utgard14 No-budget creeper about the real-life Zodiac killer who stalked California in the late '60s. It's got some grit, I'll give it that, but it's all just so cheap, slow, and dull that I couldn't enjoy it. The "acting" is terrible and the picture quality reminds me of the opening to The Wonder Years. There are some moments of unintended comedy, which I usually recommend in a movie's favor when all else fails, but this is such a chore to get through that I don't think there are enough of those moments to justify it. If you're really into the Zodiac case or if you like to try any and all horror cheapies, then give it a look. Otherwise don't bother.

bugsmoran29 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!

Michael_Elliott 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!

wasthere 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?