THE CANDY MAN: DEAN CORLL

Article BY Jason Hughes

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Long before Horror Writer, Clive Barker’s Candyman movie and even the short story, The Forbidden, in which the frightening tale was based, shocked the world, another man was coined by the same name as the Fictional character. This man did not have a hook where his right hand was supposed to be, nor was his story very romantic. This serial killer had a history of homosexual torture, rape, murder and documentation by pictures and films. He also paved the way for John Wayne Gacey and Jeffrey Dahmer. His name was Dean Arnold Corll. To the stunned locals of Houston, Texas, where he terrorized the community…he was known as, The Candy Man. His name was acquired by his family owning a local candy company in The Heights, called aptly enough, The Corll Candy Company. He would give away candy to the neighborhood kids. He was also known to some as, The Pied Piper.

Dean’s killings in Houston and the surrounding areas lasted from nineteen-seventy to nineteen-seventy-three. Most of the victims were abducted in an area known as The Houston Heights. Like other serial killers such as Henry Lee Lucas, Ottis Toole, Kenneth Bianchi and Angelo Buono, Dean Corll did not work alone in his heinous acts of depravity, violence and murder. He had two wingmen named, David Brooks and Elmer Wayne Henley Jr. The [confirmed] twenty-eight of twenty-nine brutal slayings by the trio took place before the term “serial killer” came along to the public. The killing spree was dubbed by the Houston media as, The Houston Mass Murders. As the news unfolded, parents as far away as Austin, Texas (a four hour drive) monitored where their sons wandered at night.

Dean promised the two accomplices money to help him abduct and kill the boys, but they never saw a dime of his promised fee. Their victims were all young boys from the ages of thirteen to twenty years old. He would tell potential subjects that he was taking them to a party. He would either sedate the victims without consent or offer them drugs, alcohol or mind-altering substances such as glue or paint to huff until they were rendered unconscious so he could have his perverted way before killing them. Their bodies would later be discovered in four
separate burial sites; a rented boat shed, High Island Beach, a wooded area near Lake Sam Rayburn or Jefferson County Beach. By the time the bodies were discovered, the case was known as the worst case of mass murder in United States history.

When word of Dean’s death hit the street, most in the neighborhood described him as a nice and attractive man. He was best known for working at his mother’s candy story, but he also helped out around the neighborhood when he was needed. He was also known for giving some young men in the area a ride in his van. What turned out to be a harmless cruise to some ended in a sexually torturous nightmare with a terminal destination of eternal slumber for most unfortunate others to whom he came in contact.

***

Dean Arnold Corll was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana on Christmas Eve...December twenty-fourth, nineteen-thirty-nine. He was the eldest offspring of Mary Robinson and Arnold Edwin Corll, from whom he acquired his middle name. Arnold was very strict with Dean, and Mary was extremely protective of her first-born son. The couple battled frequently and because of this, divorced four years after the birth of Dean’s younger brother, Stanley, in nineteen-forty-six.

Arnold was drafted into The United States Air Force after the divorce. Mary sold the home in Indiana and moved to a trailer in Memphis, Tennessee. When Mary and Arnold had an open opportunity, they took a shot at a hopeful reconciliation so Dean and his brother, Stanley, could keep in touch with their father.

In nineteen-fifty, Arnold and Mary finally reconciled for a short period of time. The couple moved their family to Pasadena, Texas. After their second divorce, Mary acquired custody of the children. During the hearing, it was agreed in court that Arnold would maintain full contact with his two sons. During the second divorce, Mary married a traveling clock salesman and the couple moved to Vidor, Texas, a small town right outside of Beaumont, Texas and about an hour from Houston. Vidor became the birth town of Dean’s half-sister, Joyce, in nineteen-fifty-five.

A pecan salesman came along and suggested to Mary that she open her own candy business. She agreed, and launched a company called, Pecan Prince. Dean and Stanley were assigned working the machines and packing the candy at the newly owned shop. Their stepfather would sell the candy on his clock route to Houston, where a lot of the product sold with no problem or effort.

