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American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders

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American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders
Official poster
Genre
Directed byZachary Treitz
Music byJose Parody
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes4
Production
Executive producers
Producers
  • Maggie Ambrose
  • Shuli Harel
Cinematography
  • Christopher Messina
  • Brett Jutkiewicz
Editors
  • Sean Frechette
  • Eric Schuman
  • Jay Deuby
Running time48–67 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkNetflix
ReleaseFebruary 28, 2024 (2024-02-28)

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]

Plot

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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]

Reception

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Critical reception

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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]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "What happened to American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders subject Danny Casolaro?". The Independent. March 4, 2024.
  2. ^ "American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders". February 28, 2024 – via IMDb.
  3. ^ a b "'American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders' Explores Danny Casolaro Death". Rolling Stone. March 4, 2024. Archived from the original on 2024-03-04.
  4. ^ "The Octopus Murders Creators Explain That Frustratingly Ambiguous Ending: "We're Still Debating. You've Stirred Up a Hornet's Nest"". GQ. March 5, 2024.
  5. ^ "American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  6. ^ "American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
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