Former Featured FearMaker Dane Millerd is teaming up with screenwriter Ross Murray to co-produce a film based on the story of Katherine Knight. Noted as the worst female killer in Australia, and possibly the world, Katherine Knight stabbed her husband John Price 37 times before skinned and cooking his body to feed her four children back in 2000. Knight was the first Australian woman to be sentenced to life in prison, never to be released. She is currently serving her sentence in Silverwater Women’s Correctional Center.
Since Millerd and Murray acquired the rights to Peter Lalor’s book, Blood Stain, in mid-2015, the project has moved quickly. The story and Murray’s script have attracted serious production interest in Australia and overseas, mainly by Shoreline Entertainment. “We’re very excited about the agreement with Shoreline who have had a longstanding interest in the project which I pitched to them in 2015. We knew this was a great story and, with the right script, knew others would agree,” said Millerd.
“Some of Australia’s most successful films have been gritty, true crime stories,” said Morris Ruskin, CEO of Shoreline, “we believe in the international potential of this story.” The Katherine Knight story is quite a tale, possibly matched to the likes of Dahmer or Gein. The potential in this story is astronomical, with the horror practically writing itself. “We knew the story would attract a lot of interest in Australia and find an audience here,” said Millerd. “The international attention has been unexpected but not surprising. It was a heinous true-crime committed in cold blood. The local cops are still haunted by it.”
This is a project that has been on the mind of Millerd for quite some time, and once gaining the rights to the story in mind 2015, he has been progressing quickly. Charles Hopkins, Shoreline’s manager of production and development, is currently approaching directors for the project.
