Mineshaft: The Cruising Murders (2026)
The murders inspired a movie. The movie ignited a movement.
85 min
“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.
- Release date
- June 6, 2026
- Country of origin
- United States
- Music
- Makeup and Vanity Set
Cast
- Adam Baran as Self - Interviewee
- Bud S. Smith as Self
- Dan Savage as Self
- David Del Valle as Self
- Don Scardino as Self
- Frank Henenlotter as Self
- Howard Rosenman as Self
- Jim Fall as Self
- Michael Musto as Self
- Nat Segaloff as Self
- Randy Jurgensen as Self
- Richard Berkowitz as Self - Interviewee
- Drusilla Adeline as Self - Interviewee
- Steve Ashkinazy as Self - Interviewee
- John Burke as Self - Interviewee
Crew
- Paul Bateson · Archive footage
- Arthur Bell · Archive footage
- Heather Bernard · Archive footage
- Linda Blair · Archive footage
- Anita Bryant · Archive footage
- Jeffrey Schwarz · Director
- John Boccardo · Producer
- Jeffrey Schwarz · Producer
- Makeup and Vanity Set · Composer
- Jesse Dana · Cinematographer
- Brian Wengrofsky · Cinematographer
- Jeffrey Schwarz · Editor