A serial killer in San Francisco murders without motive or apparent pattern and taunts the police with phone calls and letters.A serial killer in San Francisco murders without motive or apparent pattern and taunts the police with phone calls and letters.A serial killer in San Francisco murders without motive or apparent pattern and taunts the police with phone calls and letters.
Doodles Weaver
- Doc
- (as Doddles Weaver)
Manny Cardoza
- Hippy
- (as Manny Cordoza)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
First saw this one in the 80s and recommended it to some of my friends. Everyone has enjoyed it so far. The casting, acting, dialogue and sets combine for many hilarious moments. I had to get my own copy of this one.
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.
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
Read the fascinating true story behind the film here: http://zodiactruecrime.ew.com
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.)
(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.)
I must admit I had to laugh out loud when Doodles Weaver, a long-time comic actor, appeared in a small part as the Zodiac Killer's next door neighbor.Doodles was a holdover from the Fifties' Golden Age of Television and he had the funniest lines in this movie. Some of the murder scenes were rather intense and I felt that movie held my attention. The Zodiac in this movie had no real m.o for the police to follow and this perhaps explains why he was never captured in real life. I found it interesting that the murderer in this movie carried around his disguises (wig, fake glasses with a plastic nose and, most noticeably, a black executioner outfit. The attack of the young couple is very graphic and still quite powerful after all of these years. If you're interested in the real-life Zodiac case, you'll need to take this movie with a grain of salt!
Did you know
- TriviaDirector Tom Hanson rented the Golden Gate Theater in San Francisco and premiered the film on April 7th, 1971 with the intention of luring the real Zodiac Killer to one of the screenings. Kawasaki sponsored the event, and offered a motorcycle as a prize to the audience member who wrote the best answer to "I believe the Zodiac kills because..." on yellow cards that were handed out at the door. Hanson set up a team of people to analyze each entry for handwriting that matched that of the killer, and planned to confront them in the lobby if a match was found.
One particular night, Hanson encountered a man who according to him closely resembled the famous wanted poster sketch and had submitted more than one entry, despite warning the staff against providing multiple ones per person. Due to the fact that the employee who was concealed in the submission box was incapacitated; Hanson had some other employees present seize the man, who reportedly didn't even act surprised when grabbed. Hanson then personally confronted him, claiming to be Zodiac victim Paul Stine's brother. The man nonchalantly responded that he was sorry to hear about Stine's murder, and ultimately, he was let go. The next day, Hanson found that the man was staying in a nearby hotel, and was apparently a Vietnam veteran. He was convinced that the man was The Zodiac and even claims to have received several letters from the killer later on, which were confiscated by the Police. Since the contest to win the motorcycle was largely a sham, no one ever "won" the prize, and Hanson eventually gave it away to a friend of his.
- GoofsThe police car that responds to the cabbie murder has no insignia on the door.
- ConnectionsEdited into The Green Fog (2017)
- How long is The Zodiac Killer?Powered by Alexa
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $13,000 (estimated)
- Gross worldwide
- $34
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content