Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer

I was but a kid in California when the Night Stalker was victimizing this state. Richard Ramirez aka the Walk-In Killer aka the Night Stalker terrorized southern California from 1984 to 1985. We were shook. We would double and triple check locks and sleep lightly. We would hear of women placing glass bottles on their floors near windows as an alarm system. It was scary. This documentary reminded me of that time and those fears.

I read the book "The Night Stalker" by Philip Carlo not too long ago and this documentary has all of the information presented in his book and more. This four-parter is mostly in the words of the two main investigators: Frank Salerno and Gil Carillo. They essentially give a play-by-play of their investigation from the first murders to Ramirez's capture. There are a lot of crime photos and various news footage that really enunciate the angst of that time.

As a true crime fan who grew up in Los Angeles during the 1980's, naturally I was looking forward to this documentary series. Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer however, quieted my concern that it would glamourize Richard Ramirez. It did not. Far from it.

It is a celebration of the lead homicide detectives who worked tirelessly to capture an elusive, vicious killer. It also shines a great big light on the survivors, who reflect on the victims.

I appreciated the fresh approach to showing the crime scene photos - avoiding the typical horror soundtrack and overly macabre display. There are countless documentaries on serial killers that do this, but this one took a more sober approach, perhaps out of respect to the victims and their families.

Richard Ramirez's childhood and his trial is glossed over, but this is hardly a complaint. It never set out to cover the same old story, but a few more minutes delving into this segment would've felt more complete. A strong 9 out of 10.

The slo-mo blood soaked hammer is a sign of things to come. A lot of the graphics, footage and photos were manufactured, staged or unnecessary. Seems like they were really trying to be auteurs with the presentation when the subjects, the detectives, are better when just left to tell their story. The bar scenes reused for all policemen seemed like they were forcing some aesthetic that didn't need to be done.

I've seen a few documentaries on Richard Ramirez that were kind of the usual formula. This film differs being largely centered around the two main investigators and their perspective. The pressure they faced, and the mistakes they made. Added to that, plenty of people who lived through this era are interviewed; the media, family members of the victims, and the victims who survived. There's also nice use of old news footage.

Admittedly, the series is not perfect. It doesn't go into much about Ramirez' motivation, his background, or his psychological issues. Despite that, if your a true crime aficionado, you should find this film to your liking. Seeing and hearing from so many credible people directly involved in the case is not the usual. That's where the series succeeds, and why I give it my recommendation.

There seems to be low rated reviews on here as it didn't contain enough information about Ramirez himself. What needs to be realised is that that is not what this documentary is. It is not a biography of Ramirez himself but a narration of how the detectives caught him. If you want a documentary on Ramirez there are plenty out there. There are books and movies as well. As someone who has seen a lot of them I wasn't interested in another retelling of his life. I personally found it refreshing to see how the detectives went about piecing it all together and eventually catching him. Well worth a watch.