Dean was a shy kid most of his childhood years. He attended Vidor High School from nineteen-fifty-four to nineteen-fifty-eight. He was known as a well-behaved student with a major interest in the high school brass band. His sole interest was playing the trombone.

In nineteen-fifty-eight, the family moved to The Houston Heights, a district northwest of downtown Houston, so the candy business could be in the location where the product sold more than anywhere else. To Mary, this relocation seemed like the most logical business plan for success. Mary opened a new candy shop in Houston with the same name as the Vidor manufacturer, Pecan Prince. At the request of Mary, Dean moved to Indiana to live with his grandmother while she got the company off of the ground. While Dean was in Indiana, he met a girl and they became very close. He lived in Indiana for almost two years. Later, he moved back to Houston into his own apartment that was conveniently located above the new candy shop.

Mary divorced the clock salesman, Jake West, and kept his last name. Despite the marriage name, Mary retitled the new shop, The Corll Candy Company. Jake kept the rights to Pecan Prince during the separation. The split spawned a bitter competition between the two sweet tooth dealers. Mary appointed her eldest son, Dean, as the Vice President of the newly growing local family empire.

Mary hired a staff of workers and the company became fully operational. Later on, one of the male employees of the company complained to Mary that Dean had made a sexual advance towards him at work. Mary of course took her flesh and blood’s side and in response, fired the teenage employee.

On August sixteenth, nineteen-sixty-four, Dean was drafted into The United States Army. He was stationed in Fort Polk, Louisiana for basic training. He was eventually assigned to Fort Benning, Georgia to train as a radio repairman for the Army. Finally, he was given a permanent deployment after the training to Fort Hood, Texas. According to military records, Dean’s service was solid and untarnished. Even though this may have been the case, he reportedly could not stand serving the country, like his birth father did before him in The United States Air Force. After ten months of service, he was given an honorable discharge on June the eleventh of nineteen-sixty-five. A little while later, Dean revealed to some of his acquaintances that in the Army, he realized that he was a homosexual.

After the discharge from The United States Army, Dean moved back to Houston, where he continued his position as Vice President of The Corll Candy Company. Upon return, the escalating competition between The Corll Candy Company and Pecan Prince was at an all-time high and very intense.

The Corll Candy Company moved to a new location that was directly across the street from Helms Elementary School on Twenty-Second Street. Dean was well-known for handing out free candy to kids attending the nearby school, particularly, the young boys. This is what eventually earned him the two nicknames, The Candy Man and The Pied Piper. Again, the company had a small work force in operation and once more, Dean was known for hitting on the young male employees. Dean is known to have set up a pool table in the back of The Corll Candy Company, where employees and local youths would come together and hang out for pool and of course, the free candy was an added bonus. Among the children to whom Dean dished the candy, he became friends with a twelve year old boy, named David Brooks, in nineteen-sixty-seven.

Eventually, David and Dean became very close friends by hanging around at the candy company almost every day. They, along with a group of friends would take trips to the south Texas beaches, known as The Boliver Peninsula. Dean also looked out for David by forking over money anytime he was in need. David’s parents divorced when he was fifteen. His dad lived in Houston and his mother had moved to Beaumont, about an hour away. He dropped out of school and moved with his mother. When David would go back to Houston to visit his father, Dean would let him stay at his apartment if he wanted to do so. During their visits, a homosexual relationship developed between the two. Dean paid David to have oral sex with him on several occasions. David moved back to Houston and eventually made Dean’s apartment like a second abode. By this time, Mary and Joyce had moved to Colorado after her third marriage failed and the candy store went under in June of nineteen-sixty-eight. Dean was normally a nomad that could not sit in one place for very long. He lived at many addresses in the Houston area. After the decline and closing of The Corll Candy Company, Dean followed in the footsteps of his father and got a job as an Electrician at The Houston Light and Power Company.

