- Release year: 2025
- Director: Charlie Shackleton.
- Producers: Catherine Bray, Anthony Ing, and Charlie Shackleton.
- Cinematography by: Xenia Patricia.
- Music by: Jeremy Warmsley.
Synopsis: a filmmaker explains how he would’ve made a true-crime show about the Zodiac Killer had he managed to secure the rights to a fascinating book about the serial killer.
Shotgun Commentary: hilarious, dark, well-researched pitch for a true-crime show.
Review
The Zodiac Killer Project is, simply put, the story of an idea. A concept that is expected to never come to fruition due to a dispute with the rights of its primary source. What was to be a true-crime series about the Zodiac Killer based on the book “The Zodiac Killer Cover-Up: The Silenced Badge” (Lyndon E. Lafferty, 2005), is instead a pitch about what said series could’ve been, sprinkled with hilarious jabs at the genre.
The beginning is fairly slow, so if you are the type of person who decides on whether to watch a movie or not based on the first couple of minutes, you will very likely not make it through. However, if you are smart enough to give a film with the title “The Zodiac Killer Project” the benefit of the doubt (which, to be fair, you should), you will have the time of your life. Let’s be honest, you know exactly what you are signing up for with a title like that, and the work actually manages to turn a let-down into its main selling point and the one thing that makes it unique.
Voice and references
One of the key elements to its success is its narrator, Charlie Shackleton. Also known as the director of the piece. His charisma does most of the work for him, but it is his knowledge of the true-crime genre that really ties the whole film together. His style is straightforward and informal, making it perfect for both audiences versed in cinematic terms and casual spectators.
As for the topic of true-crime, he mentions not only anecdotes and how they connect to his investigation and project, but also fun facts and the moral dimension of the genre as a whole, a touchy subject that he navigates flawlessly. Everything he mentioned is reinforced by visual aids, and referenced or proven with accurate examples. As such, the movie is halfway between a pitch and a video essay on true-crime.
The use of short pieces of footage from other true-crime shows, series and documentary features plague this work. Naturally, the use of these snippets helps immensely when it comes to doting the work with that true-crime feeling, especially since the rest of the shots are mostly of roads and locations. The fragments illustrate visually what the narrator describes verbally, but they also serve as another layer of humour on top of the already fun narration.
Comedy and style
If you have ever watched a true-crime work, you already know that they are not the cheeriest of options when it comes to entertainment. Dancing the line between noble investigation and bad taste encouraged by morbid curiosity, all true-crime pieces are easy to get hooked on but not the type of content you watch to have a few laughs… Unless, of course, the team investigating is so over the top that they become a parody of themselves. No risk of that in this film, but you do get a fair share of comedy.
A source of it is the ridiculousness of certain true-crime facts, like the prideful cops who nickname themselves “the bulldog”. The other main source of laughs in this feature is, as mentioned before, the images. Lots of shots are used in a more expressive way than they are to reflect the narration literally. A great example of this is the shot of a beer after the narrator says that the protagonist was going to “reflect”.
All the images serve a purpose and accompany the verbal journey into Lyndon’s investigation and account. From the ones that illustrate the thought out locations and vibes, to the superposition of several images to both discover what the filmmaker had in mind. As well as the overall vibe in which those images are expected to fit.
All in all, The Zodiac Killer Project is a very fun true-crime film. It works as a documentary, a pitch, and the collage of an adventure. Anyone who considers themselves fans of the genre, should definitely not miss it.
Advice to take from this movie:
- Always give a film 15 minutes before giving up.
- Editing can make or break a movie.
- If you are going to violate someone’s privacy for a true-crime production, they better be the actual killer.
What’s your take? Have you watched The Zodiac Killer Project? Don’t hesitate to let me know your thoughts in the comments section below, or leave a message in my contact page! For more reviews and cinema-related articles, check out the rest of my blog! 😀