Independent documentary highlights ‘Michigan Murders’ and crime in 1960s Ann Arbor

“Amid the chaos of the late 1960s, shocking crimes impact the twin college towns of Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, MI,” says the Kickstarter page for an independent documentary.

Detroit area filmmaker Andrew Templeton and his team hope to respectfully discuss true crime events with their independent documentary “1969: Killers, Freaks, and Radicals.”

The documentary focuses on tumultuous historical events in Washtenaw County and the crimes of serial killer John Norman Collins.

Collins, also known as John Norman Chapman, was arrested for the murder of an 18-year-old woman but is thought to have killed up to seven girls and women between 1967-1969. He was nicknamed the Ypsilanti Ripper or Co-Ed Killer, and the crimes were dubbed the Michigan Murders.

Templeton has spent more than five years researching the events. He has always been interested in the 1960s but became even more intrigued after seeing Edward Keyes’ book “The Michigan Murders” displayed on a local interest shelf at the Ann Arbor District Library.

“1969: Killers, Freaks, and Radicals” will discuss Collins’ crimes but also analyzes other topics, like the social atmosphere surrounding the tragedies and three unrelated murders.

“The film will also include general stories about hardships that young women faced and the frequent events of social unrest and street violence occurring locally,” Templeton said over email.

He and the documentary team want to approach the topic with reverence and aim to be respectful of the victims and those impacted by the crimes covered by the documentary.

“I have tried very much to avoid the more exploitative aspects of true crime: glorification of the killer, and focusing too much upon the specifics of the violence. This film is more about a moment in time and how it might have felt to live through it than focusing on the killer or crimes themself,” Templeton said.

Creating an independent documentary is a huge undertaking, and the team of five people has been working with a limited budget. They have spent a lot of time researching, interviewing, looking for historical materials and recreating historical scenes.

Templeton said the bulk of the interviews have been finished but there are a lot of edits to make. The team will also need to do voice-over work as they put all the pieces together.

“The biggest challenge so far has been one of perseverance. Producing a low-budget, independent film is always a challenge,” Templeton said. “You call in a lot of favors from friends and colleagues, try to obtain location access and archival material for little to no money, and inevitably experience setbacks.”

Some of those setbacks include film shoots that Templeton called “comically plagued by misfortune.” But there have been some positives. The Kickstarter campaign for “1969: Killers, Freaks, and Radicals” raised over its $25,000 goal, which will help push the film over the finish line.

The team is trying to have a final edit of the documentary done by the end of the summer, according to Templeton. Once the final version is put together, they will begin submitting it to film festivals and are planning on having a local premiere.

Watch the trailer here.

Learn about the documentary and the film team here.