The Sons of Sam: A Descent into Darkness

Maury can be right about there being more than one shooter AND he was an egotistical nut job who wanted to be famous.

The Sons of Sam: New documentary series about The Son of Sam murders. It gives the background to the killings and the accepted story that David Berkowitz was the lone gunman. But it moves on to suggest the involvement of others and makes a decent case that two brothers may not just have assisted Berkowitz but actually carried out some of the slayings themselves. It then goes further to suggest involvement by The Process Church of the Final Judgement (and their Scientologist origins), Charles Manson and even the murder of a "Snuff" film producer. There certainly was evidence in the case which was ignored by police and a series of strange deaths but perhaps the net is cast too wide here to create an all encompassing conspiracy. Nevertheless it is an enthralling tale as it outlines the obsessions of one man, Maury Terry, who pursued alternate theories of what was really behind the murders. Written & Directed by Joshua Zeman. On Netflix. 8/10.

If you think this documentary is about Berkowitz, then you will be disappointed. I suspect not all the negative reviews made it to the last episode where it really reframed the story.

The descent into darkness mentioned in the title is not about Berkowitz's descent into darkness, it's about the journalist who got too obsessed with the case.

There are some aspects of the storytelling that could be better, but we thought it was interesting enough.

I was a teenager living in Bellerose, Queens, NY (about a mile away from the site of the third shooting) at the time of the Sam of Sam killings. I've been a believer in the multiple shooter theory for many years. "The Sons of Sam: A Descent into Darkness" does a nice job explaining what happened. I'm only gripe is that it should have been shorter. Maybe three parts instead of four. Many moons ago the TV show "Unsolved Mysteries" covered the same material in a half an hour. Just for the record: the case has never been closed in Queens. It's an open cold case.

This one will take you on a four hour tour of New Yorks finest misguided pride and a reporter who just can't let go. Although the tale is not something you want to acknowledge by any positive words, it is, however, fascinating. Old interviews, old images of NY, footage of days long gone. Detectives with oversized moustaches and glasses. The Son of Sam has it all. Topped with some twists and turns, the episodes have enough to keep your attention. And finally a series where there is a beginning and an end. You may not like the outcome, but you will be entertained.