“The Sons of Sam: A Descent Into Darkness” Review by Brooke Daugherty : Pop Culture Leftovers

“The Sons of Sam: A Descent Into Darkness” Review by Brooke Daugherty

May 25, 2021 1:10 pm |

Nearly everyone has heard about the Son of Sam. If you are looking for an in depth documentary on David Berkowitz, you might be a bit disappointed by The Sons of Sam: A Descent into Darkness. The four episode Netflix docuseries is more about Maury Terry, a journalist obsessed with the Son of Sam case.

Terry believed not only were there multiple Sons of Sam, but that they were all linked by a Satanic cult. Director Joshua Zeman uses the usual documentary tropes – photographs, archival footage, and interviews. The twist on this docuseries is we hear Maury Terry’s findings in a voice over performed by critically acclaimed actor Paul Giamatti. As always, Giamatti’s performance is great. We get interviews from people involved in the case and those closest to Terry.

Terry connected all the dots with interviews and a determination to find the truth no matter what. His investigation had me all in, that is until the end. We see him interview Berkowitz, asking yes/no and leading questions. This coupled with his stints on various talk shows makes Terry look more like a man obsessed with Satanic cults than journalism. Sons of Sam does a good job of revealing all of Terry’s findings, but waffles on an opinion of the man himself. I don’t particularly like overtly biased documentaries, but jumping between genius and madman does not necessarily make an impartial story.

For true crime junkies, this is definitely a watch. For the casual viewer with four hours to spare and a Netflix subscription, this series is interesting as long as you know ahead of time Berkowitz is not the main subject. My rating might have been a bit higher if I had known that ahead of time.

PCL Rating: Taste It

Rotten Tomatoes Rating: FRESH