THE SONS OF SAM: A DESCENT INTO DARKNESS – Electrifying!

There is probably no other person who obsessively watches documentaries about murders and serial killers the way I do. That is why I was extremely happy that Netflix released a production focusing on one of the strangest conspiracy theories connected to the murders committed by David Berkowitz a.k.a. Son of Sam in 1970s New York, THE SONS OF SAM: A DESCENT INTO DARKNESS. Did he really act alone? Or was it all the work of a satanic cult, connected to Scientologists and influential people who wanted to shoot a real snuff movie?

Let us start with the fact that this is not just another classic serial killer documentary. Above all, it is the story of a journalist on the trail, who sacrificed everything: marriage, health, and sanity, to uncover the truth. Did he actually succeed? We will probably never know. But we do know one thing: Maury Terry, as our protagonist is called, voiced by Paul Giamatti himself, guides us through the successive stages of the investigation, which reveals an undeniable fact: this is yet another case of a serial killer where the police work cannot be considered perfect, but rather sloppy. It is also yet another case where the murders stopped solely thanks to coincidence and sheer chance.

To this day the question remains open whether Berkowitz really acted alone or was entangled in the activities of a cult called the Children. The deeper we dive into the whole story, the more doubts we have. Did the police’s sloppiness really prevent the arrest of the other killers? Or was there only one murderer, and the police simply could not handle the case because witness testimonies contradicted one another? Regardless, everyone breathed a sigh of relief when Son of Sam was caught.

Those who were supposed to get a reward got one, those who were supposed to gain fame and glory gained it thanks to a stroke of luck. These threads return like a boomerang in subsequent journalistic investigations into various American serial killers. What makes this documentary stand out from others, however, are three things: the media, the hunt for the cult, and the investigation of our journalist, who with each new lead sinks deeper into madness, unable to tell what is true and what is only his own speculation.

For example, following the trail of a billionaire’s death, who was supposedly entangled in the activities of the cult, Maury finds a Bible at the site where the body was left. Is that a coincidence? Or did someone intentionally leave it there? Unfortunately, there are many such moments in his investigation where we never know if the puzzle pieces are connected or if Terry wants them to fit so badly that he refuses to accept other options.

As for the media, the mechanism of manipulation and distortion of facts is shown perfectly, just to have a front-page story. We must remember that these were the early days of Rupert Murdoch’s empire, who began to introduce the trend of loud, huge headlines with shocking photos. It is also shown that the media practically made serial killers into stars. Today it would be unthinkable to publish photos of a sleeping convict accused of six murders.

The Son of Sam case was exceptional in that it was necessary to introduce legal changes to prevent murderers from receiving payment for their image rights and for books, films, etc., based on the story of their murders. However, the story of the mysterious satanic cult that preyed on the need for belonging of people like Berkowitz seems fascinating in its own right.

To support this thesis, we have only the words of a man sentenced to more than 300 years in prison and a mysterious meeting place in Yonkers. I think it does not matter whether the Children really existed or whether it was just another game the murderer played with journalists and the media. Mysterious messages in letters, suicides, murders, missing persons.

The documentary creators put all of this on a plate for us. Maury was convinced that the truth was out there. That any moment he would manage to reach the goal, but apart from a handful of people no one ever believed him. The question is: was there any point in believing a story that could have led to more tragedies? Or was it better to let it go and pretend that it was just a crazy theory, one of many?

The documentary The Sons of Sam: A DESCENT INTO DARKNESS is different. It is intriguing. It is ambiguous. I think it is a more interesting look at a case that to this day electrifies filmmakers and the public. There is very little of the murderer himself, David Berkowitz, in this documentary, but that is a good thing, because he is not the star of the show. If you are counting on emotions, incredible plot twists, and want to learn something more about occultism, this is the production for you.

If you are curious about conspiracy theories, this is worth checking out. And if you want to spend some one-on-one time with a serial killer, you should definitely watch this unusual documentary.