Release CalendarDVD & Blu-ray ReleasesTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsIn TheatersComing SoonMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysAPA Heritage MonthSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)

Into the Abyss

  • 20112011
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 1h 47m
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
17K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • IMDbPro
Into the Abyss (2011)
Conversations death row inmate Michael Perry and those affected by his crime serve as an examination of why people - and the state - kill.
Play trailer2:27
2 Videos
10 Photos
  • Documentary
  • Crime
  • Drama

Conversations with death row inmate Michael Perry and those affected by his crime serve as an examination of why people - and the state - kill.Conversations with death row inmate Michael Perry and those affected by his crime serve as an examination of why people - and the state - kill.Conversations with death row inmate Michael Perry and those affected by his crime serve as an examination of why people - and the state - kill.

IMDb RATING
7.3/10
17K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Werner Herzog
  • Writer
    • Werner Herzog(uncredited)
  • Stars
    • Werner Herzog(voice)
    • Richard Lopez
    • Michael Perry
Top credits
  • Director
    • Werner Herzog
  • Writer
    • Werner Herzog(uncredited)
  • Stars
    • Werner Herzog(voice)
    • Richard Lopez
    • Michael Perry
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 51User reviews
    • 130Critic reviews
    • 74Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 wins & 13 nominations

    Videos2

    U.S. Version
    Trailer 2:27
    U.S. Version
    Fred Allen Interview
    Clip 2:10
    Fred Allen Interview

    Photos10

    Werner Herzog in Into the Abyss (2011)
    Into the Abyss (2011)
    Into the Abyss (2011)
    Into the Abyss (2011)
    Into the Abyss (2011)
    Into the Abyss (2011)
    Into the Abyss (2011)
    Into the Abyss (2011)
    Into the Abyss (2011)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Werner Herzog
    Werner Herzog
    • Self - Narratoras Self - Narrator
    • (voice)
    Richard Lopez
    • Self - Death House Chaplinas Self - Death House Chaplin
    Michael Perry
    • Self - Death Row Inmateas Self - Death Row Inmate
    Damon Hall
    • Self - Montgomery County Sheriff's Departmentas Self - Montgomery County Sheriff's Department
    Lisa Stolter-Balloun
    • Self - Daughter and Sister to Victimsas Self - Daughter and Sister to Victims
    Charles Richardson
    • Self - Older Brother of Jeremyas Self - Older Brother of Jeremy
    Jason Burkett
    • Self - Convicted Murdereras Self - Convicted Murderer
    Jared Talbert
    • Self - Citizen of Conroe Texasas Self - Citizen of Conroe Texas
    Amanda West
    • Self - Former Bartenderas Self - Former Bartender
    Delbert Burkett
    • Self - Jason Burkett's Fatheras Self - Jason Burkett's Father
    Melyssa Thompson-Burkett
    • Self - Jason Burkett's Wifeas Self - Jason Burkett's Wife
    • (as Melyssa Burkett)
    Fred Allen
    • Self - Former Captain pf Death House Teamas Self - Former Captain pf Death House Team
    • Director
      • Werner Herzog
    • Writer
      • Werner Herzog(uncredited)
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

    More like this

    Encounters at the End of the World
    7.7
    Encounters at the End of the World
    Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World
    7.0
    Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World
    Into the Inferno
    7.2
    Into the Inferno
    Cave of Forgotten Dreams
    7.3
    Cave of Forgotten Dreams
    On Death Row
    7.9
    On Death Row
    Grizzly Man
    7.8
    Grizzly Man
    The White Diamond
    7.5
    The White Diamond
    Happy People: A Year in the Taiga
    7.7
    Happy People: A Year in the Taiga
    Little Dieter Needs to Fly
    8.0
    Little Dieter Needs to Fly
    My Best Fiend
    7.8
    My Best Fiend
    Meeting Gorbachev
    7.2
    Meeting Gorbachev
    Fireball: Visitors from Darker Worlds
    7.0
    Fireball: Visitors from Darker Worlds

    Storyline

    Edit
    Into the abyss explores a triple murder which occurred in the small Texas City of Conroe in 2001. Michael Perry and Jason Burkett, under the influence of alcohol and drugs, murdered a middle-aged housewife; they then gunned down her stepson and his friend. The film features Conversations with the two inmates and those affected by their crime. Unlike many of the films that deal with crimes, into the abyss isn't concerned with figuring out exactly what happened, but rather serves as an examination of why people - and the state - kill. —Brad
    • nihilism
    • crime documentary
    • drugs
    • death row
    • friend
    • 145 more
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Genres
      • Documentary
      • Crime
      • Drama
    • Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
      • Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material and some disturbing images
    • Parents guide
      • Add content advisory

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Quotes

      Fred Allen: Hold still and watch the birds. Once you get up into your life like that, and once you feel good about your life, you do start watching what the birds do. What the doves are doing. Like the hummingbirds. Why are there so many of them.

