It’s been more than 75 years since 26-year-old beauty Winnie Ruth Judd allegedly murdered her two friends in Phoenix in 1931. She carried their bodies in trunks for disposal, garnering her the nickname, “The Trunk Murderess.” On the anniversary of the killings, Oct. 16, Los Angeles-based writer/director Scott Coblio brings his movie about the case, Murderess: The Winnie Ruth Judd Story, to Phoenix’s The Trunk Space. The venue is appropriate, considering it is partly named after those infamous trunks.

Coblio said he first learned about Judd when he read about her as a child, and he felt compelled to bring her story to the screen.

“I grew up reading this book and looking at the pictures, and it just seemed like a storybook to me,” Coblio, 43, said. “It seemed like Alice in Wonderland, only a true Alice in Wonderland, and a little bit more gritty and horrible.”

In the movie, viewers learn Judd’s story, which includes her having an affair with a man who also may have been involved with her two best friends, the ones she killed in a fight that escalated into the murders. One of the bodies was dismembered to fit in the trunk, but the movie’s not as graphic as you may think—puppets were used instead of live actors.

“I was always fascinated with puppetry,” Koblio said. “I really kind of wanted it to feel like a storybook, like it did to me when I was little reading the book, and I wanted it to be sort of like a holiday special that was for adults.”

Interspersed between the puppet scenes are screen shots of newspaper clippings and photos of the real people involved, making it easy to put human faces to the puppets and give the true story more of a credible feeling. The movie’s also presented in black-and-white, giving it another reminiscent feel of 1930s film.

"The artistry of those old Hollywood studio movies is so compelling that even though the movies are dated, they’re still beautiful to look at,” Coblio said. “The artistry, the lighting, the composition, the camera work, the hair, the make-up—I just love the whole thing. Even though my movie has puppets, I really wanted to simulate the feel, the formality of those old movies.”

The puppets themselves were one of the biggest parts of the 95-minute movie’s expense. The film was mostly a do-it-yourself endeavor, with a budget of about $4,000—all the actors were volunteers, and Coblio edited, shot and directed the film himself. The project started over three years ago, and Coblio said there were moments he didn’t think the film would get finished because he was overwhelmed.

One challenge Coblio encountered was finding the perfect voice for Judd’s character. He said he was looking for a lower, deep voice reminiscent of glamorous actresses from the 1930s and 40s, and actress Joy Nash was able to provide that.

Besides working on Murderess, Nash has also experienced Internet success with her YouTube video entitled Fat Rant, which has received more than one million views. Nash has a personal connection to the Judd case and was eager to be a part of the film.

“I just thought the story was really interesting,” Nash, 27, said. “I actually have a lot of family in Phoenix, and my grandmother’s lived there for 75 years, and she knew of Winnie. It was really funny after I went home and finished it to tell her about it.”

Nash said Coblio showed her some old movies to get the throaty type of voice for Judd, someone she wants to look at as a heroine, even though she committed murder.

“Not that murder is awesome or anything, but everyone looked at her as so frail and weak and inconsequential, but here she did something that’s kind of unfathomable,” Nash said.

Another obstacle when making the film for Coblio was deciding how to present the sequence of events. Coblio shot the film first and ad-libbed lines since there was no formal script, then the actors were brought in to do their voiceovers.

Coblio said when he edited the movie, it was important for him to keep the film simple and not too fancy with special effects.

“I really want it to be organic and slower than we’re used to seeing movies now,” Coblio said. “I really want to acclimate people to a slower pace because I think we all have ADD now. We’re just used to quick cuts and a lot of bells and whistles to keep us interested, but I wanted to see if I could keep them interested with story and character development.”

After learning more about Judd and making the movie, Coblio said he understands more about Judd and why she committed the murders, and his goal was to humanize her. Besides educating people about the crime, Coblio said he hopes people enjoy the engaging story and could see the film gaining a cult following.

“Nobody seems to know this story, and I don’t know how that’s possible because it’s just so fascinating and weird,” Coblio said. “I hope that people come away from it sort of feeling like they saw an old movie, that sort of feeling you have when you stay at home on a Sunday and watch a movie that’s from the 30s or 40s. It’s got humor, it’s got drama, and it’s just a little bit of everything, but it’s not like any other movie you’ll ever see.”

Murderess: The Winnie Ruth Judd Story
Oct. 16- 10 p.m.
$6
The Trunk Space
1506 N.W. Grand Ave., Phoenix, 85007
www.thetrunkspace.com, www.murderess-the-movie.com