The Worst Film Ever

Fresh and Exciting

Did you people see the same film I saw?

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

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.)

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.

(Minor Spoilers) Very likely the very first of a series of Zodiac movies that stated when the real life Zodiac Killer hit the headlines back in the winter of 1968. This endless string of Zodiac killings has captivated the imagination of both the public as well as the law enforcement agencies all over the country for almost 40 years with the killer, if he's alive, still at large.Were given two, not one, possible Zodiac Killers at the start of the film "The Zodiac Killer" with frustrated truck driver Grover and introverted post office mail carries Terry. Both persons have very serious personal problems in dealing with people. Grover is sensitive about his job as a truck driver as well as him being bald and wearing a very obvious wig when he goes to bars to pick up women which, in his mind, is the reason he has trouble making it with them. Grover doesn't seem to realize that it's really his attitude towards women looking at them as pieces of meat which is the reason that he turns them off on him.Grover is also very resentfully at his ex-wife Helen for keeping him from seeing his daughter because of his unfitness of being a father; besides everything else he's also a drug and alcohol abuser. That eventually leads Grover to break into his ex-wife's home and after holding off the police, holding his daughter as a hostage, is gunned down and killed off in the movie.It's then when were introduced to the real, in the movie that is, Zodiac Killer Terry the Mailman who's a strict vegetarian and loves animals having about a dozen pet rabbits that he keeps in cages in his apartment. It's only too bad that Terry doesn't have the same humanitarian feelings for his fellow man and woman as well.Terry is a strange sort of nut in that almost all of the murders that he commits in the movie are totally unrelated to each other and for the most part are that of persons who have nothing but affection towards him. Besides murdering a number of couples making out in cars and in the woods Terry also murders two frail and elderly women, in the most shocking and bloodcurdling scenes in the movie, for no other reason then them having their cars break down! In those two murders Terry seems to get more turned on in murdering these two senior citizens then any of the young and pretty women that he murders in the movie!After murdering some dozen victims Terry just fades into the woodwork, like a termite, as he disappears into the mass of humanity of the city of San Francisco. Were given some insight to Terry's mindset at the very end of the movie but it's a little too late for his already long list of victims. Terry were given to believe has been suffering from extreme mental trauma because of his father being committed to a mental institution; does Terry feel that his fathers mental illness is hereditary? And is that the real reason for his unstable and murderous actions throughout the movie?Better then you would expect from a bargain basement triple movie DVD "The Zodiac Killer" doesn't drag at all keeping your attention despite a number of unconnected scenes involving Terry's fascination with this reincarnation and blood-cult, that he's the only member of, that also believes in the lost Continent of Atlantis.When the movie sticks to the Zodiac Killer angle it's doesn't let it' audience down. But when it strays into uncharted territory like the Atlanits murder cult and Terry's many super closeup, that take up the entire screen for long stretches at a time, it not only become boring but very annoying as well. The most interesting and shocking thing that the film "The Zodiac Killer" brings out is that a person like Terry, personable soft-spoken and dependable, can be someone that you've known all your life but in reality, with the secret and murderous double life that he leads, never really knew at all.

A shoddy Poverty Row production made to cash in on the real-life serial killer who called himself Zodiac and paralyzed the San Francisco Bay Area with fear for years.In this illusory concoction, the killer's identity is no mystery, as we are introduced formally to him as a seemingly mild-mannered mail carrier who loves his pet guinea pigs and occasionally worships at a Satanic altar in his apartment.Despite some intermittent chuckles of the so-bad-it's-funny variety, this film actually delivers at moments, and presents some shocking and surprisingly violent murder scenarios...this might actually be worth a look to a few patient crime/thriller enthusiasts, but don't expect a fact-based story. 4.5/10