HBO Original three-part documentary series The Pet Cemetery Murders: A Ghost Story directed by Philip Cairney (Being Beethoven), and produced by Emmy-winning Jonathan Chinn and Academy Award-winning Simon Chinn’s Lightbox (HBO’s The Princess and Tina), gets its debut on October 11th on HBO and HBO Max.
What begins as an investigation into a 1985 murder turns into a haunting exploration of a community’s dark history of violence and bloodshed. Set in the rural bayou outside New Orleans, Louisiana, a harsh landscape steeped in supernatural lore and traditions, the story starts with the disappearance of Dorothy Lou Thompson – the owner of a pet cemetery that had been built on land long rumored to be cursed. Dorothy’s body eventually turns up wrapped in chains in the Mississippi River, raising questions about her past and the people around her. With no concrete evidence, the case goes cold until 2009 when Det. John Doran reopens the investigation, following up on old leads and digging into the case files. Unexpectedly, a witness comes forward with a terrifying tale of Dorothy’s ghost which compels him to come forward with information. Three years later, a second witness claims to be haunted by the murdered woman seeking vengeance. The vexing accounts launch a police investigation into Dorothy’s tragic past, revealing a trail of dead husbands, a domineering mother Grace, who founded the cemetery after outrunning her own criminal acts, and the long shadow of a community steeped in evil deeds that were buried but not forgotten.
With insight from Dorothy’s neighbors, law enforcement, local journalists, and scholars, the series unearths a labyrinthine tale involving multiple dead bodies, disturbing family secrets, and centuries-old massacres exposing the deep-seated horror and guilt that still haunt the community.
Directed and written by Philip Cairney, the executive producers are Simon Chinn, Jonathan Chinn, Suzanne Lavery, James Marsh, and Silvia Sacco. For HBO, executive producers are Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller, and Tina Nguyen.
Jon Creamer
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