‘Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer’ Explores the Terrorizing Reign of Richard Ramirez
As psychotic murderers go, Richard Ramirez was one of a kind. Before his 1985 reign of terror across L.A., during which he often attacked people asleep in their homes, earning him the nickname the Night Stalker, “there had never been a serial killer like him,” Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer‘s director Tiller Russell explains.
He was keen to craft the definitive look at the Ramirez case in this chilling four-part series. “His crimes were almost patternless,” Russell continues. “The victims were men, women and children; they lived in different parts of the city and came from different backgrounds.”
Hinged on the recollections of L.A. County Sheriff’s Department investigators Gil Carrillo and Frank Salerno, the series plays out like a masterful thriller, with the partners refusing to give up on any lead that comes their way — often at the expense of their professional and personal lives.
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The series also boasts a staggering amount of crime-scene photos and commentary from those most impacted by Ramirez’s barbaric acts. “It was important to tell the stories of the victims, survivors and family members who lost loved ones,” says Russell.
“[We wanted] to make sure they were treated as human beings and not reduced to being statistics in some killer’s sadistic crime spree.”
Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer, Streaming Now, Netflix
