi.

"Bazaar Bizarre" incorporates a series of re-enactments depicting Berdella's life and crimes, with actor Seth Correa taking on the challenging role of the man himself. These scenes, carefully executed without sensationalizing, illuminate the banality of evil that lurks beneath the facade of everyday life.

Moreover, the film is punctuated by original photographs and newspaper clippings from Berdella's time. Archival footage of news reports and Berdella's neighborhood in the '80s, give viewers a clear glimpse into the tense atmosphere and fear that gripped Kansas City.

Still, despite the dark subject matter, "Bazaar Bizarre" manages to inject moments of unexpected humor. These instances of sheer absurdity serve to create a rather surreal atmosphere, showing that even in the face of the most horrifying reality, there is room for darkly comic relief.

All in all, the ambiguous tone that "Bazaar Bizarre" sets makes it more than just a murder mystery. It does not merely recount Robert Berdella's gruesome tale; instead, it delves into the psyche of a man who was able to hide his monstrous obsessions beneath a guise of ordinary life. While the film is undoubtedly grisly, the thoughtful presentation of its subject matter serves to engage viewers in a reflection on the nature of human evil, rather than simply horrifying them. "Bazaar Bizarre" is therefore an unconventional and intriguing addition to the genre of true crime documentaries.