Blumhouse has seemingly had horror on lock on the big screen lately, but they're bringing something very cool to the small screen for their latest project: a miniseries based on the Son of Sam murders.
Deadline is reporting that Jason Blum’s production company is returning to the longform arena with another New York period piece based on the true story of the Son of Sam killings. Blumhouse Productions will develop the six-hour mini with Fox TV Studios ("The Killing").
Written by Steven Katz ("From the Earth to the Moon"), "Son of Sam" juxtaposes David Richard Berkowitz’s murder confession of Satan worship and human sacrifice with the actual police investigation of December 1975-1977. For almost two years, the self-proclaimed Son of Sam terrorized New York City, killing six people while eluding a massive manhunt and taunting the police with brazen letters. The spree finally came to an end in August 1977 when Berkowitz was arrested and confessed to the crimes claiming he was possessed by demons. In the 1990s, while serving six life sentences, he recanted part of his original confession, insisting that he was part of of a Satanic cult with fellow members carrying out some of the killings, but those claims were never substantiated.
Berkowitz's spree was the focus of Spike Lee’s 1999 movie SUMMER OF SAM, and the 1985 CBS movie "Out of the Darkness".
With several Charles Manson-themed projects coming our way (including the David Duchovny-starring "Aquarius" for NBC), I'm not surprised that other networks are looking for similarly themed projects. A "Son of Sam' miniseries sounds intriguing to me, especially with Blumhouse behind it. We'll keep you updated!
Jason Blum