The Zodiac Killer: All the best shows and movies about the case

We already know you know the whole story of the Zodiac Killer. Anyone even slightly interested in true crime knows the story. An unidentified man sends cryptic ciphers to the police while murdering 37 people altogether. There are a lot of people who’ve been suspected of being the Zodiac Killer, including senator and presidential candidate Ted Cruz, who the internet still insists is the Zodiac Killer.

Plenty of films and documentaries have their take on the killer, but FX is going to a whole new level. Their new docu-series The Most Dangerous Animal of All focuses on one possible killer: Earl Van Best Jr. The interesting part? All the research for the show is done by Best’s biological son, Gary L. Stewart, who is convinced his father was the Zodiac Killer.

While there’s no definitive way to prove that Best was the killer, The Most Dangerous Animal of All does offer a new look we haven’t seen before. But before you go diving in to see about this new suspect in the case, take some time to revisit the movies and TV series that introduced you to the case in the first place. There is a lot of covered ground on the Zodiac Killer.

Zodiac

Like we wouldn’t start with the David Fincher film. If you say this isn’t what got you into the Zodiac Killer, then either you’re lying, or you’re at least 40 now. Besides, if you’re obsessed with Twisty the Clown and Mr. Jingles from American Horror Story, John Carroll Lynch got his start playing serial killers in this film as suspected Zodiac Killer Arthur Leigh Allen.

The Zodiac Killer

How about the 1971 film that director Tom Hanson was convinced would lead to the Zodiac Killer’s capture? While the film itself takes huge liberties in portraying the case, Hanson was convinced that the killer wouldn’t be able to resist coming out of hiding to see himself portrayed on screen. News flash: he didn’t fall for it, and the killer is still unknown.

The Hunt for the Zodiac Killer

As we said, FX isn’t the first to put out a docu-series trying to put clues together to solve the case. The History Channel released a 5-part mini-series back in 2017 bringing in expert code breakers and investigators to crack the ciphers that have been left unsolved for years. While nothing has gone further in the investigation with their work, they were able to break one cipher that was considered unbreakable since it was mailed by the killer.

Cold Case Files

Obviously, if you’re a true crime fan, you love yourself some Bill Kurtis. How about Bill Kurtis discussing the Zodiac Killer? In a 2003 episode, before the case was opened back up, Bill covered the unsolved murder in his usual way. If you need a refresher on the case before you dive into the conspiracy theories or the theatrical recreations, this is the best place to go.

The Most Dangerous Animal of All premieres on FX on March 6th, and airs the next day on Hulu.