Officially, the “Son of Sam” is David Berkowitz, a serial killer who prowled New York in the summer of 1976, and who is currently serving six consecutive life sentences. But what if Berkowitz didn’t act alone? Years after confessing to his crimes, Berkowitz later amended his confession to claim he was part of a Satanic cult. Of course, Berkowitz isn’t the most reliable of people, so there’s always a chance he’s lying. But what if there’s more to the story than meets the eye? The new Netflix true crime docuseries The Sons of Sam: A Descent Into Darkness follows a journalist who has become convinced that Berkowitz did not act alone. Watch the Sons of Sam trailer below.

The Sons of Sam A Descent Into Darkness Trailer

Was there more than one Son of Sam? That’s the theory posited by The Sons of Sam: A Descent Into Darkness, a new true crime Netflix docuseries from director Joshua Zeman (Cropsy) and showrunner Sara Enright. Here’s a synopsis:

The hunt for the “Son of Sam” captivated the world in the late 1970s, but the story behind one of America’s most notorious serial murderers is all but forgotten — until now. While the arrest and conviction of David Berkowitz brought the nightmare to an end for many New Yorkers, for journalist and Ultimate Evil author Maury Terry, the real mystery was just beginning. Terry, convinced Berkowitz had not acted alone, would go on to spend decades attempting to prove that the web of darkness behind the murders went deeper than anyone imagined – and his pursuit of that elusive truth would eventually cost him everything. Filmmaker Joshua Zeman draws on archival news footage, conversations with the people closest to the investigation, and Terry’s own words and case files to tell a cautionary tale of a man who went down a rabbit hole and never came out. But was Maury Terry just chasing ghosts – or are the true Sons of Sam still out there…

The docuseries runs for four 60 minute episodes and comes from executive producers Sara Enright, Zara Duffy, Dave Sirulnick, Jon Kamen, Joshua Zeman, Josh Braun, and Dan Braun. Netflix has been steadily building a collection of true crime docuseries, and some are better than others. Here’s hoping Sons of Sam turns out to be one of the better entries. I was a fan of Zeman’s Cropsy, although I will admit that I find the concept that Berkowitz didn’t act alone a bit dubious. Perhaps this will change my mind – or perhaps it will disprove that theory once and for all.

The Sons of Sam: A Descent Into Darkness arrives on May 5.

The post ‘The Sons of Sam: A Descent Into Darkness’ Trailer: What If Son of Sam Didn’t Act Alone? appeared first on /Film.