Is The Trail real? Starved Rock documentary explained

If you’re a true crime fan, you may have heard murmurings of The Trail, a mysterious new documentary about Starved Rock – it’s said to be “streaming now,” but is it real?

We’re only one month into 2024 and already the true crime genre has seen some impeccable entries, starting off the year with Natalia Speaks, the twisty follow-up to The Curious Case of Natalia Grace – which may just be getting a third season. 

Netflix expanded its documentary content with American Nightmare, putting the Vallejo Police Department under the spotlight while exploring Denise Huskins’ kidnapping – and how the case was handled by authorities. 

While there’s plenty to look forward to in February, have we overlooked one of the most intriguing documentaries of the year? Here’s what you need to know about The Trail and if it’s real. 

Is The Trail real? Starved Rock documentary explained

No, unfortunately The Trail isn’t real, nor is it in development – but while the Starved Rock State Park mystery at the center of the case is made-up, it is a real place and three murders did occur there in the 1960s. 

You’d be forgiven for believing it exists, as TikToker Mr. Movie (tmi_7) shared a pretty convincing roundup of the true crime documentary on his channel – but as his bio states, he’s a “parody movie critic.”

In his latest video, which has been viewed more than 620,000 times, he explains: “There’s a true crime documentary streaming right now that will blow your mind. It’s called The Trail, and it’s about this area right here located right outside Chicago at Starved Rock State Park.”

Behind him is a fake poster for The Trail, showing the exact location and the title alongside the tagline: “Uncovering the biggest mystery of our lifetime.”

Mr. Movie continues: “A few kids went down this trail and they disappeared. And when the local authorities went looking for them, they disappeared. 14 people went missing down this trail before they realized something was up and blocked it off. 

“As the investigation goes on it just gets weirder and weirder. Around the perimeter of the site they found a ton of trees covered with trail cams. By the time they collected them all they had hundreds of trail cams. 

“I don’t want to give too much away but they used the footage from the trail cams to totally open up the investigation. There’s conspiracies, people turning their back on each other, and the use of certain technologies that don’t seem like they’re from this world. 

“If you’re into true crime documentaries, conspiracy theories, the paranormal, things like that, you have to check out this documentary.”

Despite being a parody account, the clip has plenty of viewers convinced, with one asking, “Where can I watch it?” Another said, “The trail cam footage freaked me out,” while a third added, “What streaming service? I can’t find it.”

But those more familiar with Mr. Movie weren’t fooled, including this person who said, “About a year ago you had me waste three days of my life searching for a show that doesn’t exist…now I just come for the comments.”

The real Starved Rock true crime case and documentary

While the mystery in The Trail isn’t real, three women – Lillian Oetting, Frances Murphy, and Mildred Linquist – were found murdered at Starved Rock State Park back in 1960. This was made into a real three-part documentary series on HBO titled The Murders at Starved Rock.

Chester Otto Weger was convicted for one of the murders in 1961, but while he maintained his innocence, an appeal against the guilty verdict wasn’t granted. In 2020, he was released on parole, having served nearly 60 years behind bars. 

As per the synopsis for The Murders at Starved Rock, which released in 2021: “This three-part documentary series explores the brutal murders of three women in 1960 in Starved Rock State Park in LaSalle County, Illinois, and the decades of questions and doubts that have haunted the son of the prosecutor in the case, as the man found guilty seeks to clear his name after 60 years in prison.”

The Murders at Starved Rock is available to stream on Max now, which you can sign up for here.

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