***

Dean and his two accomplices began to pick up young boys in his Buick, or van. They would offer rides to parties, the victim’s destination or drugs to lure unsuspected males into one of two vehicles. From there, they would be drugged or given alcohol until they pass out at Dean’s new house. Some future victims, they would trick into putting on handcuffs or forcefully knock them out in an ambush-style detaining ritual.

As the abductees were passed out, they were stripped of clothing and either tied to a bed, or a homemade torture board with ankle and wrist straps that was usually hung on a wall. Torturing ensued and eventually, an impending death. Loud music was played to drown out their shrieking screams and a vinyl sheet covered the floor to catch the spilling blood. Long before John Wayne Gacey, Wayne Henley used the handcuff trick by putting on a pair while keeping a key in his back pocket. He would unlock the handcuffs and tell the newest victim to try it. Naturally, they would not be able to escape, and would become the next subject of torture and death. In some instances, Dean would place a small glass rod into the victim’s penis and break it off inside of the head. Wayne was scared of Dean, and wanted to please him at the same time.

On September twenty-fifth, nineteen-seventy, an eighteen year old boy from Austin, Texas became Dean, David and third accomplice, Elmer Wayne Henley’s first known victim. The young man was hitchhiking from The University of Texas, to The Braeswood Place district of Houston…and was never seen again. His lifeless body was buried at High Island Beach. On December thirteenth of nineteen-seventy, two fourteen year old boys, and also and acquaintances of Dean and David were lured into Dean’s Yorktown apartment, murdered and buried behind the boat shed.

On January thirtieth, nineteen-seventy-one, a fifteen year old vanished on the way to a bowling alley. His younger brother, who was also Dean’s youngest recorded victim, was kidnapped and murdered along with his older sibling. Both of the brothers were later found buried in the boat shed. On March ninth, nineteen-seventy-one, a fifteen year old gas station attendant was taken on his walk home. He was shot in the head and buried in the boat shed. His remains were not found until October of two-thousand and eight. On May twenty-ninth, nineteen-seventy-one, another thirteen year old, and friend of Dean’s, was last seen alongside another friend. They were climbing into a white van. On the same day, a sixteen year old (and former employee of The Corll Candy Company) disappeared on the way to visit a local swimming pool. His mother was very close to Wayne’s mother. They had grown up together. His body was found in the boat shed, with the cord used to strangle him still wrapped around his neck. On August seventeenth, nineteen-seventy-one, a seventeen year old left his home to go see a movie at a local theater. He later called his mother to tell her that he was spending the evening with David, and was never seen again. He was gagged, strangled and buried in the steadily mounting boat shed of corpses.

On February ninth, nineteen-seventy-two, a seventeen year old son of a Houston Police Officer who subsequently died of a heart attack while looking for him, was castrated, shot in the head and buried in the boat shed. On March twenty-fourth, nineteen-seventy-two, an eighteen year old who’s presence in Dean’s house sparked the fatal confrontation between Dean and David, was strangled and buried at High Island Beach. On April twentieth, nineteen-seventy-two, a seventeen year old friend of David and Elmer was murdered at David’s house. According to According to Elmer, he was strangled and buried at High Island. His body has not been found… On May twenty-first, nineteen-seventy-two, a sixteen year old Heights resident was last seen walking to the store. He was shot in the head and strangled by Elmer. On the same day, a seventeen year old former employee of Corll’s Candy Company was forced to write his parents and tell them he had found a job in Madisonville. He was later strangled by Elmer and buried at High Island Beach. On July twentieth, nineteen-seventy-two, a seventeen year old male was last seen leaving a party in The Houston Heights. He endured several fractured ribs before meeting his fate by nylon cord strangulation. He was buried in the boat shed. His body was misidentified in January of nineteen-ninety-four and positively identified in March of two-thousand-eleven. On August the twenty-first of nineteen-seventy-two, a nineteen year old disappeared on his way to work at a shoe store. He was shot twice in the head and buried in the boat shed. His remains were also misidentified in October of nineteen-seventy-three and correctly in November of two-thousand-eleven. On the night of October the second of Nineteen-seventy-three, a fourteen year old boy and his thirteen year old friend were lured into David’s Corvette. He attempted to call his mother at Dean’s house before the phone was disconnected and he was shot in the head. His friend was shot in the mouth and strangled at Dean’s house. They were both buried in the boat shed. On November twelve, nineteen-seventy-two, a nineteen year old disappeared on his way to a payphone to call his fiancé. He was strangled and buried at High Island Beach. His remains were identified in September of nineteen-seventy-three.

