When it comes to serial killers, none had a more devious plan than America’s first serial killer, H.H. Holmes. Holmes was doctor who got his criminal start running insurance scams using cadavers from his lab. He moved around, working odd jobs, and was suspiciously connected to several deaths and disappearances. Finally, he landed in Chicago, where he would truly flourish as a serial killer. Holmes constructed a hotel for the World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893. Full of secret rooms and torture chambers, it was later dubbed the “Murder Castle”. Holmes’ disturbing story of how he avoided detection for so long is a perfect fit for the big screen. Holmes will be played by Leonardo DiCaprio in the upcoming film The Devil in the White City.
Based on the book, The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson, the film will reunite Leo with director Martin Scorsese. Previously collaborating on Gangs of New York, The Aviator, The Departed, Shutter Island, and The Wolf of Wall Street, this will be the pair’s sixth film together. Leo is an excellent fit to portray the character of Holmes, who was both charming and a disturbed psychopath. Holmes held multiple simultaneous relationships with women and tricked men into unwitting partnerships. After his capture, he confessed to 30 kills, 6 attempted murders, and said “I was born with the devil in me.” Other estimates count his death toll as high as 200. This far exceeds his London counterpart, Jack the Ripper, who was active around the same time.
Larson’s book also documents the story of Daniel Burnham, the architect for the World’s Columbian Exposition. Burnham is also expected to appear in Scorsese’s adaptation of The Devil in the White City, so who would you like to see cast opposite Leo? Let us know in the comments below!
