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
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
Critical reception
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]