On February first, nineteen-seventy-three, a seventeen year old acquaintance of Dean that lived on the same street as David was said by Brooks to be “grabbed” by Dean. No story as to what happened between then and his death have surfaced. He was buried at Jefferson County Beach. His remains were located in August of nineteen-eighty-three and identified over two decades later, in November of two-thousand and nine. On June fourth of nineteen-seventy-three, a friend of Elmer called his father to ask if he could go “fishing with some friends.” Dean kept him alive for five days until he was strangled with a cord and buried at Lake Sam Rayburn. On June fifteenth, nineteen-seventy-three, a twenty-one year old man from Baton Rouge, Louisiana was hitchhiking from The Houston Heights to see his newborn child. He was strangled by Dean at his house and buried at Lake Sam Rayburn. On June seventh, nineteen-seventy-three, a fifteen year old met Elmer while attending the dame Driver’s Ed class. He was shot in the head and chest and left to bleed to death in Dean’s bathtub before being buried at Lake Sam Rayburn. On July twelve, nineteen-seventy-three, a seventeen year old male was killed two days before his eighteenth birthday. He was shot in the chest and buried at High Island Beach. He was the only victim to be buried fully clothed. On July nineteenth, nineteen-seventy-three, a fifteen year old was strangled and buried at Lake Sam Rayburn. Dean had killed his younger brother the previous year. His remains were identified in September of two-thousand and ten. On July twenty-fifth, nineteen-seventy-three, an eighteen year old male was last seen walking with his friend, alongside Elmer. On the same day, a seventeen year old school friend of Elmer phoned his father in a frantic hysteria, saying he was kidnapped by drug dealers. His wife was pregnant at the time of his murder. He was shot twice in the head and his body was found in the boat shed. Finally, on August third of nineteen-seventy-three, the thirteen year old son of an Adventist was last seen riding his bike in south Houston. The terminal call to his parents was to tell them he was at a party across town.

A year after the last confirmed murder, in nineteen-seventy-four at Elmer’s trial, the Harris County Medical Examiner raised concern to whether an earlier body found was actually a victim of Dean. He had been shot four times in the chest with a rifle. All of the other victims were known to die by the same pistol that sealed Dean’s own fate in the hands of his partner-in-crime, Elmer Henley or strangled. Neither David nor Elmer had confessed to killing this particular victim. His car was found burned to a crisp one week after his body was discovered. The total tally of corpses dropped one number after the Medical Examiner could not confirm that he was one of Dean, David or Elmer’s victims however, he was around the age range of their targeted fatalities. Forty-two young boys had vanished since nineteen-seventy in the Houston area.

Dean had always taught Elmer that if he was going to shoot someone, to keep shooting until the receiver on the other end of the barrel hit the ground. He would accept no exception to this strict rule. Elmer had a girlfriend whose brother went missing a year prior to one fateful night. Elmer invited his girlfriend and another friend to party at Dean’s Pasadena home at three o’ clock that morning. This did not make Dean happy. Elmer was able to settle Dean’s anger and the celebration continued. During the party, they huffed paint, drank alcohol and did drugs. Elmer, his girlfriend and their mutual friend passed out cold… When they awoke, they were bound, with masking tape over their mouths. They were looking up at Dean glaring down on them from each side of the torture board. He threatened to kill and rape all three of them. Elmer convinced Dean to untie him so he could help off the other two in Dean’s typical method of operation. Dean wanted Elmer to rape his girlfriend while he did the same to the two male friends. Elmer had other plans of his own, which Dean was about to be informed. Dean was Elmer’s mentor in murder, and he had killed his teacher in just the manner in which he was instructed to do so. As Elmer fired the six bullets into Dean, he was thinking, Dean would be proud of me.