    • Connections
      Featured in Ebert Presents: At the Movies: Episode #2.17 (2011)
    • Soundtracks
      End Credits and Incidental Music
      (untitled)

      Composer: Mark De Gli Antoni

      Sebastian Steinberg - guitars and contra bass.

      Lisa Germano - violins.

      David Byrne - guitar.

      Peter Beck - winds.

      Colin Stevens - instrument designs.

      Mark De Gli Antoni - keyboards and percussion.

    User reviews51

    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    Objective documentary on capital punishment
    In 2001, teenagers Michael Perry and Jason Burkett were arrested and charged with a triple-homicide shortly after an intense shootout with the police. They were convicted of murdering 50-year old nurse Sandra Stotler, her sixteen year old son Adam, and his friend Jeremy Richardson. They shot and killed Sandra with a shotgun in her garage so they could steal her valuable red Camaro, and later murdered the two teenagers to obtain the keys to the gate of their middle-class community estate. As a result, Perry was sentenced to die by lethal injection, and Burkett was given a life sentence.

    Just how one culprit can be slated to die while the other gets to spend their life behind bars for the same crime is just one of the many questions raised in Werner Herzog's objective documentary on capital punishment. We meet Perry early on, child-like and God- fearing, just 8 days before he is due to die. During this meeting, Herzog reveals his own feelings about the death penalty (he's strictly against it) and even tells the inmate that he doesn't like him very much, but that he also respects everyone's humanity and point of view. The film is not a condemnation of Death Row, but a meditation, and Herzog simply sits back and allows the story to tell itself through interviews from all sides and sporadic narration.

    Although it does cover the crime itself in detail, Into the Abyss is not a re-investigation, but tells the story of the horrifying events back in 2001 juxtaposed with interviews from 2010 to allow us to make up our own mind and absorb the devastating affects such an act of brutality can cause. The most heart-breaking moment comes from the interview with Burkett's father, a prisoner himself, as he comes to terms with his own role in his son's fate. We learn of the events that attributed to his boy's character and eventual destiny, and wonder if society failed him. We then see how the crime left Sandra Stotler's daughter completely alone in life, and wonder why such a monster like Burkett should be allowed to live. You may find yourself discussing the topic in depth afterwards, but on hearing Perry's final words to the victim's families before he was given a lethal dose, I could not bring myself to believe that watching him die would ever bring them inner peace.
    helpful•2
    0
    • tomgillespie2002
    • Sep 14, 2016

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 30, 2012 (United Kingdom)
    • Countries of origin
      • United States
      • United Kingdom
      • Germany
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Xuống Địa Ngục
    • Filming locations
      • Conroe, Texas, USA
    • Production companies
      • Creative Differences Productions
      • Skellig Rock
      • Spring Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $223,880
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $47,559
      • Nov 13, 2011
    • Gross worldwide
      • $393,714
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 47 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.78 : 1

    Related news

    Guild Of Music Supervisors Awards: ‘Tick, Tick… Boom!’, ‘Lovecraft Country’, ‘The White Lotus’ Among Winners – Full List
    Guild Of Music Supervisors Awards: ‘Tick, Tick… Boom!’, ‘Lovecraft Country’, ‘The White Lotus’ Among Winners – Full List
    Mar 21Deadline Film + TV
    ‘Encanto,’ ‘tick, tick…Boom!’ Win at Guild of Music Supervisors Awards
    ‘Encanto,’ ‘tick, tick…Boom!’ Win at Guild of Music Supervisors Awards
    Mar 21The Wrap

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Into the Abyss (2011)
    Top Gap
    By what name was Into the Abyss (2011) officially released in Canada in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    View list
    List
    The 10 Most Anticipated Marvel and DC Movies
    See the full list
    View list
    List
    2022 TV Guide: The Best Shows Coming This Year
    See the full list

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Interest-Based Ads

    © 1990-2022 by IMDb.com, Inc.