Ah, the internet. A magical world of questionable and often concerning wonders. Anyone can post a video online, and while the majority of “too wild to be true” clips are doctored or fake, sometimes even the outlandish ones can be shockingly real. In Faking a Murderer, two filmmakers find a video online so convincing — and so unsettling — that they decide they have to investigate. 

Combining the online haziness of Catfish with the backwoods dread of Deliverance, Faking A Murderer sees director Stu Stone and producer Adam Rodness  — the filmmaking team behind the stoner horror flick Scarecrows and the Netflix documentary hit Jack of All Trades — helming the project, only this time the two filmmakers appear in front of the camera as well as behind it. 

After discovering a chilling video online that seemingly includes a murder confession, Stone and Rodness assemble their team to investigate this unreal true crime story that lurks somewhere in the rural countryside. Now, the footage has been assembled into a feature length presentation which captures the origins of their investigation, the absurd moments they experience, and the harrowing stakes that continue to rise as they close in on their target. 

Faking A Murderer pulls back the curtain to reveal the behind-the-scenes of how true crime shows are actually produced and how well intentioned beginnings can quickly spiral out of control. 

“As a die-hard fan of the true crime genre, I knew this would be an exciting project for 5’7 Films to take on next,” states Stone. “While investigating baseball cards for our documentary Jack of All Trades, we successfully managed to track a lot of people down to get the answers we needed. We figured that finding a killer would be a bold new mission for us and a huge challenge. We were right.” Rodness concurs. “We’ve obviously filmed some horror movies over the years and after we had the success on Netflix with Jack of All Trades, the next logical step for us as filmmakers was to investigate… murder. This film captures that process in its entirety.”

Faking A Murderer also tested the mettle of the Canadian filmmaking team as it pushed their friendship and professional relationship to the brink. “We’re brothers-in-law so, our relationship is really like jumping out of an airplane and this project tested that analogy to the fullest,” explains Rodness. “Stu just wants to jump right out of the plane without thinking, while I always recommend checking for a parachute first. Either way, we’ll more than likely be plummeting to our deaths together.” 

“Adam likes to consider himself the responsible and practical one in our company,” states Stone. “However, I always knew there was nothing responsible or practical about searching for a killer. This is the story of what went down.”

Stone and Rodness have once again joined forces with Breakthrough Entertainment to release this wild new film. “When you take a look at Adam and Stu’s body of work, you get a real sense of how committed they are to the filmmaking process, regardless of the genre or format,” states Breakthrough Entertainment’s Feature Film Co-ordinator Chris Benn. “The footage they’ve captured in Faking A Murderer is a raw look at that process and fans of mystery and suspense are going to want to check it out from start to finish.” 

Faking A Murderer was produced in partnership with Hollywood Suite, 5’7 Films and Breakthrough Entertainment in Association with Astrolab Studios, with the participation of Canada Media Fund, Ontario Creates and the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit.

The film is set to have its world broadcast premiere on the Hollywood Suite channel on October 14, 2020. You can check out the film’s poster and trailer below!