What is The Octopus Murders about? Netflix doc explained
NetflixAmerican Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders is an explosive deep dive into a mysterious conspiracy theory – here’s everything you need to know about the Netflix documentary series, including what it’s about, who’s in it, and if it’s worth watching.
Conspiracy theories weren’t always associated with QAnon and Flat-Earthers. Long before the rise of these phenomena, they were underpinned by earnest investigations and discussions, centering on tangible evidence.
A prime example is the assassination of former US President John F. Kennedy, whose case was reexamined amid the 60th anniversary of his death. Even the doctors who were present that day are convinced Lee Harvey Oswald didn’t act alone.
But what happens when belief transforms into an obsession? This is explored in Netflix’s true crime documentary series American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders, uncovering a web of politics, espionage, and potentially even murder. Warning: Some may find this content distressing.
What is The Octopus Murders about?
Directed by Zachary Treitz, American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders is a four-part documentary series that sees photojournalist Christian Hansen diving into “the Octopus,” a multi-faceted conspiracy theory involving mystery and murder.
The conspiracy got its name from Danny Casolaro, a journalist who was sent down a rabbit hole in the 1990s while working for trade magazine Computer Age. As stated by Netflix’s Tudum, when Casolaro started looking into the developing story, “no one could have predicted that a report on an ongoing dispute between the Department of Justice and Bill Hamilton, the founder of a technology company called INSLAW, would lead him to the hidden underbelly of some of the shadiest stories of the 1980s.”
Hansen explains in the docu-series, “As Danny’s talking to Bill Hamilton, he starts looking into these powerful people connected to the Reagan administration and realizes there’s something much bigger going on than just a contract dispute.”
Casolaro’s investigation uncovered a web of conspiracies that all seemed to be linked in some way, which is what led to him naming it “the Octopus.” Netflix goes on to state: “He became obsessed with bringing the entirety of this story to light and dedicated all his time to unearthing as much information about it as he could.”
However, as is explored in The Octopus Murders, Casolaro could never finish his investigation – because he died by apparent suicide. In August 1991, while traveling to West Virginia to meet with a source, he was found dead in the bathtub of his Sheraton hotel room.
Although police ruled the death a suicide, many believe he was killed before he could connect the dots completely. Firstly, his wrists had been slashed 12 times, with some cuts so deep they severed the tendons. Additionally, there were blood spatters around the room that were inconsistent with a suicide. But most significant of all was the fact that the journalist had warned his brother just weeks before that if anything were to happen to him, it wouldn’t be an accident.
American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders delves into both Casolaro’s inquiry as well as new revelations discovered by Hansen, who picked up where Danny left off with an interest that was bordering on obsession. Filmmaker Treitz told Tudum: “[Christian and I] have known each other since middle school.
“When Christian moved to New York City, I had just graduated from college, [and] I moved in with him for a few months. When [Christian] started working on this, he would tell his friends about what he’s looking at, and we would all say, ‘That’s cool. Oh, that’s interesting.’ And then, eventually, it became like, ‘Oh, man, still talking about this, huh?’ ‘Oh, that sounds really weird.’ There were times where I think everybody was a little worried about Christian, and we would try to intervene in small ways.”
But Treitz decided to embark on the documentary project amid the release of one of Hansen and Casolaro’s main sources, Michael Riconosciuto, from prison. When they went to pick him up, Treitz says, “We felt like we were picking up the torch from Danny.”
Who’s in The Octopus Murders?
Both Zachary Treitz and Christian Hansen appear in American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders, alongside Michael Riconosciuto and a series of specialists and individuals involved in the case, including:
- Eric Weidman, maintenance at the Sheraton Hotel
- Charles Work, former deputy administrator, Department of Justice
- Ann Klenk, journalist and Casolaro’s friend
- Tony, Casolaro’s brother
- Terry Miller, computer contracts expert
- John Power, former homicide detective
- Bobby Moses Nichols, John Philip Nichols’ son
- Eddie Erdelatz, former homicide investigator, SFPD
- Cheri Seymour, investigative journalist
- Ben Mason, Casolaro’s friend
- Norma Digiancinto, former AETNA office manager
- Thomas Gates, former FBI special agent
- John and Marianne Higgins, son-in-law and daughter of Mary Lehnert
NetflixAs for who’s behind the camera, the Netflix docuseries is produced by Duplass Brothers Productions with Stardust Frames Productions, who last teamed up for the cult doc Wild Wild Country.
Speaking to Tudum about making The Octopus Murders, Treitz said: “It’s like a horror movie in some respects for me, getting sucked into a story like this. What happened to Danny, what happened to me and Christian – there’s a cautionary tale there.”
“I hope that [the series] will inspire people to do real, heavy research and write [Freedom of Information Act requests] and really dive in if they want to know the answer to something,” he continued. “What we did, it was a fascinating and fun process, very rewarding.”
Is The Octopus Murders worth watching?
Netflix’s American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders was rated 82% by the critics and 52% by audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. While some viewers weren’t too happy about the ambiguous ending, there’s no denying it’s a fascinating watch – and the director has since explained why it had to end that way.
As said by RogerEbert.com: “The story of American Conspiracy is obviously intriguing enough, but it’s director Zachary Treitz’s approach that makes it even more effective. Not only does he approach every element of this story – including even the idea that Danny was murdered – with a heavy dose of skepticism, he tells this twisted tale through the eyes of another journalist, a potential Alice to follow Danny down the rabbit hole.”
Meanwhile, Decider said to “stream it,” adding: “American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders is a fascinating look at a case that not only has huge implications about how the US government ran in the 1980s and ’90s, but it also gives a lot of insight into how journalists can get so deep into stories that sometimes have pretty humble beginnings.”
American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders is available to stream on Netflix now. If you’re looking for something fresh to watch, check out the new true crime and documentaries coming to streaming this month. You can also find out what movies you should be streaming in March, as well as what TV shows to add to your watch list.