Zodiak (serial killers)

[Lemon Thrower]

Just got around to watching this film.

Not sure where we got this DVD, must have gotten it for free somewhere. I'm not that into serial killers that I would have bought this.

Flick was pretty good, lots of good suspense. I never realized so much about this killer was still unsolved. That's the one thing that is disappointing about the film - the end is a bit unsatisfying.

I thought that they had caught this guy. I think i'm confusing it with someone else, another long unsolved serial killer that was caught 5-10 years ago. I think maybe the guy i was thinking of used some sort of initials, like STS killer or something which turned out to stand for somethign like stab, knife, or something. I'm recalling that the guy killed a bunch of people, then spent a long time in jail for something unrelated or maybe the military, and then when he got out he sent more letters to press or something. Might have lived in St. Louis or Kansas City.

Does anyone remember that one?

 

[dmm5157]

Just got around to watching this film.

Not sure where we got this DVD, must have gotten it for free somewhere. I'm not that into serial killers that I would have bought this.

Flick was pretty good, lots of good suspense. I never realized so much about this killer was still unsolved. That's the one thing that is disappointing about the film - the end is a bit unsatisfying.

I thought that they had caught this guy. I think i'm confusing it with someone else, another long unsolved serial killer that was caught 5-10 years ago. I think maybe the guy i was thinking of used some sort of initials, like STS killer or something which turned out to stand for somethign like stab, knife, or something. I'm recalling that the guy killed a bunch of people, then spent a long time in jail for something unrelated or maybe the military, and then when he got out he sent more letters to press or something. Might have lived in St. Louis or Kansas City.

Does anyone remember that one?

You're thinking of the BTK Killer

http://allday.com/post/1070-the-terrifying-true-story-of-the-btk-killer/

 

[Nole Lou]

You're thinking of the BTK killer.

The Zodiac is indeed unsolved to this day. There's a pretty active online community still trying to solve it. I check in on it a couple times a year.

Unfortunately, the credibility of Robert Graysmith, who is featured in the film and wrote the book that most celebrated the case, has been pretty legitimately questioned. I believe his pet suspect, as depicted in the movie, is considered at this point to be cleared. I don't think the case can be solved at this point. It's incredibly complex...it's hard to know which are even his actual victims and letters. Which of those you decide to consider "cannon" largely frame the world of possible subjects.

That said, good movie.

 

[Lemon Thrower]

yep, that was the one.

Zodiac was never caught, and several of his ciphers never solved.

 

[Lemon Thrower]

I believe his pet suspect, as depicted in the movie, is considered at this point to be cleared.That said, good movie.

was that Leigh? guy is dead anyway. reminded me of Kevin from The Office.

the dude with the basement in the film and the movie cannisters looked good for it, but then the film sort of ignores him.

Graysmith at one point theorizes it was more than 1 person, but the film doesn't really develop that line of thought.

 

[Nole Lou]

Yeah, I believe Arthur Leigh Allen is considered an unlikely suspect at this point. That said, all of the investigation is being done by amateurs at this point, and it's sort of a self-fulfilling prophesy. Confirming the prime suspect kid of takes the thrill out of it.

Edit - removed link...suspect was "popular" because he was the pet suspect of the creator of the website I was reading...probably not particularly credible

 

[BrianNole09]

I knew an old lady that knew some of the victims. She said she felt guilty because she was supposed to go to the lake or wherever they went when they were killed with a group but didn't.

She thinks if a group went, they would have been safe in numbers.

 

[Rhino_nole]

I love this movie, I don't know why. It's like a high production and greatly stylized documentary that David Fincher just made so he could flesh out the details of an unsolved murder and a group of his acting buddies just showed up to play some of the moving parts (and did a fantastic job - Ruffalo, Jake G, Robert Downy Jr, John Caroll Lynch playing Leigh).

 

[FSUSarah]

I liked the movie and the subject of serial killers is an interesting one.

I loved the Devil's Night episodes of AHS:Hotel.

 

[Nole Lou]

I love this movie, I don't know why. It's like a high production and greatly stylized documentary that David Fincher just made so he could flesh out the details of an unsolved murder and a group of his acting buddies just showed up to play some of the moving parts (and did a fantastic job - Ruffalo, Jake G, Robert Downy Jr, John Caroll Lynch playing Leigh).

I agree, with the caveat that it's really not that factual, between liberties taken by Fincher and by the original author. Much of Graysmith's influential book has been pretty substantially discredited. And I love that book, one of the most engaging true crime books ever.

For example, the projectionist that Lemon refers to as looking like a good suspect, the evidence was pretty well fabricated against him in the original book, and long after, was done again in the movie long after it was well known that he wasn't the killer. I get that there's dramatic license and what not, but these are/were real people, and at least a few people have had the misfortune of having to live with being labelled Zodiac suspects unjustly.

But I still like it as a movie, but it's closest analog would be something like JFK. Enjoy it for the film, not for the facts.

 

[NolaNole9]

Did they ever figure out who the guy was in the photo with Darlene Ferrin?

 

[Nole Lou]

Did they ever figure out who the guy was in the photo with Darlene Ferrin?

Probably her husband.

http://zodiackillerfacts.com/main/darlene-ferrin-the-unknown-man-the-rest-of-the-story/

Just want to make one clarification on my earlier statements about Graysmith and his book. His book is great for an accounting of events around the murders and letters, etc.

It's really only when he "solves" the case by supposedly identifying Allen (by pseudonym), and all the supposed evidence around that, that faith in his story should really be totally discounted.

 

[Lemon Thrower]

some people say Ted Cruz looks like Zodiac.

 

[billyfsu76]

I love this movie, I don't know why. It's like a high production and greatly stylized documentary that David Fincher just made so he could flesh out the details of an unsolved murder

I love this movie also and I do know why. Highly stylized, yet still substantive. Incredibly well-done in all facets. Unlike the original poster, I think that the case ends up somewhat ambiguous is a plus. I loved that the film strays away from the typical "whodunit" and starts to examine more the fascinating nature of how the unknown can become obsessive for certain people.

 

[Nole Lou]

I love this movie also and I do know why. Highly stylized, yet still substantive. Incredibly well-done in all facets. Unlike the original poster, I think that the case ends up somewhat ambiguous is a plus. I loved that the film strays away from the typical "whodunit" and starts to examine more the fascinating nature of how the unknown can become obsessive for certain people.

That's probably the most positive way to look at it, aside from it's strictly filmmaking merits, which are considerable. There is an awful lot in there that is deceptive or flat out not factual.