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In the 20th century, one of the world’s industrial hubs was Detroit, a portrayal of America’s growth. It was a hub for car manufacturing, and music production, and had a vibrant future ahead. In contemporary society, however, people view this city as a depiction of how life negatively changes in American cities. Its history has instead made it one of the main cities associated with the fall of the American dream. The city is filled with a sense of nostalgia and deterioration, which makes it an ideal place for horror filmmakers to explore.
Philip Digby’s character, Richard Gantz, is one of the filmmakers who utilizes such areas. He resides in a small studio apartment with a wall decked in posters from the 80s with action and horror themes. His landlord was never able to make rent payments as he answered his phone with an authoritative, “Gantz Video.” This tone is something common among unsuccessful movie developers. To add, the local video store has also cut ties with Gantz due to his overdue payments on tapes. Richard longs to make his own movie but unfortunately lacks the inspiration and funds necessary.
And then he picks up a phone call from a seventy-year-old man who calls himself the notorious Zodiac killer. The man offers Richard a hefty sum of money if he goes to a park to pick up a package from a homeless guy. Richard does exactly that and finds out that Zodiac has sent him his own personal cipher puzzle. Along with the puzzle, Richard also receives money from the Zodiac. Each puzzle Richard solves brings him one step closer to becoming a filmmaker. Soon enough, Richard is filming himself mercilessly murdering strangers on the streets of Detroit. At first, Richard imitates the Zodiac’s style, but eventually, he incorporates his own creative touch. “I’m a psychopath!” Richard yells from the top of his lungs at one point, overfilled with joy because he finally found motivation in his life.
Night of the Zodiac is a homage to archaic VHS cassettes, and just as Richard speaks about arthouse video directors like Todd Farmer, weaves his film through a primitive camera. The output is wrapped in the disturbing essence of broken pixelation which is garnished with scratches. It is precisely done in a way that brings to the viewer the feel of a multiversal find in a store’s discount rack. The filmmakers possess the insight to transform this into an asset, for it is an inexpensive film that has an even cheaper look. The dilapidated plot also aligns with the lack of authentic action and logic in the movie, serving as an appropriate tribute. It is more of the damage of being in love with low-budget horror films and that shines throughout the film. It is a fact that this is not the cup of tea for most people, but in my humble opinion, the movie felt monotonous after some pacing issues. It is tough, however, to disagree with the efforts the filmmaker managed while recreating the 80s and early 90s tape feel.
Although Richard was a rather scummy character, I believe most novice directors might find a connection with that particular moment when, after putting so much time and effort into the endeavor, he came to an alarming conclusion upon seeing his footage. Strikingly, There was no point to the movie he was shooting.
Without question, the most captivating element of this film is that it envisions what might have occurred to the Zodiac Killer after he vacated Los Angeles. The fact that he was never caught is the primary reason why the Zodiac continues to fascinate people. I can imagine that by now, he is probably dead. (In 1969, he was thought to be already in his thirties to forties.) One cannot help but question how a person goes from being the Zodiac killer to just another ordinary person snoozing in a chair by the window pondering what life has to offer a semi-retired house owner with an overgrown lawn to maintain and a grocery shop to visit every few days. What would life be like being that “normal” knowing they took so many lives?
At the end of the day, Night of the Zodiac is a film that has sufficient self-awareness to rise above its imperfections.
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