There’s a subset of HBO Original Documentaries, whether about telemarketers or people obsessed with great apes, that manage to strike the right balance between tawdry and rigorous, darkly comic yet mostly respectful to those involved. The first trailer for Murder In Glitterball City, which involves ghosts, Louisville history, architecture, and drag queens, certainly appears like it could live up to that reputation.
Part of the synopsis reads:
Inspired by the non-fiction book “A Dark Room in Glitter Ball City” by David Dominé, the film chronicles a 2010 murder case that starts with a 911 phone call that leads police to the gruesome discovery of a body buried in the basement of a Victorian mansion. As two men face police interrogators, a story emerges of twisted liaisons. Each partner points an accusatory finger at the other and their respective accounts brim with glaring inconsistencies and false allegations. As two separate murder trials unfold, key pieces of video evidence emerge, subverting expectations about suspects Joey Banis and Jeffrey Mundt.
Murder In Glitterball City—named as such because Louisville, Kentucky is the city in which the mirrored disco ball was invented—arrives on HBO and HBO Max on February 19. The two-part documentary was directed and produced by Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato.