A ‘fascinating’ true-crime series about one of the most notorious serial-killers in history has soared up the rankings on Netflix.
Mixing present-day interviews with previously unheard recordings, Conversations with a Killer: The Son of Sam Tapes examines David Berkowitz’s mark on 1970s New York.
Now 72, Berkowitz terrorised the American city between 1976 and 1977 by killing six people and wounding eleven others.
Armed with a .44 Special calliber revolver for most of his crimes, eventually he was arrested in August 1977 for eight shootings. He confessed to them all and was sentenced to six consecutive life sentences in 1978.
Now, Netflix’s new three-part series features audio of past interviews the killer did with Rochester Democrat and Chronicle journalist Jack Jones.
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It also contains a new interview with Berkowitz, who is serving a life sentence in upstate New York.
As well as this, victims’ loved ones and researchers shed light on this period in New York history.
Reacting to the series on X, many fans have highlighted the new information it provides.
@maoshisa1981 described it as a ‘fascinating listen’, adding: ‘The unreleased Berkowitz recordings sound like a chilling deep dive into the case.’
Meanwhile, @CriticSusan added: ‘Conversations with a Killer: The Son of Sam Tapes may be one of their best true crime docu-series. @Netflix.’
Towards the beginning of the series, viewers are shown how the Bronx native was adopted in 1953 before he became the ‘.44 Caliber Killer’ and ‘Son of Sam’ due to the signature he left on letters at crime scenes and sent to media outlets.
When Berkowitz was finally arrested and put on trial, he claimed his neighbor’s dog, Sam, was possessed by a demon and commanded him to kill.
But, in an interview from 1980 we hear how Berkowitz fabricated this story to create confusion and manipulate the media and law enforcement.
A character playing Berkowitz also featured in another Netflix series by David Fincher called Mindhunter, which ran for two seasons.
In June it was teased that the rudely axed series could be getting a Hollywood makeover for a film revival.
There is a potential to bring back the show as not only one movie but an entire trilogy, with creator Fincher carefully vetting the scripts.
Holt McCallany, who starred as FBI special agent Bill Tench, recently spoke to the Fight Club director.
‘I had a meeting with David Fincher in his office a few months ago, and he said to me that there is a chance that it may come back as three two-hour movies, but I think it’s just a chance,’ he told CBR.
‘I know there are writers that are working, but you know, David has to be happy with scripts.’
Conversations with a Killer: The Son of Sam Tapes is available to watch on Netflix.
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