The Zodiac Killer (1971)

The San Francisco area is beset by a series of seemingly random murders without motive or pattern. The police are taunted by phone calls and letters. Could the maniac be the violent, truck ... See full summary »

Director:

Tom Hanson

Writers:

Ray Cantrell (screenplay), Manny Cardoza (screenplay)

Stars:

Hal Reed, Bob Jones, Ray Lynch

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Hal Reed	...	Jerry
Bob Jones	...	Grover
Ray Lynch	...	Sgt. Pittman
Tom Pittman	...	Officer Heller
Mary Darrington	...	First Murder
Frank Sanabek	...	Joe
Ed Quigley	...	Tony
Bertha Dahl	...	Mrs. Crocker
Dion Marinkovich	...	Helen
Doodles Weaver	...	Doc (as Doddles Weaver)
Gloria Gunn	...	Marilyn
Richard Styles	...	Judd
Manny Cardoza	...	Hippy (as Manny Cordoza)
Norma Takaki	...	Lakey
Donna Register	...	Donna

Storyline

The San Francisco area is beset by a series of seemingly random murders without motive or pattern. The police are taunted by phone calls and letters. Could the maniac be the violent, truck driver, or the seemingly mild-mannered mailman, or even a cop?

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Plot Keywords:

murder | zodiac killer | serial killer | zodiac | letter | 

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Taglines:

It really happened

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 April 1971 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Zodiak Killer

Filming Locations:

San Francisco, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$13,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Robert Hanson, who plays the little boy Bobby, is the son of director Tom Hanson.

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Goofs

The police car that responds to the cabbie murder has no insignia on the door.

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Quotes

Grover: [Answers his ringing telephone] Hello? Who? Oh. Listen, bitch, I'll get the kid a few toys for Christmas, so don't bug me! Yeah, yeah, I know it's only a few days till Christmas, whaddaya think I live under a rock or something?

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Connections

References Little Big Man (1970)

User Reviews

"Well, now you know I exist. What are you going to do about it?"

This low, low budget thriller attempts to seriously cast a light on the reality of serial killers in our society, purporting to be "based on the facts". It soon came in the wake of the real life Zodiac murders that plagued San Francisco in the late 1960s. While obviously it's not nearly as polished or as well known as "Dirty Harry", it is a genuinely interesting curio. This viewer actually thought that the acting wasn't that bad; in fact, it's better than one might ordinarily find in such B level fare.

At first, we follow the day to day activities of two guys: harried mailman Jerry (Hal Reed, "The Doberman Gang") and volatile truck driver Grover (Bob Jones). Jerry comes across as a nice enough, polite enough man to others, while Bob likes to impress women by creating a false identity of a successful businessman. While the characters are somewhat entertaining to watch, they're just not as intriguing as the murder spree that will soon begin in earnest. While the killer will be taunting the authorities and the media with calls and letters, two frustrated detectives, Sgt. Pittman (Ray Lynch) and Officer Heller (Tom Pittman) will try to work the case.

The raw, gritty approach is a plus, although "The Zodiac Killer" might not be trashy or exploitative enough for some viewer tastes. Location shooting is decent; there's sufficient violence and a little bit of gore. At times screenwriters Ray Cantrell and Manny Cardoza and director Tom Hanson create some humour with the material. We see our ego-driven, confident maniac (who's identified sooner in the movie than one might expect) actually kill one woman with her own trunk hood, and another with her own spare tire.

While there's nothing really special here, this makes for some mildly amusing entertainment for seekers of obscure curiosities.

Six out of 10.