On December 23, 1985, two young men in Reno, Nevada put shotguns to their own heads after drinking and smoking marijuana as they listened to a record by the English rock group Judas Priest. Raymond Belknap shot himself fatally, while the other, James Vance, was grossly disfigured.

Their parents, claiming that subliminal messages in the heavy metal band's songs mesmerized the boys into their bizarre suicide pact, filed suit against CBS Records. Centered around this non jurored trial, DREAM DECEIVERS looks at this tragedy through interviews with Vance, his and Belknap's parents, other Reno "metalheads", and members of Judas Priest.

Plastic surgeons tried all they could to restore what was left of Jay's face, but were only able to restore his ability to eat and breathe - the disfigurement was too severe. Jay returned home to live with his parents between hospital visits and would ride his bicycle around town shocking people with his grotesque disfigurement.

Harmony Korine: I used to sneak into the NYU library and they had a copy of it and I would watch it. It gave me the strangest feeling. Just the images of those two kids listening to Stormtroopers of Death, driving around Reno deserts drinking Miller-Lite. Fucking blowing their brains out, listening to Judas Priest backwards. And that guy being interviewed with this face that's completely blown off... It was so eerie."