Mineshaft: The Cruising Murders

Mineshaft: The Cruising Murders

84 mins | Documentary | June 6, 2026

“Mineshaft: The Cruising Murders" peels back the layers of controversy surrounding the making of the 1980 thriller, "Cruising." Directed by William Friedkin, the film triggered fierce protests from the LGBTQ+ community for its portrayal of a serial killer targeting gay men in New York's leather bars. Friedkin drew inspiration from the brutal murder of Variety reporter Addison Verrill, blurring the boundaries between cinematic fiction and real-life tragedy.

Mineshaft: The Cruising Murders

84 mins | Documentary | June 6, 2026

Mineshaft: The Cruising Murders
“Mineshaft: The Cruising Murders" peels back the layers of controversy surrounding the making of the 1980 thriller, "Cruising." Directed by William Friedkin, the film triggered fierce protests from the LGBTQ+ community for its portrayal of a serial killer targeting gay men in New York's leather bars. Friedkin drew inspiration from the brutal murder of Variety reporter Addison Verrill, blurring the boundaries between cinematic fiction and real-life tragedy.
Producers Automat Pictures
Original title Mineshaft: The Cruising Murders
Directors Jeffrey Schwarz
Writers

Cast

William Friedkin

as Self (archive footage)

Al Pacino

as Self (archive footage)

Jerry Weintraub

as Self (archive footage)

Gene Siskel

as Self (archive footage)

Roger Ebert

as Self (archive footage)

Holly Woodlawn

as Self (archive footage)

Chuck Scarborough

as Self (archive footage)

Harvey Milk

as Self (archive footage)

Marsha P. Johnson

as Self (archive footage)

Linda Blair

as Self (archive footage)

Charles Lum

as Self

Anita Bryant

as Self (archive footage)

Steve Ashkinazy

as Self

Adam Baran

as Self

Paul Bateson

as Self (archive footage)

David Del Valle

as Self

Dennis Dermody

as Self

Jim Fall

as Self

Dianne Feinstein

as Self (archive footage)

Wayland Flowers

as Self (archive footage)

Matt Foreman

as Self

Jim Hubbard

as Self

Andy Humm

as Self

Randy Jurgensen

as Self

Charles Kaiser

as Self

Barton Lane

as Self (archive footage)

Jason Miller

as Self (archive footage)

Michael Musto

as Self

Frank O'Dowd

as Self (archive footage)

Marcia Pally

as Self (archive footage)

George Putnam

as Self (archive footage)

Howard Rosenman

as Self

Vito Russo

as Self (archive footage)

Dan Savage

as Self

Don Scardino

as Self

Nat Segaloff

as Self

Bud S. Smith

as Self

Tom Snyder

as Self

Todd Verow

as Self

John Wojtowicz

as Self (archive footage)