Directed by Tiller Russell
4-part limited series

by Matthew Crump, Staff Writer

“We had not seen anything like that in Southern California and the more you thought about it, the more you said, ‘Could I be next?’”

Meet the man who’s responsible for deadbolts, latches, and locked doors all across America. With Netflix’s new 4-part limited series Night Stalker: The Hunt For a Serial Killer, they tackle the most infamous set of breaking-and-enterings of the 1980s. For all its grisly moments, the filmmakers manage to build momentum in a story with countless snags, all while remaining sensitive to the dozens of victims and survivors of California’s dreaded “Night Stalker.” There are two things that make this documentary distinct from other additions to the true crime genre: (1) characters and (2) cinematography. 

The miniseries opens with L.A.'s up-and-coming star homicide detective, Gil Carrillo, right before slipping into a 1980s montage capturing the marrow of the era. Supplemented in between are snippets of the many other characters—reporters, analysts, and even a librarian— that will be introduced throughout the 4 episodes. However, our clear protagonist is Carrillo, the L.A. Homicide Bureau’s new kid on the block. 

The documentary establishes Carrillo as an underdog worth rooting for right away. Next is seasoned “bulldog,” Detective Frank Salerno, most famous for his thorough investigation of the “Hillside Strangler” of the late 70s. Fast Forward to 1985 and the bureau’s youngest pick and most renowned pick become an unlikely duo tasked with solving a new terrifying string of murders. What’s unique here is, despite the two men spending the majority of the time on screen in separate interviews, as the miniseries unfolds the viewer can see their forced partnership strengthen and grow into a dynamic friendship.

For episode 1 and most of 2, Carrillo and Salerno are stumped by the vast inconsistencies in the crimes. With victims of a wide range of ages, races, and genders, killed or terrorized with inconsistent tactics, popping up in almost every town in Southern California, it initially seems like there’s more than one killer roaming the City of Angels. However, the detectives have one single piece of prevailing evidence that ties the array of evil deeds together: a shoeprint.

Outside of well executed character investment, the real hooks of the series come with the strategically placed cliffhangers at the end of episode 2 and 3. If there’s ever been a show harder to resist Netflix’s signature binge, it’s Night Stalker. Episode 3 brings the pair of detectives to their lowest point with San Francisco’s Mayor’s public disclosure of the pivotal shoeprint, prompting the killer to change his signature kicks and landing Carrillo and Salerno back at square one. 

Following this drastic narrative lowpoint, even the most dedicated true crime experts won’t be able to resist finishing the series with the climactic reveal of the killer’s name at the end of episode 3. Each episode presents a new alias, first, Richard Mena, a patient at the dentist who matches the description, second, Rick at the bus terminal from El Paso who disclosed details about a double homicide, and, finally, Richard Ramirez: the Night Stalker.

Unfortunately, where the story leading up to the reveal of Richard Ramirez’s name was driven and thorough, the last episode feels flat and rushed. Serial killer enthusiasts will be disappointed to see Ramirez’s backstory reduced down to a 2-minute opening for Episode 4, followed by 45 minutes of a flailing attempt to wrap up every loose end. The series could have easily benefited with an extra episode in between, reserved exclusively for examining Ramirez’s psyche as well as his inevitable nationwide cultural impact. 

Besides the well-rounded cast of real-life characters, the second high point of the series is its ability to use creative cinematography to garner a sense of unity throughout. With the exception of a gallimaufry of storytelling elements crammed into the final episode, the episodes preceding it are evenly paced with shots that are about as tasteful as a documentary about a gruesome murderer can be.

Night Stalker upholds many classic murder documentary elements out of necessity: news reports, mugshots, case files, maps, talking heads, and strategically cropped crime scene photos. Even so, not enough praise can be given for the creative methods that were used to avoid the tradition of over dramatic reenactments. Instead, the filmmakers opt for scenes totally devoid of any actors, with almost all featured objects and settings framed in extreme close up shots. 

Clips of everything from a bloodied hammer falling to the ground in slow motion to the sudden spring of a cat onto a window sill, build tension and create a visual cohesion across the series that must be applauded. On the few occasions where filming a creative close-up wouldn’t do, entire crime scenes were reconstructed with highly realistic 3D animation using the real photos from case files. Of these animations, the most realistic elements were kept in the foreground, maintaining that close, almost suffocating effect, with large, less convincing elements remaining out of focus in the background.

The only remaining critique of the miniseries lies in the soundtrack. With the exception of Charles Manson’s infamous use of “Helter Skelter,” Richard Ramirez is a serial killer perhaps most notorious for the relationship music had with his murders, particularly his love of metal and rock. After all, as episode 1 shows, one of the first clues ever collected from his murder spree was an AC/DC hat. Given this fact, the lack of any real representation of the era’s music is a real missed opportunity to infuse an extra aesthetic layer to the series. The best it ever offers is a few muffled seconds of a Madonna cover band.

Richard Ramirez’s story has seen everything from a half-hearted single episode of A&E’s American Justice series in the mid-90s to American Horror Story’s glammed up, plot hole riddled version in 2019. In 2021 Netflix has finally delivered a straight-forward, socially responsible telling of the satanic murder spree that plagued so much of California in the 1980s. Where other serial killer docs fall into narrative traps with cheesy reenactments, Night Stalker offers dynamic cinematography and close attention to the narrative’s driving force. The inescapable binge it will send you on is sure to make you want to triple check that your front door is locked ...and bolted.

Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer is now available on Netflix.