The Zodiac Killer

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

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.)

A cheapo expose on the Zodiac murders that occurred in the San Francisco Bay area in 1968 and 1969 that benefits from its year of release in 1971, not too far removed, the stringent budget which lends the project a degree of authenticity, as well as the focus on who the film portrays as the killer, a postal clerk who loves rabbits, and buries one that died near a cross, in a strikingly bizarre scene. Compared with the film that came out in 2007, this one stands up pretty well, especially for connoisseurs of films like this, no-budget but an eye for creativity. It made it on to the TCM Underground films, a wise decision by the program director.

The Zodiac Killer (1971)

** (out of 4)

San Francisco finds itself under attack due to a string of murders where people are shot for no apparent reason. The film introduces us to a "what if" scenario as we meet several people who may or may not be the serial killer.

It's important to remember that when THE ZODIAC KILLER was released, the city itself was still under terror from the real thing. Obviously this has exploitation written all over it but one might be shocked that director Tom Hanson doesn't go over-the-top with the sleaze and instead it tries to take a serious approach on the subject. On the whole this isn't the best movie ever made but it features enough to make it worth viewing for fans of the genre.

What I enjoy most about the film is that it perfectly captures the time that it is set. There have been a lot of movies that tackled the subject but this here is the only one that takes place where the crimes happened. There's a surreal nature to the film that works extremely well and I thought the atmosphere was quite good. You really do feel as if you're watching a documentary on the real Zodiac because of how good the setting is. The film also benefits from some memorable death scenes. None of them, with the exception of a knife attack, are all that graphic but at the same time they are memorable.

With that said, there are some major flaws throughout the picture. The biggest is the fact that the film really drags at 85-minutes. The pacing of the movie is quite poor and it just drags to the point where you'll be wanting to scream for them to speed things up. The performances are also rather poor to say the least and some of the dialogue is even worse. One could also argue that the film doesn't have the greatest of stories but at the same time you have to give them credit for making a film in hopes of catching a real killer!