HBO's new true crime documentary so traumatic, filmmaker quit career, abandoned damaging footage, crew needed therapy

Indian Express

3 days ago

In 1991, four teenage girls, Amy Ayers (13), Jennifer (17), Sarah Harbison (15), and Eliza Thomas (17), were raped, tortured, and murdered inside a small frozen yogurt shop in Austin, Texas. Even though the shop was burned down, evidence showed the girls had been tied up, shot, and then left to die. The city was left devastated. Austin's community rallied behind the families, marching with signs, setting up billboards, and even local singers turning songs into tributes.
Years later, HBO revisited the case in a documentary, directed by Margaret Brown. The show is now streaming on the OTT. But before her, another filmmaker, Claire Huie, had attempted to make a documentary on this incident more than 10 years ago. However, the case was so dark and heavy that she couldn't handle it.
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Speaking to Variety, Margaret Brown revealed how the whole investigation impacted the mental health of the crew. The company was compelled to cover therapy sessions for employees still haunted by the chilling discoveries. The show was first pitched to actor Emma Stone and her husband, Dave McCary, who once lived in Austin and were well aware of the case. Later, A24, known for films like Hereditary, took on the challenge. Brown spent three years on this project. In an interview with Variety, she revealed interviewing police investigators, victims' families, journalists who covered the case, including Erin Moriarty (from 48 Hours). Later, Margaret got her hands on the abandoned footage from filmmaker Claire Huie, who once tried to make her own documentary but stopped because it consumed her life.
While Huie refrained from commenting on the project, according to the Guardian's report, the weight of the crime and the emotions around it made her quit the project. She eventually gave up on her dream of working in film altogether. According to the outlet, she now works as a meditation teacher. Her unfinished footage, including an interview with Robert Springsteen (a man once on death row for the murders), is now being used in The Yogurt Shop Murders documentary. Huie herself is featured in the show.
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The subject matter even took a toll on Margaret's team. Crime scene photos were described as unbearable to even take a glance at. She revealed her editorial team begged her not to look at the pictures because they were too disturbing and would 'haunt you for the rest of your life.' A24 then paid for therapy for the film team because living inside this case for years was mentally draining. 'This case is a pretty extreme case of people dealing with trauma, but I felt like there was something instructive about it. Each family dealt with the trauma in really different ways, and I found that fascinating.' she told Variety.
The filmmaker admitted she thought she was ready, having worked on tough projects before, but nothing compared to sitting with grieving parents decades later, their pain still fresh because the case was never solved. 'A lot of my films deal with horrible things that happen to people, but I wasn't prepared for the unresolved rape and murder of teenage girls, and the toll it still takes on their families. I didn't realise how heavy it would be to sit in those rooms for hours with them. Then I thought, if it's this hard for me, imagine what they're living through. It was like a loop in my head,' she said.
The documentary also shows how badly the justice system handled this case. Interrogations were harsh, and some of the boys gave false testimonies. Robert Springsteen's false confession landed him on death row, while another, Michael Scott, was also convicted. Both were later released after DNA evidence didn't match. Its been over 30 years with the case still unsolved.