The Zodiac Killer (1971)

That was an excellent one.

The first must-see film of the year.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

A shoddy Poverty Row production made to cash in on the real-life serial killer who called himself Zodiac and paralyzed the San Francisco Bay Area with fear for years.In this illusory concoction, the killer's identity is no mystery, as we are introduced formally to him as a seemingly mild-mannered mail carrier who loves his pet guinea pigs and occasionally worships at a Satanic altar in his apartment.Despite some intermittent chuckles of the so-bad-it's-funny variety, this film actually delivers at moments, and presents some shocking and surprisingly violent murder scenarios...this might actually be worth a look to a few patient crime/thriller enthusiasts, but don't expect a fact-based story. 4.5/10

Fictional account of the killer in California who murdered various men and women from the late 1960s to the early 1970s. In this he's a nice guy named Jerry (Hal Reed). He's a nice man, kind to animals and sweet to women. Still he goes out and kills people for no discernible reason--they suggest it has something to do with his dad.In reality the Zodiac didn't kill that many people. This movie has recreations of the real killings and adds about eight more! With the exception of one gruesome stabbing the killings here are ineptly staged and (quite obviously) fake.There's also a subplot with a friend of Jerry's named Grover. The subplot ends halfway through the movie--and has NOTHING to do with anything else! It's all too obvious padding--and boring padding at that! There's also tons of misogynistic comments, terrible dialogue, low production values and unsure direction. This gets a 2 only for Reed who wasn't half bad. Still you can safely skip this one.

Knowing the Producer and some cast members, you all likely did not know the main reason the Movie was made was to try and catch the Zodiak. There was a whole lot going on behind the scenes to scheme a plan where the Zodiak would come to see a Movie about himself. If he came, and was discovered, eventually arrested, The Movie Caught the Killer. So despite the poor reviews,what a thrill it would have been! Had a Movie caught a Killer, more folks would see it. Leading to more Movie productions. There could have been a Movie made about the methods developed to "catch" The Zodiak. Would you go see a film which led to the arrest of a 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.