Black Dahlia (film)

Plot

In a brief prologue set in 1947, Elizabeth Short (Danielle Petty, as "Ivy Elfstrom") is murdered by an unseen assailant. In present-day Los Angeles, a "copycat" serial killer is dumping partially mutilated female bodies in an emulation of Elizabeth Short's murderer. Women answering an ad for a movie audition are systematically killed by Satan worshippers. One of the policemen becomes obsessed with the story of Elizabeth Short, researchs the original 40s murder online, and dreams about it. Eventually, he comes face-to-face with the killers.

The film showcases four violent death sequences. The actresses whose characters are brutally killed are, in order of appearance, Lorielle New, Laura Leigh Hofrichter (as "Laura Leigh"), Crystal Nelson, and Jana Laurin.

Filming

Production of Ulli Lommel's Black Dahlia took place in Marina Del Rey, California and at the Lincoln Heights Jail. an abandoned jail site on N Avenue 19 in Los Angeles, California, in January 2006. The final shot was filmed in Venice, California at a house located on Victoria Avenue.

All of the scenes filmed in the Lincoln Heights Jail were completed in one day by director Ulli Lommel.

Three versions of Ulli Lommel's Black Dahlia were submitted to the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) for a rating. The first version, which ran 83 minutes, received an NC-17 rating from the MPAA. A second edit, created by producer Jeff Frentzen in response to the MPAA's claims that the film was overly gory and violent, ran 80 minutes and also received an NC-17 rating. A third version, also edited by Frentzen, ran 77 minutes, with 7 minutes of extreme violence removed. That version also received an NC-17. The distributor, Lions Gate Entertainment, ultimately decided to release the 80 minute version on DVD, unrated.