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.)

The Zodiac Killer (1971) ** (out of 4) San Francisco finds itself under attack due to a string of murders where people are shot for no apparent reason. The film introduces us to a "what if" scenario as we meet several people who may or may not be the serial killer.It's important to remember that when THE ZODIAC KILLER was released, the city itself was still under terror from the real thing. Obviously this has exploitation written all over it but one might be shocked that director Tom Hanson doesn't go over-the-top with the sleaze and instead it tries to take a serious approach on the subject. On the whole this isn't the best movie ever made but it features enough to make it worth viewing for fans of the genre.What I enjoy most about the film is that it perfectly captures the time that it is set. There have been a lot of movies that tackled the subject but this here is the only one that takes place where the crimes happened. There's a surreal nature to the film that works extremely well and I thought the atmosphere was quite good. You really do feel as if you're watching a documentary on the real Zodiac because of how good the setting is. The film also benefits from some memorable death scenes. None of them, with the exception of a knife attack, are all that graphic but at the same time they are memorable.With that said, there are some major flaws throughout the picture. The biggest is the fact that the film really drags at 85-minutes. The pacing of the movie is quite poor and it just drags to the point where you'll be wanting to scream for them to speed things up. The performances are also rather poor to say the least and some of the dialogue is even worse. One could also argue that the film doesn't have the greatest of stories but at the same time you have to give them credit for making a film in hopes of catching a real killer!

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?

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.