Series Review: "The Sons of Sam: A Descent Into Darkness" (2021).

"A Closed Case Is Only The Beginning" in The Sons of Sam: A Descent into Darkness. This crime documentary series directed by Joshua Zeman. The Son of Sam case grew into a lifelong obsession for journalist Maury Terry, who became convinced that the murders were linked to a satanic cult.

On June 1, 1953, American serial killer, David Richard Berkowitz (born Richard David Falco), also known as Son of Sam and the .44 Calibur Killer was born. By July 1977, he killed six people and wounded seven others using a .44 caliber Bulldog revolver. The killing spree terrorized New Yorkers and gained worldwide notoriety. As the number of victims increased, Berkowitz eluded the biggest police manhunt in the history of New York City while leaving letters that mocked the police and promised further crimes, which were highly publicized by the press. On the night of August 10, 1977, Berkowitz was taken into custody by New York City Police Department homicide detectives in front of his Yonkers apartment building. He was subsequently indicted for eight shooting incidents. He confessed to all of them, and initially claimed to have been obeying the orders of a demon manifested in the form of a dog belonging to his neighbor "Sam." Despite his explanation, Berkowitz was found mentally competent to stand trial. He pled guilty to second-degree murder and was incarcerated in state prison. He subsequently admitted that the dog-and-devil story was a hoax. In the course of further police investigations, Berkowitz was also implicated in many unsolved arsons in the city. Intense coverage of the case by the media lent a kind of celebrity status to Berkowitz, which he seemed to enjoy, as noted by some observers. In response, the New York State Legislature enacted new statutes, known popularly as "Son of Sam laws", designed to keep criminals from financially profiting from the publicity created by their crimes. The statutes have remained law in New York despite various legal challenges, and similar laws have been enacted in several other states. Berkowitz has been incarcerated since his arrest and is serving six consecutive life sentences. During the mid-1990s, he amended his confession to claim that he had been a member of a violent Satanic cult that orchestrated the incidents as ritual murder. A few law enforcement authorities have said that his claims might be credible, but he remains the only person ever charged with the shootings. A new investigation of the murders began in 1996, but was suspended indefinitely after inconclusive findings.

The series powerfully portrays Maury Terry, a mild-mannered writer whose life unravels as his paranoid quest to track down clues behind The Son of Sam. The series really takes its time, but does a masterful job of showing how these killings didn't just destroy the lives of the victims and their families, but how the case became a burden to almost everyone involved. Still, the case remains open and continues to fascinate and intrigue. As will this film, if you let it take its time to uncover the clues.

Simon says The Sons of Sam: A Descent into Darkness receives:

Also, see my review for Murder Mountain.