Wonderland

Wonderland (2003)

Timing: 1:44 (104 min)

6.063/10
252

6.43/10
1063

6.5/10
25000

All about film

Video 1

Photo 6

Actors and characters

Release date

2003-10-23

Country

Canada, United States

Production

Lions Gate Films

Genre

Crime

Budget

$5 000 000

Revenue

$2 466 444

Website

Director

James Cox

Actors

Val Kilmer, Dylan McDermott, Kate Bosworth, Josh Lucas, Lisa Kudrow, Eric Bogosian, Christina Applegate, Carrie Fisher, Tim Blake Nelson, Janeane Garofalo
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Captain Mauzner, Todd Samovitz

Producer

Michael Paseornek, Holly Wiersma

Operator

Michael Grady

Composer

Cliff Martinez

Artist

Audition

Barbara Fiorentino, Rebecca Mangieri

Editing

Jeff McEvoy
All team (18)

• Filming period: November 4 – November 26, 2002.
• The film is based on real events from July 1981. The incident depicted in the film became known as the "Laurel Canyon Murders" and the "Wonderland Murders" case.
• Matt Dillon could have played John Holmes; he was the first candidate for the lead role. The actor dropped out of the project to work on his own film, "Ghost World" (2002).
• Holmes, a legend of the adult film industry (he starred in over 2000 films), became the subject of a fictional film for the first time. However, as early as 1997, his figure inspired Paul Thomas Anderson to create "Boogie Nights"; Mark Wahlberg played a porn star in that film who occasionally resembled Holmes.
• The film was released on DVD with an additional documentary about the real police investigation of the Wonderland case.
• In the film, John Colmes wears a chain with a ring. This is the actual ring Holmes gave to his fiancée Sharon Holmes in 1965. Before filming, Sharon gave the ring to Val Kilmer for good luck, and after filming, she gifted it to Dawn Schiller.
• The shootout scene in Wonderland incorporates photographs actually taken at the crime scene.
• Val Kilmer was so captivated by the project that he created a photo report about the filming, which was later published as a separate book.
• At the same time as this film, Val Kilmer was filming Renny Harlin's thriller "Mindhunters" (2004). He was allowed to keep his long hair, which was necessary for his role as Holmes.
• The film was shot in just 18 days.
• Kristina Applegate, who played one of the victims on Wonderland Avenue, grew up near the location. She even remembers bloodstained mattresses near the house where the murders took place.
• On the anniversary of the Wonderland murders, Val Kilmer and Josh Lucas spent the night in the infamous house; Lucas played the homeowner, Ron Launius.
• John Holmes could have been played by Matt Dillon; he was the first choice for the lead role. The actor dropped out of the project to work on his own film, "Ghost World" (2002).
• Holmes, a legend in the adult film industry (he starred in over 2000 films), became the subject of a fictionalized film for the first time. However, as early as 1997, his persona inspired Paul Thomas Anderson to make "Boogie Nights"; Mark Wahlberg played a porn star in that film who occasionally resembled Holmes.
• At the same time as this film, Val Kilmer was filming Renny Harlin's thriller, "Mindhunters" (2004). He was allowed to wear long hair for that film, which was necessary for his role as Holmes.