Curse of the Zodiac is a 2007 American direct-to-DVD horror film written and directed by Ulli Lommel and distributed by Lionsgate. It draws loosely on the case of the Zodiac Killer, depicting an unnamed serial murderer who terrorizes the San Francisco Bay Area in the early 1970s, killing seemingly random victims while taunting the media and police with cryptic symbols and coded messages.
Cast
The film starred Jack Quinn (as the killer) and Cassandra Church, with a supporting cast that included Jon E. Nimetz, Victoria Ullmann, Lyn Beausoleil and Colette Clair.
Plot
As described in the article, the narrative follows the killer murdering people across the Bay Area while using ciphers and messages to provoke the San Francisco Police and journalists, against a backdrop of public fear.
Reception
The film was widely panned by reviewers. Jon Condit of Dread Central gave it a half-point out of five, calling it “a total mess.” David Johnson of DVD Verdict described the film as a repetitive cycle of the killer wandering, a shaking camera, a psychic having visions, and trash-talking phone calls, and criticized what he called “universally atrocious” acting. Brian W. Collins of Bloody Disgusting named it to his list of the 10 worst horror films of 2007, writing that the film failed to “get a single detail right about the Zodiac (other than the setting).” Garrett and Sean Neil of Something Awful gave it a near-bottom score and described it as “a twisted labyrinth of spinning, out-of-focus cameras and pointless gibberish.”
The film is one entry among many fictional treatments catalogued under Zodiac Killer in popular culture.