On Wednesday, August eight, nineteen-seventy-three at eight o’ clock in the morning, The Houston Police Department was called to the house in Pasadena, Texas. Elmer, his girlfriend and their friend were sitting on the curb outside of the house, talking to an Officer when more began to arrive at the scene. The Officers had an empty twenty-two caliber pistol used in the shooting within their possession. “I just killed a man, he’s in the house,” Elmer stated. At first, to the local authorities, it seemed like a clear shot of self-defense, possibly as a direct result of a fight. What began as a routine shooting call, turned out to be a visit into a house of morbid horror. Dean’s lifeless body lied there with six bullet holes in his body, welcoming the authorities into the home. A telephone cord was wrapped around his ankles. They found the torture board in the bedroom along with nine pairs of handcuffs, petroleum jelly, glass rods, sex toys and a plastic sheet on the floor. Traces of Lime were discovered on the garage floor. The three teens were taken into the police station for further questioning. They all share the same story.

Wayne would help distribute MISSING fliers with the parents of the young boys he had helped Dean abduct. They had no idea that he was a part of their disappearance. “Are you guilty of killing anyone at all?” an Officer asked Wayne.
“Am I guilty of killing anyone at all?” he replied. “No I’m not. Unless you can say Dean Corll did the killing…I was defending myself.” Later, Wayne told the police that he could take them to a homemade tomb of bodies. The cops did not believe a word he was saying.

Wayne Henley directed the Houston and Pasadena Police Departments to a storage shed where some kept boats and other personal belongings. He guided authorities to storage shed number eleven at the facility. There were shoes, bicycles, clothing, tape and bags of Lime found in the shed that resembled the same substance found in Dean’s garage. They began to dig under the dirt floor of the shed and found a body. Eventually, they found another, and another. They found eight total bodies in the shed alone. Wayne called his mother from the car phone of one of the officers and informed of what was taking place. “Momma, I killed Dean,” he stated as his mother began to sob, asking him if she could come to the shed. The police said she could not, and he relayed the heartbreaking message to her. He attempted to comfort his mother while breaking the news.

As Wayne helped the authorities dig up more and more victims, the officers felt stronger and more confident throughout the interrogation that he was not telling them everything he knew. They knew that Dean did not work alone. Wayne became more comfortable with them and began to open up a little more. He told them that he helped Dean abduct boys and bring them back to his house. He claimed that he was there as the boys were abducted, but did not take part in the torture or killings.

Soon after the confession and help locating the bodies, an eighteen year old boy told a story that completely contradicted Wayne’s story and took the case to a whole new level of condemning information for the youths. He said that he took part in helping Wayne coax some of them into getting rides with them. He said that Wayne did in fact take participation in the murders.

The officers went back to the boat shed and discovered nine more bodies, bringing the total body count to seventeen. Wayne and David then took them to the burial site at a wooded area at Lake Sam Rayburn. Four bodies were found in the desolated area of woods. All of the victims showed signs of torture and mutilation. After that, Dean’s two living accomplices directed the authorities and news crews to two more burial sites at the beach and High Island. An entire news crew followed to document the grisly discoveries as they were uncovered.

After finding the twenty-sixth and twenty-seventh bodies tied together, the search to potentially find more missing victims was called off by The Houston Police Department. The hunt for more bodies buried on the beach was called off on August thirteenth, nineteen-seventy-three, even though Elmer insisted that there were at least two others buried there in nineteen-seventy-two. There were rumors of other bodies that the police had not yet found or identified.

