The Divine Tragedies is a film inspired by the case of Nathan Freudenthal Leopold Jr. and Richard A. Loeb, two American serial killers better known as Leopold and Loeb (pictured left here), whose crimes (including theft and vandalism) date back to 1924 and for which they were sentenced to life in prison.
Leopold and Loeb were two wealthy students at the University of Chicago who, believing themselves superior to the masses, felt free to carry out all kinds of heinous acts convinced that their intelligence would help them get away with it. Their case inspired other films such as Knot in the throat and the two Funny Games.
The Divine Tragedies is directed by Jose Prendes (The Haunting of Whaley House) who also handled the screenplay. Production, on the other hand, was handled by brothers Jon and James Kondelik of Dual Visions.
Starring as the two serial killers are Graham Denman and Jon Kondelik (12/12/12, Rise of the Zombies - Return of the Zombies). The two also rejoin the cast of Prendes' The Haunting of Whaley House. They are joined by Hannah Levien, Sean Whalen, Lynn Lowry, Ruben Pla, Aaron Pruner, Ken Foree and Barbara Crampton.
The Divine Tragedies tells the story of two college students, brothers Charles Brubaker (Graham Denman) and Thomas Lo Bianco (Jon Kondelik), who devise a deadly game to test the superiority of their intelligence over that of the masses and also to interrupt the boredom of their everyday lives. Their project, however, will lead to murder and a series of criminal acts. Having met Genevieve, a young single mother, the two will see in her a perfect victim. The two, however, are not as smart as they think as Detective Homer Gaul (Ken Foree) is already on their trail.
No word yet on the film's release date.
Below is the promising trailer:
