A sticking point with horror fanatics is that many people take it too far, tainting the good name of those of us that just like gore and disembowelment on film. Serial Killers tend to fascinate us, and put us in the odd position, in this technological age, of watching something on the news and thinking "man, that would be cool in a movie." When Patrick Bateman kills a hooker because he thinks it's his God-given right to do so, it's ironic and cool. When Ted Bundy did the same thing for the same reason, it's revolting and should never, ever be looked to as a middle finger to the establishment. Manson, Gacy, Dahmer and Berkowitz are bad. And just because you like Kruger, Vorhees, Meyers and Bates doesn't mean you're a twisted maniac. The proper view of a serial killer is scholarly, such as taken in "H.H. Holmes: America's First Serial Killer." They are to be studied and understood, an aberration to human society.

This is all long-winded exposition on an excellent documentary of America's first Serial Killer, a twisted aristo-wannabe who killed and tortured any-and-everyone he wanted to during the twilight of the 1800s in Chicago. The story of H.H. Holmes is brought to careful and terrifying life by filmmaker John Borowski, and chronicles how the good doctor eviscerated his victims without remorse. Borowski has created a documentary better than most of the over-hyped History-Channel fare, and his impressive work rings terror out of crimes committed more than a century ago. Not unlike Holmes himself, Borowski uses surgical care to pick Holmes apart piece by piece, humanizing the doctor without sympathizing with his depraved defiance of decency.

The feature-length documentary chronicles the life of Holmes from his early life though his infamous killing spree and subsequent "Trial of the Century." Holmes is best know for luring visitors away from the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago, offering them a place to stay in his luxurious hotel (dubbed "The Castle"), and then killing them. His methods of capture and execution involved secret passages throughout the castle, vats of acid, and cremation. In a particularly grisly section, Holmes toys with the emotions of a mother as he separates and eventually slaughters her children, one by one.

This is an exciting movie for a reviewer, as Mr. Borowski funded the movie and carefully cobbled it together over the course of three years. He dug up scores of pictures, info, and experts, creating a slick, professional product the likes of which you'd find on A&E. As an independent filmmaker, Borowski understands that to create something worth watching, it takes time and care, and he succeeds where many DV camera-toting auteurs filming their friends and fake blood in the backyard have failed. Borowski even got voice-over artist Tony Jay (The Supreme Being in "Time Bandits," for all ya geeks out there) to narrate the film. An fine job all around, and if there is any justice in the world, we'll see Borowski's film as a supplement or companion piece to one of the big-budgeted (rumored to star the likes of Cruise and DiCaprio) Holmes bio-pics in the works.

Scratch that, if there is any justice in the world, Borowski will have a long and storied career as a documentary filmmaker. He has talent and has proven his stamina, and his final product, while not flashy or groundbreaking, is the sort of informative, solid entertainment that should afford him longevity.

You can currently order "H.H. Holmes" from www.hhholmesthefilm.com. The first 1000 copies contain a numbered and autographed "Death Certificate," and the DVD contains extras to show that Borowski ain't bad at marketing either, including a making of documentary, trailers, and commentary. Get in on the ground floor and say that you knew about Borowski back when he was making low-budget documentaries. And tell him Bloody Disgusting sent you.