Dean Corll and The Boys from Houston Heights

Today marks the 49th anniversary of the death of Houston serial killer Dean Corll. Next year will mark the 50th anniversary of Corll's murder, as well as a time when so many Houstonians found out just what horrible fate befell the missing boys who crossed Dean Corrl's path. My play, The Boys for Houston Heights, not only serves as a docudrama about Corll's early murders, it touches upon Houston's "lost boys" and what their parents were feeling during that time. For those who are into true crime and what to learn more about this dark time in Houston's history, I have included a list of books, plays, and movies that tell the story of what people in 1973 referred to as The Houston Mass Murders:

The Boys from Houston Heights by Bradley Nies. (Next Stage Press, 2018)

The Candy Man: The True Story of Serial Killer Dean Corll by Jessi Dilman. (Trellis Publishing, 2021)

The Clown and the Candy Man directed by Marcus Valentin. (Cineflex Productions and Investigative Discovery, 2021)

Dean Corll: The True Story of the Houston Mass Murders by Jack Rosewood. (CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2015)

Horror in the Heights: The True Story of the Houston Mass Murders by Kimberly Christian. (CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2015)

In a Madman's World directed by Josh Vargas. (Chance Allen Productions, 2017)

Jerk by Dennis Cooper. (Artspace Books, 1993)

The Killing of America directed by Sheldon Renan and Leonard Schrader. (Filmlink International and Towa Productions, 1981)

The Man with the Candy: The Story of the Houston Mass Murders by Jack Olsen. (Simon and Schuster, 1974)

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Murder on Old Topanga Canyon Road

I haven't shared my good news on social media yet, so hear goes! One of my plays, Historical Mutilations, will be produced this summer by Theatre Off the Square in Weatherford, Texas. Along with Mike Byham's play, Arti Doll, my play will be produced on June 7-9, 2024. Both plays were winners of the 2023 New Works Contest, and I am thrilled that such a prestigious venue as Theatre Off the Square will be taking on this project! Historical Mutilations tells the story of the murder of Gary Hinman. A hippie renaissance figure in the 1960s, as well as the Manson Family's "forgotten victim," Hinman was found dead in his home on Old Topanga Canyon Road on July 31, 1969. This was eight days before Sharon Tate and four others were found murdered at Tate's Cielo Drive residence. My play, a biodrama, depicts a possible conversation that Hinman and cult-leader Charles Manson may have had prior to Hinman's murder. In doing so, Manson compares ...

Bradley Nies, Playwright

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