By Brenda De La Cruz
Netflix’s “Night Stalker: The hunt for a serial killer” delves into how a well-known serial killer in America was caught and the aftermath he created during his killing spree.
In this Netflix documentary, viewers are able to hear the story of how a serial killer terrorized a majority of Los Angeles neighborhoods and its residents through the tales of the two detectives on the case.
The mini-documentary is four episodes long and begins by introducing the two detectives who were in charge of solving the horrific crimes, which took place in mainly Southern California neighborhoods from 1984-1985. Each detective’s background and experience is explained and tells how they each were made to be the ones put on the case. Viewer discretion is advised as each of the murders and attacks that occurred during the serial killer’s spree are explained rather graphically and there may be triggers for some watching.
Richard Ramirez, better known as the Night Stalker, was dubbed this moniker due to his method of attack. He would enter his victim’s homes through an unlocked door or window during the late hours of the night or early hours of the morning.
While Ramirez’s crimes were horrifying in general for anyone living in Southern California at the time for obvious reasons, some surviving victims terrified the community even further with their stories. It was reported by survivors of the Night Stalker that the killer would mention satanism a lot during his encounters with his victims. Oftentimes, he would demand his victims “swear to satan.”
The entire documentary is filmed in a way where even the slightest sound in a home will have one jumping from their seat, all while binge watching this well documented mini-series. Although viewers gain an insight into just how dangerous this serial killer was on account of incidents occurring to the very same detectives after him, it almost leaves one wanting more.
However, this is a warning for all viewers: this serial killer will most likely give you nightmares just by looking at his eyes.
“Night Stalker: The hunt for a serial killer” is currently streaming on Netflix.