Conversations with a Killer: The Son of Sam Tapes Review – A disturbing and comprehensive look at David Berkowitz

The Review Geek

2 days ago

Season 1
Episode Guide
Episode 1
Episode 2
Episode 3
Out of all the true crime series on Netflix, Conversations with a Killer is one of the most chillingly intimate.
With a unique hook of letting the killers themselves speak about their crimes, alongside re-enactments of these heinous crimes, some of the worst serial killers in history walk us through their reign of terror.
This time around, the spotlight falls on The Son of Sam Tapes, which shines a light on the maniacal, egotistical David Berkowitz. Shooting his victims on the street or while sitting in parked cars, Berkowitz killed six people in total and wounded seven others during his rampage, gripping the city of New York in a stranglehold of fear.
Feeling like an outsider all his life, Berkowitz was one of the more dangerous and unpredictable killers because on the outside, he was just an ordinary guy. He socialized with others, fell in with a decent crowd, patriotically fought for his country, and bounced around various odd-jobs.
However, as we hear from various interviews with police officers, survivors and psychologists, underneath that façade Berkowitz was a 'walking, seething cauldron of rage'. This was a man desperate to be seen; a man willing to do whatever it took to get that attention, even if it meant killing innocent people.
This three part docu-series peels back the smirking, nonchalant façade of this killer to uncover the real motives and reasoning behind his multiple killings.
Each episode takes the usual hook from the Conversations with a Killer series, bouncing between two timelines. The first showcases recorded interviews of Berkowitz recounting his murders while behind bars. The other, jumps back to the chronological timeline of said murders and the police investigation that was underway at the time.
The first episode looks at Berkowitz's family life, including his upbringing and lead-up to the first murders, before episode 2 tightens the screw and sees the origin of the .44 calibre gun, Berkowitz's inspiration derived from Taxi Driver and the start of taunting notes to the police. Notes which sport specific references to 'Mr Monster' and 'Son of Sam'.
The third episode then focuses on a big break in the case, a shocking (but thankfully botched) grand finale bloodbath Berkowitz initially had planned, and his eventual arrest.
In fact one of the most shocking moments comes when the police finally do capture David Berkowitz. He turned to the police, smirked and uttered: 'well you got me, what took you so long?'
However, the story itself doesn't end there, as the final 10-15 minutes of the documentary feature another victim Berkowitz missed out recounting their story. We also see random theories and ideas (including the Twelve Disciples of Hell) and word from Berkowitz himself (as recent as 2024) about how he feels regarding the murders.
The show also features (especially late on) the role of mainstream media and newspapers at the time. Hearing from Jimmy Breslin's son in particular, we see some of the shocking headlines that the newspapers ran with at the time. One in particular even includes Breslin basically egging on our killer to hit again.
Overall though, The Son of Sam Tapes is a pretty comprehensive breakdown of Berkowitz and his reign of terror. It's hard to grasp just how fear-struck and panicked New York was at the time of Berkowitz's killing spree, but Conversations with a Killer does a decent job of showcasing some of this within the three episodes.
This is a deeply affecting and in-depth documentary, and essential viewing for anyone who wants the complete story of this serial killer.