'The Sons of Sam: A Descent Into Darkness': Air time, how to live stream, plot and all you need to know about Netflix crime documentary
If you can't seem to stop binge-watching true crime documentaries or continue to wait in anticipation for 'Mindhunters' to get renewed for season 3, there's something new to look forward to. Netflix will soon be dropping its latest crime documentary-- 'The Sons of Sam: A Descent Into Darkness.'
The documentary is based on the series of murders by David Berkowitz that took place in the 70s. Berkowitz, who was infamously known as the 'Son of Sam,' was an extremely high-profile serial killer and created a media frenzy. However, there seems to be more to it than meets the eye, with one journalist claiming that Berkowitz was not acting alone.
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Release date
'The Sons of Sam: A Descent Into Darkness' premieres on Netflix on May 5.
Air time
According to the Netflix press site, the documentary will air in the US at 8:30 am ET (12:30 PM GMT).
How to live stream
The 6 episode series can be streamed on Netflix. Subscribe to Netflix directly, via a mobile app store (App Store, Google Play). You can also watch it by signing up for the platform’s free trial. Apart from that, viewers can also opt for different subscription plans provided by the streaming giant. A premium plan that allows more people to watch the service on different screens simultaneously, costs $18 per month. Meanwhile, the basic US plan costs $9 per month.
Plot
During the summer of 1976, the city of New York was terrorized by a series of murders, all carried out by a .44 caliber weapon. The attacks were seemingly random and claimed a total of six lives. The murders became rather high profile because the murderer began sending the police letters as clues.
David Berkowitz was finally arrested in 1977 and he confessed to the crimes, claiming that he carried them out on the orders given to him by his neighbor's dog, known as 'Sam' and christened himself, the 'Son of Sam.' Berkowitz was found guilty and is still in prison to this day, serving six life sentences.
However, in the mid-90s, Berkowitz claimed that his story was a hoax and that the murders were carried out according to instructions by a satanic cult. The official synopsis by Netflix reads -- "The Son of Sam case grew into a lifelong obsession for journalist Maury Terry, who became convinced that the murders were linked to a satanic cult."
The 'Son of Sam' case was a heavily publicized one -- it garnered a lot of media attention and caused a media frenzy, which ultimately led to Berkowitz achieving a celebrity status of sorts. It also resulted in the New York State Legislature forming new statutes, particularly the 'Son of Sam law' in order to ensure that criminals don't financially profit from the publicity of their crimes.
Director
Joshua Zeman
Joshua Zeman is a producer and director, known for his work such as 'Cropsey,' 'The Station Agent' which features a young Peter Dinklage and 'Mysterious Skin.' He has also worked on 'Murder Mountain' for Netflix which is also a crime documentary, the same genre as 'The Sons of Sam: A Descent Into Darkness.'
Trailer
The trailer, uploaded to Netflix's YouTube channel features footage from the time the case was being covered. It offers a glimpse into Maury Terry's fight to prove that there was more to it than meets the eye, implying that a cult was possibly behind the murders and Berkowitz was not the lone mastermind.
In the trailer, Berkowitz is asked a question -- "there were 8 attacks, did you do all of them?" To which he replies, "I did not pull the trigger on every single of them."
With mentions of Charles Manson, subsequent deaths of other suspects, and more, the trailer is sure to send a shiver down your spine -- it implies that everything that is known about the case might be far from the truth.
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