corey feldman, a prominent figure from the 1980s and 90s hollywood era, has recently brought significant attention to allegations of child sexual abuse within the entertainment industry.
his documentary,
feldman's documentary screening and personal testimony
the public debut of feldman's documentary,
as described by tim chan, feldman, surrounded by security, requested the house lights be turned on and addressed the audience directly.
facing an unspecified "problem," feldman, after conferring with his team and receiving support from a notable figure in attendance, made the decision to proceed with the screening.
this screening was intended to be the platform for feldman to disclose the identities of individuals he claims were responsible for abusing himself and corey haim, his surrogate brother figure, during their formative years in the intense hollywood spotlight.
feldman has been vocal for some time about the alleged abuse he and haim suffered, but
the alleged abuse and its alleged prevalence
the film, which also featured notable actors such as winona ryder and courtney thorne-smith, was released at a time when corey haim was just 13 years old.
according to feldman, haim had confided in him about an alleged rape incident. furthermore, feldman suggests that this type of abuse was not an isolated issue but rather a widely known, albeit ignored, problem within hollywood circles at the time.
identifying the accused and past accusations
in a previous appearance on
oz show, feldman had already publicly accused his former assistant, john grissom, of sexual molestation. the documentary
the film specifically highlights these individuals in relation to the alleged abuse.
while john grissom and another individual, whose name appears to be hoffman (though the source text is ambiguous on the full name and role), have not offered public comment on feldman's allegations, nor were they interviewed for the documentary.
meanwhile, another individual, weiss, has actively engaged on twitter, vehemently defending himself. weiss has accused feldman of fabricating his claims and has also disclosed his own experiences as a survivor of child sexual abuse (csa).
critiques of familial and systemic support
a particularly intense segment within the documentary features feldman accusing judy haim, corey haim's mother, of failing to adequately protect and defend her son.
feldman's narrative implies a lack of maternal intervention during the period of alleged abuse.
furthermore, in an interview conducted towards the conclusion of
he asserts that the prevailing industry structures at the time did not prioritize or provide a safe environment for child performers.
feldman recounts a conversation with judy haim, paraphrasing her response to his concerns about the alleged abuse. her statement, as relayed by feldman, suggested that more individuals needed to come forward with their own allegations to establish sufficient evidence for legal proceedings.
this interaction reportedly motivated feldman to collaborate with lawmakers, aiming to introduce legislation that would extend the statute of limitations for victims of childhood sexual assault, thereby providing a longer window for them to seek justice.
feldman's memoir and harrowing accounts
in his recently published memoir, corey feldman provides a detailed and graphic account of the sexual abuse that he and corey haim allegedly endured at the peak of their fame.
the period described was when they were considered the most popular young figures in entertainment.
corey haim's untimely death in 2010, at the age of 38, was attributed to pneumonia.
his physical health had been severely compromised by a long-standing and intense struggle with drug addiction, which led to fifteen stints in rehabilitation facilities.
feldman, now 42, writes with profound regret about an incident he witnessed on the night corey haim may have been introduced to cocaine.
although feldman himself was feeling unwell and close to losing consciousness due to mononucleosis, he recounts participating in cocaine use with haim and two older men, identified in his memoir by the pseudonyms ron crimson and tony burnham.
the gravity of this scene is amplified by the fact that feldman believes both haim and himself were, in essence, sharing drugs with their alleged abusers on that particular night.
feldman describes haim as being intensely desirous of companionship and repeatedly pressuring feldman to arrange an introduction to someone.
feldman vividly recalls his own visceral reaction, stating, "i felt my stomach flip-flop." this disturbing recollection of haim's pressure to arrange encounters is replayed when haim, once again, urges feldman to facilitate such a connection.
the man involved in the cocaine incident, identified as crimson, was reportedly in his early twenties at that time, according to feldman's account. by the age of 15, feldman was deeply entrenched in the fast-paced lifestyle of a child star, engaging in recreational drug use, specifically cocaine, with comedian sam kinison, while simultaneously being supplied with various other substances by crimson.
the following morning, feldman woke up with a sense of disgust and a strong desire for the incident to be forgotten and dismissed, as he writes in his memoir.
however, crimson subsequently continued to approach feldman with sexual advances. feldman confesses that he felt too confused and intimidated to extricate himself from crimson's advances and the associated predatory behavior.
interactions with michael jackson
amidst these deeply troubling experiences, feldman also details his interactions with michael jackson during this period.
feldman maintains that jackson never made any sexual advances towards him. however, feldman recounts an instance where jackson showed him explicit images of adult genitalia. feldman interprets jackson's action as a cautionary demonstration about the risks associated with unprotected sexual activity.
in one particular anecdote, feldman describes an outing where he and michael jackson, disguised to avoid recognition, visited disneyland together.