The Story:
1893, Chicago, home of the World's Fair. Chicago pulls out all the stops to be awarded the spectacle that will bring thousands of people and dollars to their city. Meanwhile, just outside the city, a deranged man begins constructing an elaborate hotel... of death!
This is the true story of how both stories intertwined.
Courtesy of the National Geographic Channel comes an interesting if somewhat uneven documentary that chronicles two different things.
One, is the 1893 Chicago World's Fair.
Talk about a blast from the past, this one had it all, electricity, motion pictures, the Ferris Wheel. It's an amazing walk down memory lane at how inventive Americans were, and how many cool things came about at that fair.
It also discusses how Chicago had to work at a breakneck speed to prepare for the Fair, and literally finished just in time.
The second, is Holmes, who would become America's first (known?) serial killer. This madman devised a torture chamber hotel and lured women who came to Chicago for the Fair to their doom.
The exact number of victims will remain lost to time, but it's pretty creepy from start to finish and puts a scary twist on the otherwise impressive feat that Chicago pulled off.
It's amazing how Holmes was eventually caught, and the suspicious circumstances of what became of his hotel of horrors...
Fun Fact of the documentary: They explain how Chicago became known as the "Windy City", and it's not for the reason you might think!
Now available for streaming on Netflix as of this writing.
Final Grade: B
Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I think I'm good with watching it once, but I hear there is another documentary out there on the Fair itself, and I think I'd like to learn a little more about that one. I'll let you know if/when I see it. : )
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