For many Zodiac Killer researchers the murderer of five appeared to have a fascination with dates, which included the Melvin Belli letter (12/20/69) mailed on the first anniversary of the Lake Herman Road murders, the Pines card (3/22/71) mailed on the first anniversary of the Kathleen Johns abduction, and the mailing of the Los Angeles letter (3/13/71) which coincided with the release date of the Vanishing Point movie, that also referenced "blue meanies". The January trailer of the movie featured a radio host from KOW, who stated "And there goes the Challenger being chased by the Blue, Blue Meanies on wheels. They want to get him and put him away, but there'll have to catch him first". The author of the Los Angeles letter stated "If the Blue Meannies are evere going to catch me, they had best get off their fat asses + do something".
These are just three examples. But for now, we will examine the long-held belief that the Zodiac Killer was referencing the "The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell (first published on January 19th 1924) when he encoded the wording "I like killing people because it is so much fun. It is more fun than killing wild game in the forest because man is the most dangerous animal of all". The Richard Connell short story was later adapted for screenplay, most notably in the 1932 RKO Pictures version starring Joel McCrea and Leslie Banks. While "The Most Dangerous Game" may be the inspiration for the Zodiac Killer's choice of words in the 408 cipher, did another more recent movie inspire him to find "The Most Dangerous Game".
The Zodiac Killer's July 31st 1969 letters to the San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Examiner and Vallejo Times-Herald opened up with the wording "I am the killer of the 2 teen-agers last Christmass at Lake Herman" and "This is the murderer of the 2 teenagers last Christmass at Lake Herman". It was the double murder of David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen on December 20th 1968 (with the Zodiac claiming a "pencil flashlight" attachment to his gun) that most resembled a killer hunting game, as referenced in the 408 cipher. This was the crime that began the canonical Zodiac murders.
These are just three examples. But for now, we will examine the long-held belief that the Zodiac Killer was referencing the "The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell (first published on January 19th 1924) when he encoded the wording "I like killing people because it is so much fun. It is more fun than killing wild game in the forest because man is the most dangerous animal of all". The Richard Connell short story was later adapted for screenplay, most notably in the 1932 RKO Pictures version starring Joel McCrea and Leslie Banks. While "The Most Dangerous Game" may be the inspiration for the Zodiac Killer's choice of words in the 408 cipher, did another more recent movie inspire him to find "The Most Dangerous Game".
The Zodiac Killer's July 31st 1969 letters to the San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Examiner and Vallejo Times-Herald opened up with the wording "I am the killer of the 2 teen-agers last Christmass at Lake Herman" and "This is the murderer of the 2 teenagers last Christmass at Lake Herman". It was the double murder of David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen on December 20th 1968 (with the Zodiac claiming a "pencil flashlight" attachment to his gun) that most resembled a killer hunting game, as referenced in the 408 cipher. This was the crime that began the canonical Zodiac murders.
The Napa Valley Register, April 26th 1969
Throughout 1969 a movie called "The 10th Victim" was regularly featured on American television. It was "a 1965 science fiction film directed and co-written by Elio Petri, starring Marcello Mastroianni, Ursula Andress, Elsa Martinelli, and Salvo Randone,. based on Robert Sheckley's 1953 short story "Seventh Victim". Taking place in the year 2079 in the aftermath of World War III, the film's focus is on a government-endorsed program known as "The Big Hunt", whereby contestants from around the world act as "hunters" and "victims" in two-person battles to the death as a means of avoiding mass warfare. The "Seventh Victim" was about a future society that has eliminated major warfare by allowing members of society who are inclined to violence to join The Big Hunt, a human hunting game. This eliminates the approximately one quarter of the population that would otherwise be a danger. The story follows an experienced hunter who is excited to receive his latest mission, but is faced with the concern that something is seriously wrong with the assignment. Robert Sheckley's inspiration for "Seventh Victim" was the earlier short story, The Most Dangerous Game, by Richard Connell". Oddly, seven victims was the first total claimed by the Zodiac Killer on November 8th 1969. "The 10th Victim" would be shown at the Northside Theatre in Berkeley on July 15th 1969, just over two weeks prior to the "The Most Dangerous Animal" reference in the 408 cipher.
The 408 cipher and its perceived reference to "The Most Dangerous Game" was accompanied by the beginning of the Zodiac murders on December 20th 1968. "The 10th Victim", based on "The Most Dangerous Game", was released into US cinemas on December 20th 1965. The Melvin Belli letter on December 20th 1969 implied that the Zodiac Killer was going to lose control and claim his 10th victim. The only time the Zodiac Killer wrote a victim count in tandem with the word victim (victom) was when he mailed the Melvin Belli letter on December 20th 1969. His next communication on April 20th 1970 would confirm "ten people to date". Irrespective of this movie date matching the Lake Herman Road murders and Melvin Belli letter, did the Zodiac Killer become influenced by "The Most Dangerous Game" through "The 10th Victim", which was contemporary to television and theater in 1968 and 1969? The movie first appeared on Bay Area television on November 5th 1968, the month before the murders of David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen in Benicia. Below are two advertisements for the movie in the Contra Costa Times and San Francisco Examiner.
RAMPAGE (1963)- THE MOVIE BEHIND THE 408 CIPHER & JULY 31ST LETTERS
RAMPAGE (1963)- THE MOVIE BEHIND THE 408 CIPHER & JULY 31ST LETTERS
Contra Costa Times, November 3rd 1968
The San Francisco Examiner, November 5th 1968
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