The Zodiac Killer

Year: 1971

Runtime: 87 mins

Language: English

HorrorThrillerCrime

Based on real events, a string of apparently random murders grips the San Francisco area, each lacking clear motive or pattern. The police receive taunting phone calls and cryptic letters, prompting a frantic hunt. Suspects range from a violent truck driver to a seemingly mild‑mannered mailman, and even a police officer.

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The Zodiac Killer (1971) – Full Plot Summary & Ending Explained

Read the complete plot breakdown of The Zodiac Killer (1971), including all key story events, major twists, and the ending explained in detail. Discover what really happened—and what it all means.

The film is a highly fictionalized look at a month in the life of the Zodiac Killer, Hal Reed. The narrative follows the killer alongside a friend, Grover, Bob Jones, a drunk, toupee-wearing truck driver who is recently divorced and financially strained. The day-to-day rhythm of their lives is shown against a backdrop of rising tension as Grover’s personal upheaval spills into danger. Grover experiences a nervous breakdown after his divorce and a surprise visit to his ex-wife to see his daughter is denied, sparking a volatile chain of events. When the day’s paper sits on the front steps announcing another murder by the Zodiac Killer, Grover descends into a frenzy, proclaims himself the Zodiac Killer, and lets his daughter go in a desperate bid to escape. The police close in, and Grover is shot dead as he falls into a nearby pool.

Act II shifts to the real Zodiac Killer, who the film positions as having a day job as a much put-upon postal carrier. The death of Grover prompts the killer to phone the police to insist that the man they killed was not the Zodiac Killer, and he launches into a major killing spree, culminating in the murder of a pair of lovers in a park. The film also portrays him as a Satanist, and as someone who actively targets people in his personal life who mock him or his alter-ego, striking out at those who cross him in everyday moments and in matters of pride.

Act III attempts to provide a motive for the crime. The Zodiac Killer visits his father in a hospital, where the old man is kept in a caged room on the top floor and is described as mentally ill, with no verbal communication. The staff ask him to leave, claiming his presence “upsets” the father. On the way out, the killer takes out his anger on two patients, wounding one and killing another. The film ends with a voice-over monologue in which the Zodiac Killer brags about never being caught, taunting the audience and suggesting that other monsters like him lurk out there—able to blend in with ordinary people to do evil.

Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 12:39

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Bleak True-Crime Psychodramas like The Zodiac Killer

Unsettling stories of real-life serial killers and psychological collapse.If you liked the grim, fact-based dread of The Zodiac Killer, explore more movies like it. This section features similar true-crime stories and psychological thrillers that focus on the unsettling reality of serial killers and the frantic, often futile investigations to catch them.

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Narrative Summary

Films in this thread often follow a dual structure, interweaving the methodical or chaotic actions of a killer with the frustrated efforts of law enforcement. The narrative journey is typically one of descent, exploring the killer's motivations and mental state, culminating in bleak endings where justice is elusive and evil remains a pervasive force.

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These films are grouped by their shared foundation in real-life horror, a dark and oppressive tone, and a focus on the psychological aspects of crime. They deliver a similarly heavy emotional weight and a sense of unsettling authenticity that distinguishes them from more sensationalized thrillers.

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Narrative Summary

The narrative pattern involves two intertwined arcs: the procedural elements of a crime and the deepening psychological turmoil of a key character, who may be a suspect, a witness, or even an investigator. The story's progression often sees these two threads converge, revealing how the external violence exacerbates or reflects the character's internal fragmentation.

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These movies share a core exploration of psychological decay amidst a high-stakes scenario. They are united by an oppressive, anxious mood, a variable pacing that balances character study with intense thrills, and a heavy emotional weight stemming from themes of trauma and alienation.

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