Murder in Glitterball City – Review | HBO

MURDER IN GLITTERBALL CITY on HBO is a two-part documentary that should simply have been a (shorter!) feature documentary. The case is very interesting – as is the ultimate outcome – but far too many “guest stars” do nothing good for the true crime element. Read our full Murder in Glitterball City docu-series review here!

MURDER IN GLITTERBALL CITY is a new HBO true crime documentary in two parts. It should, however, have been a much shorter documentary feature film. The combined runtime of 140 minutes is way too long. Not least, as much of this runtime is spent on stories and people who are not directly connected to the actual true crime case.

The actual murder case and all the evidence connected to it do make for a solid true crime documentary. It’s all the additional elements that make the overall production much weaker. In fact, it ends up being a true crime documentary that is not good. Despite the actual elements featuring just the case being very strong. A classic case of documentarists not “killing their darlings”, and here we are.

Continue reading our Murder in Glitterball City docu-series review below. Find it on HBO Max from February 19, 2026.

A drug-fueled murder

Murder in Glitterball City is about the brutal murder of Jamie Carroll. His body is discovered buried in a basement underneath a Victorian house in Louisville, Kentucky. Two people, Joey Banis and Jeffrey Mundt, both accuse the other of having killed Jamie Carroll. I did not know any details of this true crime case, so I was just watching it all unfold, which was breathtaking.

I have to admit (though I really don’t want to) that Jeffrey Mundt had me fooled at the beginning. What truly happened is something only Joey Banis and Jeffrey Mundt know. If they even remember accurately, as they were on all kinds of drugs, when the murder took place.

Everything focused on the two perpetrators and the victim makes up a very solid true crime documentary. However, way too much of the runtime is focused on various other “characters”, which does nothing for the true crime elements of this HBO documentary.

I honestly find myself very conflicted. On the one hand, the true crime coverage is solid. On the other hand, there is so much additional footage that I did not care for.

Focus on the case, not the entertainment

While I appreciate that the various “characters” (and, trust me, many do come across as characters) have interesting stories and deliver a “fun and quirky” element to the documentary, it really isn’t what I expect (nor want) from a true crime documentary. I don’t need to hear – or see lots of footage – about haunted house tours in Louisville.

This isn’t about Louisville; it’s about the murder of Jamie Carroll.

And while I always appreciate the focus on the victim, as well as the perpetrators, even these parts are strange. With Jamie Carroll, there’s much focus on who he was in his youth. Important to honor his life, of course. However, what’s lacking is the path that led him to Joey Banis and Jeffrey Mundt.

Not unlike the new Hulu documentary The Scream Murder: A True Teen Horror Story, it seems two people met, and their toxic relationship resulted in an outsider being killed. Someone they knew, in both cases, but still an “outsider” in relation to the tight and unhealthy relationship between the two men. Well, or teenage boys, in the case of the Hulu docu-series.

Watch Murder in Glitterball City on HBO Max

This new HBO Original documentary was directed by the filmmakers Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato. They are award-winning documentarists for both the HBO production Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures and the 2005 documentary Inside Deep Throat. They also directed the feature film Party Monster and made the documentary The Eyes of Tammy Faye, which was turned into a feature film.

With Murder in Glitterball City, the documentary is inspired by the non-fiction book “A Dark Room in Glitter Ball City” by David Dominé. This is a book that is used to narrate the documentary, but also used as a comedic element, as many others read aloud and laugh at the very kitsch storytelling.

Again, I have to say that I am not a fan of anyone making murder a laughing matter. And yes, I do feel that happens in Murder in Glitterball City. It could so easily have been avoided if the focus had been solely on the case and those three people. Not the ghost tours, and neighbors-turned-drinking-buddies (eerily mirroring The ‘Burbs) as such a huge part of this HBO production.

Sure, it’s billed as a story “told through the lens of the community, as friends, neighbors, police, attorneys join the author of the book in sharing their perspectives”, but that’s not all they’re doing. And therein lies the problem.

So, should you watch Murder in Glitterball City? Well, yes, for the actual true crime case and respect for the victim, but you need to be patient with the actual production.

Murder in Glitterball City is out on HBO Max from February 19, 2026.