THE ZODIAC KILLER (1971)
Label: 101 Films
Region Code: B
Rating: Cert. 15
Duration: 86 Minutes
Audio: Uncompressed English 2.0 Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Full Frame (1.33:1)
Director: Tom Hanson
Cast: Hal Reed, Bob Jones, Ray Lynch, Tom Pittman, Mary Darrington, Frank Sanabek, Ed Quigley, Bertha Dahl, Dion Marinkovich, Doodles Weaver, Gloria Gunn, Richard Styles
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.
Director Tom Hanson made this 16mm slice of true crime sleaze in '71 when the real-life Zodiac Killer was still was very much alive and on a terrifying murder spree in and around the San Francisco area. The flick is said to have been the director's attempt to capture the Zodiac, and it opens with a disclaimer from the very real San Francisco Chronicle reporter Paul Avery, who describes the movie as a public service, which I think is a nice exploitative touch. I really think the making-of story of this film might be more interesting than the film itself, but that's not to say I don't love this slice of true-crime tabloid terror, I had a total blast with it.
The film opens with the titular psychopath committing s few heinous crimes, we begin with a taxi driver being shot at point blank range through an open car window, then the assailant wearing a fake nose and glasses knifes a teen girl to death on the sidewalk of a suburban street, her blood trickling through the cracks of the sidewalk to form the circle and cross symbol of the Zodiac Killer! We're then introduced two our two main characters, a hard-drinking truck driver named Grover (Bob Jones) and a frustrated postal worker named Jerry (Hal Reed). Both men are angry, frustrated weirdos in their own right, with Grover being a misogynistic divorcee who at night puts on a ridiculous wig and frequents the bars, picking up the ladies and pretending to be a big shot. Jerry is more quiet, he tends to his rabbits at home, at one point becoming rattled by the death of one his furry friends. He is further tormented by a woman on his route who thinks he does a lousy job at delivering the mail, he's also friends with an old perv (Doodles Weaver, The Birds) in the neighborhood who reinforces his hatred of women, telling Jerry he likes his woman plump, juicy and dumb! Jerry has some serious daddy issues as well, which we get more of late in the film, as he yearns for his father's love and affection while visiting his pops in the loony bin. The movie sets these guys up as potential zodiac killer suspects, but which one could it be? The safe money is always on the frustrated postal worker, but I'll let you figure it out, and there's a plot twist mid-way that makes it pretty clear who it is.
The movie is tonally quite strange, it has that non-specific weird regional movie vibe about it that comes off a bit goofy, but it also has some harrowing murder scenes that are rather effective, a few of which are based on the real murders the zodiac, which bare an uncanny resemblance to the scenes we saw decades later in David Fincher's phenomenal Zodiac (2007). The two most effective kills are the real life murder of a couple parked on a lover's lane and another pair caught necking on a blanket near the edge of a lake, these are done very realistically are executed surprisingly well, actually giving me the chills. Other kills are a bit more over-the-top and corny, a pair of them involve the Zodiac happening upon older women with car issues stranded on the side of the road. He bashes one old broad over the head with a spare tire, the other he murders by slamming the hood of her car on her repeatedly. When the Zodiac's not busy killing folks he's hanging out at the beach freaking out a young couple and rescuing a cat from a tree at the park, or calling the police and newspapers to go off on one of his patented diatribes. Then there's the bizarre worshipping evil at an altar type stuff, the "zodiac supreme" to his "children" about a new cycle of life, the slaves he will take into the afterlife, and building pyramids... weird stuff.
Yeah, it's weird and wild stuff all around, the mix of true crime stirred with wacky made-up stuff makes this a strange watch, but it's hard to deny that a few of these scenes are actually quite harrowing, it feels gritty in Last House on the Left (1972) sort of way, though this movie came first. The Zodiac Killer (1971) has a few key moments of dread filled terror, but then you have the weird, slightly inept regional film making tonal shifts, but that's what makes this such a strange and entertaining watch.
Audio/Video: Zodiac Killer (1971) arrives on Region B Blu-ray from 101 Films licensed from AGFA. It's presented in the original full frame (1.33:1) aspect ratio in 1080p HD, derived from the same 4K scan of the only known surviving theatrical print used by AGFA for their US disc release. It has the patina of a well-worn grindhouse print with lots of thick 16mm film stock grain. Its faded and there's damage to frames, but it looks natural in all it's faded glory. Audio on the disc comes by way of an uncompressed English 2.0 Mono with optional English subtitles. Not surprisingly the audio is not pristine either but it suits the scruffy video component quite nicely with some vintage hiss and pops along that serve to remind you of the low-budget source. The score features some cool jazzy freak-out that make for a great backdrop to the weirdness.
The extras mirror the US release from licensor AGFA, we get the Audio Commentary with director Tom Hanson and producer Manny Nedwick moderated by Joseph A. Ziemba and Sebastian del Castillo from AGFA, which begins with AGFA guys giving a nice tribute to Something Weird Video and the late Mike Vraney before being joined by Hanson and Nedwick who give a fine recounting of making the film, and a bizarre story about screenings of the movie which were set-up to capture the Zodiac Killer who was still active at the time of the screenings and a potential encounter with the killer! Not sure I believe it, but they sure do, and it makes for an fun commentary. I would love to see a fictional film about the making of this film and how the screenings were meant to capture the killer - c'mon Tarantino make it happen, only this time the capture the killer, 'natch!
We also get a 3-minute On-Camera Interview with Hanson and Nedwick, a brief but entertaining piece with the two discussing Hanson's pizza business, how he broke into movie making, and setting up the screenings in hopes if capturing the Zodiac Killer. There's also a selection of Tabloid-horror trailers from the AGFA Archive - these include Carnival of Blood, The Manson Massacre, The Other Side of Madness, Three On A Meat Hook and The Toolbox Murders, all in HD, all well-worn and lightly worn.
The last of the disc extras is a full length feature film, Another Son of Sam (1977) which is presented in 1080p HD widescreen (1.85:1), a 2K scan derived from a 35mm print of the film. Like The Zodiac Killer it has the grindhouse patina, well-worn and cheaply shot, but it looks pretty decent all things considered. The film itself is not great, it has nothing to do with the Son of Sam NYC killings, but instead is about a guy who escapes from the loony bin and embarks on a murder spree.
For the purposes of this review were were provided with a "check disc" from the distributor without benefit of of sleeve or packaging - so no comment on the artwork, booklet, or slipcover.
Special Features:
- Audio Commentary with director Tom Hanson and producer Manny Nedwick moderated by Joseph A. Ziemba and Sebastian del Castillo from AGFA
- Interview with director Tom Hanson and actor Manny Nedwick (4 min) HD
- Tabloid-horror trailers from the AGFA archive! Carnival of Blood (1970)(2 min) HD, The Manson Massacre (1971)(2 min) HD, The Other Side of Madness (1971)(2 min) HD, Three On A Meathook (1972)(1 min) HD, The Toolbox Murders (1978)(2 min) HD,
- Liner notes and director Tom Hanson interview by Chris Poggiali of TEMPLE OF SCHLOCK!
- Reversible Sleeve of Artwork
- Bonus Movie: ANOTHER SON OF SAM (1977) (72 min) HD, from a new 2K scan from a 35mm theatrical print!
Another solid 101 Films and AGFA team-up that brings the 70's true crime scuzz to your TV screens for some at-home Friday night fun. Lovers of weird 70's cinema, true crime exploitation and oddball regional strangeness need this sort of culty awesomeness in their collection, and thanks to 101 Films its easier to get your hands on it in the UK!
