The Zodiac killer is one of the most infamous unidentified serial killers in history. He terrorized northern California in the late 1960s and early 1970s, committing at least 5 murders and taunting police and the public with cryptic letters and ciphers. The case remains unsolved to this day. But just how accurate is the movie Zodiac at capturing this real-life story? Here we’ll examine some of the key details and see where the film stays faithful to the facts, and where it takes artistic license.
The murders
The Zodiac killer’s first confirmed victims were high school students Betty Lou Jensen and David Faraday on December 20, 1968 in Benicia, California. As in the film, they were shot while parked on a lover’s lane. Jensen was killed instantly, while Faraday died while trying to escape. This launched Zodiac’s reign of terror.
Zodiac’s next confirmed victim was Darlene Ferrin, who was shot at Blue Rock Springs golf course on July 4, 1969, just as portrayed in the film. She was with her friend Mike Mageau, who survived being shot multiple times. Letters arrived at newspapers later that month from someone claiming to be the killer.
In September 1969, Zodiac struck again, this time killing Cecelia Shepard and seriously injuring Bryan Hartnell at Lake Berryessa. The film accurately depicts the killer wearing an executioner-style hood and using a bayonet.
Zodiac’s last confirmed murder was taxi driver Paul Stine on October 11, 1969 in San Francisco. As in the film, he shot Stine in the head at point blank range and removed part of his shirt. Eyewitnesses gave descriptions that helped create a composite sketch, though the physical evidence was ultimately inconclusive.
So in terms of the confirmed Zodiac murders, the film sticks closely to the known facts and timeline. The only omissions are some of Zodiac’s other possible victims.
The letters and ciphers
Beginning with the July 31, 1969 letters, someone claiming to be Zodiac sent a series of cryptic correspondence to Bay Area newspapers. The film accurately depicts the taunting, boastful tone of these letters and their quotes from The Mikado. Zodiac also sent complex ciphers that he claimed would reveal his identity if solved.
The first was a 408-symbol cryptogram sent in July 1969, cracked a week later by Donald and Bettye Harden. As in the film, it contained misspelled words and did not reveal the killer’s name. Zodiac then sent a more complex unsolved 340 cipher in November 1969. The filmmakers wisely kept the focus on the characters rather than the ciphers, resisting sensationalism.
Zodiac sent many other letters with diagrams, threats, and claims of victims through 1974. So while the film understandably condenses this down, it captures how the letters terrorized the public and the tone of Zodiac’s writings.
The investigation
The film closely follows the perspectives of Robert Graysmith, a political cartoonist at the San Francisco Chronicle, and inspectors David Toschi and William Armstrong. As depicted, Graysmith becomes obsessed with cracking the case, eventually writing two nonfiction books about it.
Toschi and Armstrong were the lead investigators on the Zodiac case for the San Francisco Police Department. Toschi in particular inspired Clint Eastwood’s Dirty Harry character. Their boss Captain Marty Lee is also portrayed accurately.
Beyond just these three men, the film captures how the case consumed the San Francisco Bay Area through 1969 with fear but also fascination. The letters provoked endless speculation in the media and public about the killer’s identity and motives.
While condensed for time, the film accurately reflects the key developments in the police investigation. These include the survivor sketches, handwriting analysis, partial fingerprint lifts, and attempts to track down suspects.
Suspects
Ah yes, the suspects. This is where the film takes the most artistic license, as the real Zodiac investigation delved into numerous potential suspects over the decades. The film focuses in on two:
- Arthur Leigh Allen: Allen was the prime suspect in Graysmith’s nonfiction book due to circumstantial evidence. But while Allen remains a possible suspect, no hard evidence conclusively connects him to the murders.
- Bob Vaughn: Vaughn is not a real suspect, but represents the many obsessed, disturbed people who contacted police claiming to be Zodiac.
In reality, other major suspects included Rick Marshall, Lawrence Kane, Dr. George Hill Hodel, and others. But director David Fincher made the reasonable choice to narrow the focus for dramatic purposes rather than overload viewers with an endless parade of possible suspects.
Fact vs. fiction
In condensing a years-long investigation into a 2 hour 40 minute film, some key events and chronology were altered:
| Fact | Fiction in Film |
|---|---|
| Zodiac continued sending letters periodically until 1974. | The film depicts the letters ending abruptly in 1971. |
| The 1970 Lake Tahoe disappearance of Donna Lass was six months after the last confirmed Zodiac murder. | The film implies it was weeks later. |
| Graysmith met Toschi in 1971 during the Zodiac investigation, not years later. | Their first meeting in the film occurs in 1978. |
| Allen was interviewed in the Vallejo Police station in 1991. | The film shows Graysmith interviewing Allen at a refinery in the 1980s. |
Understandably, events were condensed, combined, or chronologically altered in places to serve the film’s narrative. But none of these directly contradict or substantially alter the factual record of the Zodiac investigation.
Conclusion
While not a documentary, Zodiac stays remarkably faithful to the actual events of the Zodiac killer case. The murders, letters, ciphers, police procedures, and character arcs of Graysmith, Toschi, and Armstrong are all solidly based in reality.
The film necessarily condenses events spanning nearly 10 years into a manageable runtime. And the ending implies perhaps too strongly that Arthur Leigh Allen was the Zodiac. But much of what made the Zodiac story so fascinating and terrifying is effectively captured on screen.
Through outstanding attention to period details and general authenticity, Zodiac puts viewers into the tense atmosphere of the investigation and San Francisco of the late 60s and early 70s. So while not a factual account, the film is arguably true to the spirit and feel of the real Zodiac murders.