The Zodiac Killer (1971)
Just got a copy of this on DVD and watched it. I rarely see people discuss this one. It must have been one of the first works based on these events. It’s low budget, and somewhat campy. It’s not a factual account by any stretch(and does not pretend to be,) but some of the actual letters are read out loud word for word.
SPOILER ALERT: The movie paints an interesting profile of the Zodiac as a late 20’s sort of handsome guy who loves animals and keeps rabbits in his basement and who also has sort of a creepy shrine. Not a great film, but it was refreshing to see something that wasn’t focused on Arthur Leigh Allen or any known suspects as it predates the public knowledge of them. There are a lot of creepy characters, and one thing I think the film does a good job at is showing how easy it is to picture someone being a killer based on some sort of idiosyncrasy or personality quirk, and that each of us have our own thought and ideas as to what a killer would be like. In reality, it could be one of a zillion ordinary looking people walking down a crowded street.
Anyhow, not a very good movie, but still worth seeing for those interested in all things Z. I also got a bit of a chuckle as the Zodiac delivers a joke like “the last time i saw mouths that look like that they had hooks in them” about some girls in a bar which is the same joke Rodney Dangerfield later uses in Caddyshack. Zynchronicity?
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0143016/