American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders | |
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Genre | |
Directed by | Zachary Treitz |
Music by | Jose Parody |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 4 |
Production | |
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Producers |
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Running time | 48–67 minutes |
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Original release | |
Network | Netflix |
Release | February 28, 2024 |
American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders is a true crime television documentary series about the 1991 death of writer Danny Casolaro amid his conspiracy theories of a supposed international cabal that he labeled "the Octopus". [1] The film follows director Zachary Treitz and his friend, journalist Christian Hansen, as they investigate the Casolaro case. The film was released on Netflix as a four-part docuseries on February 28, 2024. [2]
The documentary explores an investigation led by Danny Casolaro into what he termed "The Octopus," a supposed conspiracy involving the US government and its covert operations, and the circumstances around him being found deceased in a hotel room. The film discusses the Inslaw/PROMIS software conspiracy theories, the Iran–Contra affair and the 1980 October Surprise theory. Researcher Christian Hansen revisits Casolaro's work and questions whether Casolaro actually died by suicide. [1] Hansen plays Casolaro in the film's re-enactments. [3]
The film features interviews with Michael Riconosciuto, described by Rolling Stone as a "tech prodigy-turned-drug manufacturer and government operative who drops kernels of truth between what sound like madman ravings". [3] [1] Also interviewed is journalist Cheri Seymour, who reported being shown a doctored version of the Zapruder film in which John F. Kennedy appears to be assassinated by the Secret Service agent driving the car; Seymour interpreted this as an attempt to preemptively discredit her. [4]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 83% of 12 critics' reviews are positive.The website's consensus reads: "A handsomely produced delve into a truly far-out true crime tale, this American Conspiracy hooks its tentacles into viewers and doesn't let go." [5] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 73 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. [6]
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