***

Elmer Wayne Henley and David Owen Brooks were tried separately in what was now infamously known around the United States, and world as The Houston Mass Murder. Elmer was brought to trial on July first, nineteen-seventy-four in San Antonio, Texas. He was charged with six counts of murder between March of nineteen-seventy-two and July of nineteen-seventy-three. The prosecution called dozens of witnesses, including two youths whom were lured into one of Dean’s many addresses by the three dangerous men in nineteen-seventy-two. One of the victims testified that he was tied to the torture board and violated until Dean finally let him free. He, unlike many others, was one of the lucky ones whom eventually got away.

There was other incriminating evidence that was brought to light by Houston police officers who had read Elmer’s statements. He had described an abduction where of two victims that had been brought to trial when Dean had one wrist and ankle each strapped to the torture board and forced the two teen boys to fight. Dean promised that the last competitor living would be spared his life. After the induced battle, one of the victims was forced to watch the other be abused, tortured and shot to death by Dean. After the witness watched the other die, he was then beaten, raped, tortured and finally murdered by strangulation. Several of the victims’ families had to get up and leave the courtroom as the officers and Medical Examiners were graphically describing in detail how their loved ones were tortured and eventually met their untimely, gruesome demise.

Throughout the trial, the State introduced eighty-two pieces of evidence. This included the torture board and one of the boxes in which Dean transported the victims into his home. The box contained hair from one of the victims. By advice of his Defense Councilor, Elmer Wayne Henley did not take the stand to testify during the trial. His Defense Attorney called several witnesses to the stand to cross-examine, but did not call any witnesses or experts for their testimony for the defense.

On July fifteenth, nineteen-seventy-four, both councils presented their closing arguments to the emotionally drained jury. The prosecution sought a sentence of life-in-prison. The defense wanted a verdict of not guilty. In his closing statement to the jury, the Defense Lawyer apologized for not being able to convince them to want the death penalty. He went on to state that the case was the most extreme example of man’s inhumanity to another man that he had ever witnessed. The jury deliberated for ninety-two minutes before agreeing that Elmer Wayne Henley was guilty on all six charges of murder for which he was charged.

Elmer had appealed against his sentence and conviction, stating that the jury in his initial trial had not been sequestered. He stated that the request by his defense that the news media not be present during the trial was overruled. He claimed that his defense team’s attempt to present evidence that the trial should not have been held in San Antonio had also been overruled by the Judge. Elmer’s appeal was upheld and he was granted a new trial in December of nineteen-seventy-eight.

Elmer’s new trial got underway on June eighteenth of nineteen-seventy-nine. This time around, the trial was held in Corpus Christi, Texas. Elmer was represented once more by the same defense team. Elmer’s defense team tried once again to have his written statements ruled inadmissible. They also contended that the evidence found belonged to Dean, and not Elmer. However, the Judge had a different opinion. He ruled that the statements given by Elmer on August ninth, nineteen-seventy-three were indeed admissible evidence. His words were absolutely held against him in a court of law. On June the twenty-seventh of nineteen-seventy-nine, a new jury deliberated for more than two hours before rearing their heads from the deliberation room. They too, found Elmer guilty of six counts of murder. He was sentenced to six concurrent ninety-nine year terms.

David Owen Brooks was brought to trial on February the twenty-seventh, nineteen-seventy-five. He had been indicted for four murders committed between December of nineteen-seventy and June, nineteen-seventy-three. He was brought to trial for only the June, nineteen-seventy-three murder of a fifteen year old boy. His Defense Attorney argued that he had not committed any murders. He attempted to blame most of the horrific acts on Dean, and get a reduced sentence for his client, David. He wanted Elmer to be cited as the main accomplice in the actual murders. The Assistant Defense Attorney dismissed the request right off the bat. He told the jury that David was a part of the murders from the very beginning of their three year reign of terror. He stated that David wanted them to think he was only a “cheerleader” of Dean and Elmer at best. David’s trial lasted less than one week. The jury deliberated for ninety minutes before they reached a verdict. He was found guilty of the murder on March the fifth, nineteen-seventy-five. David was sentenced to life in prison. As his wife literally cried her eyes out in sorrow, David showed absolutely no emotion as the sentence was handed down by the Judge. Like Elmer before him, David also appealed against his sentence. He stated that the signed confessions that were used against him were taken without being informed of his legal rights. His appeal was dismissed in May of nineteen-seventy-nine.

