The Zodiac Killer

This 1971 horror/crime film is really low-budget. The acting is bad and the direction is flat. It doesn't really shed any new insight into the Zodiac case. It basically is just 86 minutes of people getting shot, stabbed, sliced, beaten, and killed in a a variety of bloody ways. Pretty much all the names of the victims have been changed and we know who the killer is early on, and it basically just follows him as he claims his victims. It is pretty boring, has bad music, and lots of cheesy 70s fashions (I just love the part with that guy's wig at the beginning, haha!). The scene with the sunbathers getting stabbed to death in the woods is creepy and bloody, but everything else is laughable. "The Zodiak Killer" is a cheap, low-budget effort that some may like and others may despise.

Though an obvious exploitation flick, this cheap indie does have its moments. The first part is rather amusing, before the slash and bleed takes over. The obnoxious Grover (Jones) is a middle-age pretender of the type not often given central focus. His efforts at being a wig-wearing stud, however, appear to pad the runtime. Still, his romantic misadventures remain oddly entertaining. Then too, many of the camera angles show imagination, along with some jarring editing. And I agree that the group sing before a murder is genuinely creepy and the movie's high or low point. Nonetheless, the script appears erratic and pointless at times. And, to put it charitably, the acting sort of comes and goes, at best. Also, I could have done without Zodiac's lecture at the end. All in all, some elements show promise, but overall results fail to rise above erratic exploitation.

(In passing—as a fan of true crime, I recall reading a couple accounts of the murders. But it's been awhile. Nonetheless, I recall certain features in the film that coincide with actual episodes. Namely, the lakeside murder of the two youngsters by a hooded stranger; the murdered couple in lovers' lane; and detectives consulting a psychic once the Bay Area became alarmed. The remainder of the killings I don't recall as actual, and suspect that some are the result of cinematic imagination.)

This low, low budget thriller attempts to seriously cast a light on the reality of serial killers in our society, purporting to be "based on the facts". It soon came in the wake of the real life Zodiac murders that plagued San Francisco in the late 1960s. While obviously it's not nearly as polished or as well known as "Dirty Harry", it is a genuinely interesting curio. This viewer actually thought that the acting wasn't that bad; in fact, it's better than one might ordinarily find in such B level fare.

At first, we follow the day to day activities of two guys: harried mailman Jerry (Hal Reed, "The Doberman Gang") and volatile truck driver Grover (Bob Jones). Jerry comes across as a nice enough, polite enough man to others, while Bob likes to impress women by creating a false identity of a successful businessman. While the characters are somewhat entertaining to watch, they're just not as intriguing as the murder spree that will soon begin in earnest. While the killer will be taunting the authorities and the media with calls and letters, two frustrated detectives, Sgt. Pittman (Ray Lynch) and Officer Heller (Tom Pittman) will try to work the case.

The raw, gritty approach is a plus, although "The Zodiac Killer" might not be trashy or exploitative enough for some viewer tastes. Location shooting is decent; there's sufficient violence and a little bit of gore. At times screenwriters Ray Cantrell and Manny Cardoza and director Tom Hanson create some humour with the material. We see our ego-driven, confident maniac (who's identified sooner in the movie than one might expect) actually kill one woman with her own trunk hood, and another with her own spare tire.

While there's nothing really special here, this makes for some mildly amusing entertainment for seekers of obscure curiosities.

Six out of 10.

Wow. This is a keeper. Loosely based on the Zodiac's reign of terror, this laugh-out-loud horror-thriller fully satisfies the right type of viewer. While the acting is the source for most of the hilarity, there are scenes that actually provide some surreal, creepy moments. That's sometimes hard for filmmakers on $1.05 budget. This holds up to repeated viewings and never fails to entertain. What we need is a new film about the Zodiac killings, probably some of the most interesting, yet sadly, unsolved crimes of the last century. This release from Academy is misspelled as THE ZODIAK KILLER, so take that in consideration when looking for around for it.

Directed by Tom Hanson, who had previously owned a chain of Pizza Man restaurants, THE ZODIAC KILLER was made to capture the real- life Zodiac Killer. That plan didn't work. Instead, we got the most outrageous and compelling "tabloid horror" vortex in the history of planet Earth. And beyond. During theatrical screenings, Hanson constructed in- theater "traps" to lure the killer from hiding. These included the use of an ice cream freezer filled with rent-a-cops and a raffle with a motorcycle as a prize. You won't get insight like this by watching a David Fincher movie. But you will get it while watching THE ZODIAC KILLER.

Read the fascinating true story behind the film here: http://zodiactruecrime.ew.com