Product Details

• Actors: Arlene Pralle, Aileen Wuornos
• Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Dej (Ingram)
• DVD Release Date: April 27, 2004
• Run Time: 87 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0001KNHM2
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #58,593 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Aileen Wuornos - The Selling of a Serial Killer" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Chilling, disturbing, and maddening, this documentary examines the life of America's first female serial killer after her incarceration. Documentarian Nick Broomfield interviews a rather pathetic Aileen Wuornos, looking wan in her orange prison jumpsuit and sounding none too bright. Those around her, including her eccentric, born-again Christian lawyer, come across as moral criminals, using and abusing the media limelight for personal gain. Known for exposing the creepy and the crass, Broomfield simply turns on his camera and steps back. It does not take long before we are able to discern who is helping Wuornos, and who is trying to cash in on her notoriety. The downside of a Broomfield production is that he is almost a one-man show, and the lack of a budget is sometimes painfully apparent. Still, this is one of his best, both for the subject matter and the questions he raises. --Rochelle O'Gorman

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

57 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Important if flawed documentary, October 10, 2002

By	William Miller (Ocala, Florida) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Aileen Wuornos - The Selling of a Serial Killer [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Right up front I should tell anyone reading this that I was one of three defense attorneys who represented Ms. Wuornos in her first trial in Deland, Florida, before "Dr. Legal" took her case over and pled her to death while comparing himself to Dr. Kevorkian. I should also let on that I am deeply saddened at the fact that yesterday she was executed in large part so the President's brother could get reelected Governor of this fine State.
Having gotten that out of the way, I can say that I have viewed this film several times, and it is fascinating. Somehow Mr. Broomfield manages to show Aileen exactly as she was, but at the same time makes you feel sorry for her as the people she trusts continually try to sell her out to make money from her story. It is also at times darkly humorous. You may never see an odder assemblage of real people. I have met all of them and can assure you that what you see is an accurate view.
I do have some minor quibbles. One of them involves the obvious shoestring budget. While it can lend an air of authenticity, at times it simply appears to be amateurish. Of greater concern to me was the voice over as the final credits roll wherein Broomfield seems to be dismayed that we (the Marion County Public Defender's Office)didn't return his calls. I would have thought that, since his thesis was that everyone was trying to cash in on the Wuornos story, he would have thought it admirable that we chose not to speak to people making a movie about our client.
Nonetheless I highly recommend this film. A lot can be learned about our society from watching it.

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a true story, August 7, 2001

By	Peter Shelley "petershelley" (Marrickville, New South Wales Australia) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Aileen Wuornos - The Selling of a Serial Killer [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This excellent 1992 British documentary by Nick Broomfield about "America's first female serial killer" poses more questions than it answers which is indicative of the quagmire of duplicity that surrounded the case. Aileen was a prostitute convicted of the shooting murder of 7 men in central Florida between 1989 and 1990 and sentenced to death by electric chair. She is a tragic figure since she appeared to be surrounded by people who wanted to see her die and profit from their association with her. Her lesbian lover helped her be arrested, her adopted stepmother convinced her to plead guilty, her lawyer more excited about his rock career, the police more interested in the movie rights, state politicians who needed her dead to be re-elected. When we finally get to meet Aileen in prison we see what an intelligent and open person she appears to be, which deepens the tragedy, though we never learn her fate. Broomfield spends a lot of time on camera with Aileen's stepmother and lawyer, filming their negotiated contracts, and travelling the area trying to unravel the story, though ultimately failing. Aileen claims that the killings were all acts of self-defense, an opinion we tend to believe when we hear her horrific evidence in a filmed trial. The most fascinating person is the one we never meet - the vanished ex-lover whom Aileen is willing to die to protect and who seems to hold the key to the truth.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Does what a documentary does, June 7, 2004

By	Christopher Carneal (los angeles) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Well documents the sad and absurd people and circumstances in Aileen Wuornos' new life as a serial killer in 1992. Best if seen with the 2002 interviews "Aileen - Life and Death of a Serial Killer" in order to appreciate how bizarre it all gets over time. Actually, it is essential to see them together.

Very objective in trying to find the truth in Aileen's unfolding and complex insanity.