***

During a routine investigation in March of nineteen-seventy five, police officers found a massive amount of pornographic pictures and videos depicting young boys. Eleven of the young men turned out to be among the twenty-one victims discovered to date that had been captured and murdered by Dean Corll. This brought the authorities to the shocking revelation that the information given to David Brooks and Elmer Wayne Henley prior to Dean’s death about his involvement in a male sex ring had turned out inevitably to have been true, and not just Dean spouting off false stories for his own notoriety among the trio.

The discovery of the material in Houston eventually led to the arrest of five more individuals in Santa Clara, California. Even though the Dallas connection was proven to be associated with the Houston Mass Murders, the same affiliation could not be made with the five arrests in California. There were no signs of the torture boards that were depicted in the pictures found in Dean’s home. However, there was proof that Dean’s story that he told David about other victims buried in California may have been true. The Houston authorities did not bring the California discovery into the local Houston media because they had felt the families of Dean’s victims had already suffered enough without having to drudge up another out-of-state case from the west coast.

***

Since the seventies, True Crime cases from the fifties until now have been documented as a direct film adaptation (not to mention the several loosely-based celluloid franchises that have become legendary in the Horror genre that is also in circulation, based off of actual cases). Films such as; The Town That Dreaded Sundown, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, its sequel, Henry II, Confessions of a Serial Killer, Ed Gein, Ed Gein: The Butcher of Plainfield, Ted Bundy, The Hillside Strangler, The Night Stalker, Dahmer, Gacey, Monster, The Green River Killer, Zodiac, The BTK Killer, The Boston Strangler, From Hell and several others have brought these true tales of murder to life for viewing in the privacy of your own home. In this particular case, a film-maker from the hometown of Dean Corll, David Brooks and Elmer Henley has decided to take on the case in an adaptation that stays true to the actual events.

Josh Vargas has written and directed the movie, In a Madman’s World, which is scheduled for release in two-thousand-thirteen. He filmed on location at some of the sites of the actual murders, including inside the very house of Horrors that Dean Corll once called his home. Josh formed a relationship with Elmer Wayne Henley and has visited him in prison. He has been given access to posters, the van and the actual blood stained clothing worn during the era of the crimes.

While searching the van and cleaning it for filming, Josh stumbled across what could be a link from the past to a victim that has since been overlooked by others involved in the case. He discovered a weathered poloroid picture of a boy, looking up into the lens of the camera. Josh brought the picture to the authorities and it has been revealed on the news with a hotline to call if anyone can identify the young kid in the photo. This is a rare find that has been resurrected four decades after the murders took place. Below is an interview with Josh about working on this project, depicting the truly horrific case that once shocked his own community.

• First off, can you tell us about your film history and how you became interested in the field?

Josh:
I've always been interested in films/making films, but never really entertained the thought until I helped a friend with a zombie short and realized that technology had advanced to the point in which one didn't need millions of dollars to make a quality picture.

• Who are some of your influences?

Josh:
Depends. Cinematically, it’s always a varience of things. Certain films, certain shots from films, a piece of music, ect. On this film in particular I t was a lot of the gritty films from the 70's. Stuff like "Badlands" "Macon County Line," and "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre." There was a lot of Larry Clark influence, as well. I always loved the unflinching realism of his work and felt that this story needed that.

• What made you interested in filming an adaptation of the Dean Corll murders?

