Labyrinth13: Zodiac Murders Video Archive

Original video of an October 20, 1969 CBS News television broadcast about the Zodiac killer. This report followed on the heels of the national interest generated by the October 11, 1969 murder of cab driver Paul Stine and Zodiac’s October 13, 1969 letter threat to begin targeting children on school buses. This report discusses the increased security measures implemented in the wake of the threat and features an interview with San Francisco Police Captain Martin Lee.

Original video of an October 22, 1969 CBS News television broadcast about the Zodiac killer. This is a supplemental report subsequent to the murder of cab driver Paul Stine and the receipt of the Zodiac’s October 13, 1969 threat letter. As the letter contained a blood-soaked piece of Stine’s shirt, the threat was taken very seriously. This report discusses the appearance by attorney Melvin Belli on a local television program and the mysterious caller named “Sam.”

Original video of a November 12, 1969 ABC News television broadcast about the Zodiac killer. With the Zodiac case now in the national eye, this report briefly discusses the various correspondence sent by the Zodiac, including the November 8, 1969 “dripping pen” card and the November 9, 1969 “bus bomb” letter.

Original video of an April 26, 1978 ABC News television broadcast about the Zodiac killer. This report came soon after an alleged letter from Zodiac was received by the San Francisco Chronicle on April 24, 1978, which contained the opening lines “This is the Zodiac speaking. I am back with you.” Features an interview with Inspector Dave Toschi. (Webmaster’s Note: I could not resist leaving in the vintage television commercials at the end for A-1 steak sauce and Sanka decaffeinated coffee).

The infamous cross-circle symbol used by the Zodiac killer has been the subject of much speculation as to its true meaning and origin. Here is a short video that I created using two clips from the Myth of Religion video which seems to bolster the theory that the symbol is indeed based in astrological meaning. This video suggests that the cross-circle is actually a "pagan spiritual symbol," one that when rendered in "shorthand," looks exactly like the symbol used by the Zodiac killer.

Theatrical trailer for the 1971 film, Dirty Harry, starring Clint Eastwood and directed by Don Siegel. Eastwood portrays San Francisco detective Harry Callahan, a role based on Inspector Dave Toschi, one of the lead detectives who worked the Zodiac case. In this film, Inspector Callahan is trying to catch a serial killer called Scorpio, a crazed and sadistic murderer who writes taunting letters to the police and kidnaps a school bus full of children.

Video that I created using footage from the 1932 film, The Most Dangerous Game, set to a track titled, The Bounty, composed by electronic musician Vangelis. Many researchers believe that this film may have served as inspiration to the Zodiac killer. A line in one of the killer's decoded cryptograms contained what may be a direct reference to this story, to wit: I like killing people because it is so much fun. It is more fun than killing wild game in the forest because man is the most dangerous animal of all.

Theatrical trailer for the 1968 film, The Yellow Submarine, featuring The Beatles. This animated movie includes villainous monsters known as the "Blue Meanies," a name that quickly became part of the hip lexicon in San Francisco when referring to the police, much the same as the word pig was also used. In two of his letters, Zodiac refers to the police as both the blue meanies and the blue pigs.

Television commercial spot for the 1973 film, Badlands, starring Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek, who portray real-life “thrill killers” Charles Starkweather and Caril-Ann Fugate. The Zodiac killer referred directly to this advertisement on a postcard sent to the San Francisco Chronicle on May 8, 1974, stating rather facetiously that, "In light of recent events, this kind of murder-glorification can only be deplorable at best."

Television commercial spot for the 1973 film, The Exorcist, starring Jason Miller and Ellen Burstyn. In a January 29, 1974 letter the Zodiac sent to the San Francisco Chronicle he states, "I saw & think The Exorcist was the best satirical comedy that I have ever seen."

Video clip of a 1992 production of The Mikado made for BBC television. After Ko-Ko is introduced as the Lord High Executioner in the first act, he begins to sing a musical number titled, I've Got a Little List, a song which the Zodiac killer paraphrased from extensively for his July 24, 1970 and July 26, 1970 letters. (Webmaster’s Note: In this particular version of the play, only the first stanza of the song is true to the original lyrics, the rest being a modern satire of various British public services. To read the original lyrics, see: The Mikado: A Brief History and Discussion).

Video that I created using still images from the 1939 film, Charlie Chan at Treasure Island, starring Sidney Toler and Cesar Romero. This movie tells the tale of a sinister master villain named Zodiac who terrorizes fog-shrouded San Francisco while sending taunting communications to the press. While no direct evidence has surfaced that Zodiac was indeed influenced by this movie, the film contains many interesting parallels to the Zodiac case, including the fact that one of the characters in the film involved in trying to capture Zodiac is a journalist from the San Francisco Chronicle.

Photo montage depicting various aspects of the Zodiac murders. I created this video using images of the correspondence and cryptograms that the Zodiac killer sent to San Francisco Bay area newspapers, along with covers from detective magazines that featured the case. I set this to the music of Scorpio's Theme, a track composed by Lalo Schifrin for the Zodiac-inspired movie Dirty Harry.

Do you have a video (Zodiac-related, of course) that should be featured here? Email me!