Josh:
It taking place in my home town and not knowing anything about it until a few years ago, despite the massive scope of the crimes had a lot to do with it. There's a real human element/psychology to that story that you don't usually see with mass murder cases and I felt that it was worth exploring. It was also something that wasn't necessarily "black and white." There's this whole gray area that would enable the audience to become a part of the conclusion...with the conclusion varying from person to person. Was this kid born a killer? Was he a product of his environment? Would he have still been capable of such atrocities if he never met Dean Corll?

• How long did it take you to prepare for the film project?

Josh:
It took a year to research, a year to write, and a year to shoot.

• Besides talking to Elmer Wayne Henley in prison, did you do additional research prior to production?

Josh:
Read every court document/police file in existence and studied them until I knew the case fluently. Spoke with victims family members, people who worked the case, the people STILL working the case, spoke in great detail with Wayne's family, read EVERY letter written to Wayne in prison between 1973 to 1988...thousands...went through the belongings/contents of his bedroom that Wayne left behind, visited crime scenes, ect.

• There has been news in the paper and television about you finding a picture of a potential victim while filming. Can you elaborate a little on that?

Josh:
It was a picture that was in a sealed envelope with Wayne's belongings. They aired it on the news nationwide, but unfortunately no one was able to recognize the kid. The M.E's office received phone calls, but no solid leads.

• Was there any progress on the bloodstain found on the shirt?

Josh:
Not really. We still don't know if it’s ACTUALLY a blood stain, although it sure as hell looks like one. Chris showed it to a reporter during an interview for the news and they just kinda ran with it.

• Besides the research involved, how does filming a movie based on actual crimes differ from filming a fictional movie? There must be some emotional draining in the process of looking over old crime photos and reading what actually happened, as opposed to a fictional character or story.

Josh:
Yeah, some of it was draining. Shooting a period piece on a shoestring budget is pretty tricky, especially one that involves multiple locations and set pieces. The fact that it’s a true story adds a whole other layer being that you have a responsibility to portray everything accurately…That and having to listen to stories of Wayne strangling people then matching those stories to the bodies in the crime scene photos was disturbing and still hasn’t left my mind.

• I have heard that some backlash has come from a few people of the area. What is your opinion on this? The film, Karla, was banned in Canada because it hit too close to home for the victims’ families. If this happens to In a Madman’s World, how would that make you feel? Are you a believer in the phrase, “controversy sells?”

Josh:
I agree that controversy sells but is a shitty outlook to have about a situation where people lost kids in such a way. Making a film about a true crime is ALWAYS gonna hurt somebody's feelings, so the best thing is to be respectful about it and do everything accurately. As far as backlash goes....

• I have read that while you are friends with Elmer the way he is now, you agree that he should stay in prison for the rest of his life for the crimes in which he, David and Dean committed. Does he know that you feel this way, and if so, how does he view your opinion?

Josh:
Wayne is someone that I do call friend. Wayne at 57 years old in a decent guy. That said, Wayne isn't in prison for how he is at 57 years old, he's in there for being a monster when he was 16. He took other people's lives, thus forfeiting his own and that's what he deserves. He's a murderer and he destroyed lives. Wayne is aware of how I feel about that because I’ve made it clear. That way he had no reason to butter me up or bullshit me to make his story sound less threatening. What can he say of that opinion of him? "Oh, now I know that I have a body count larger than Richard Speck, but I shouldn't have to spend my life in prison over it!" Right.

• What were some of the actual crime scenes, besides the house, that you used to film on location?

Josh:
The house was the main one. Naturally, we shot a lot of it in The Heights in the neighborhoods where that stuff went down. The boatshed in the film is directly across the street and almost a mirror image of the actual boatshed.

• How often do you correspond with Elmer?

Josh:
At the time I was writing/researching it was almost daily. Nowadays it a lot less frequent, but I still bullshit with him and update him on the film.

• Do you have any last words or upcoming film projects that you would like to share with the readers?
Josh:
We're about to do a feature film about the making of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre thst we're producing with Marilyn Burns. We shoot that in August. That's really the biggest thing right now.

We thank you for the time to do this interview. Look for In a Madman’s World, coming soon.