In an old thread on Tom’s site, the topic of where Zodiac would have viewed the Exorcist movie is discussed (presuming that the Exorcist letter came from Zodiac):
http://zodiackiller.fr.yuku.com/topic/1 … r2jDOAo6Uk
It appears from the input that the only place in the SF Bay area at the time of Zodiac’s letter on 1/29/74 was the Northpoint Theater in the Fisherman’s Wharf section of San Francisco. The below 1/11/74 article by Paul Avery in the SF Chronicle discusses the public’s horrified reaction to viewing the movie at the Northpoint Theater.
The Exorcist letter does say that he SAW the movie so, if true, it seems reasonable to presume that Z almost certainly saw this at the Northpoint Theater in San Francisco. The Exorcist letter is postmarked from the "940" zip code, which included much of San Mateo County and South San Francisco including the following areas:
94002 BELMONT
94005 BRISBANE
94010 BURLINGAME
94011 BURLINGAME
94013 DALY CITY
94014 DALY CITY
94015 DALY CITY
94016 DALY CITY
94017 DALY CITY
94018 EL GRANADA
94019 HALF MOON BAY
94020 LA HONDA
94021 LOMA MAR
94022 LOS ALTOS
94023 LOS ALTOS
94024 LOS ALTOS
94025 MENLO PARK
94026 MENLO PARK
94027 ATHERTON
94028 PORTOLA VALLEY
94030 MILLBRAE
94035 MOUNTAIN VIEW
94037 MONTARA
94038 MOSS BEACH
94039 MOUNTAIN VIEW
94040 MOUNTAIN VIEW
94041 MOUNTAIN VIEW
94042 MOUNTAIN VIEW
94043 MOUNTAIN VIEW
94044 PACIFICA
94060 PESCADERO
94061 REDWOOD CITY
94062 REDWOOD CITY
94063 REDWOOD CITY
94064 REDWOOD CITY
94065 REDWOOD CITY
94066 SAN BRUNO
94070 SAN CARLOS
94074 SAN GREGORIO
94080 SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO
94083 SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO
94085 SUNNYVALE
94086 SUNNYVALE
94087 SUNNYVALE
94088 SUNNYVALE
94089 SUNNYVALE
94096 SAN BRUNO
94098 SAN BRUNO
http://www.zodiackiller.com/EEHR.html
At the very least, this would seem to add two more sightings of Zodiac in the area of San Francisco (once to view the movie and once to mail the letter). It would also seem odd (but certainly not impossible) if Z were a resident of Vallejo that he would not only travel to SF to view the movie but then mail the associated letter from SOUTH of San Francisco.
Yes, Entropy, the Exorcist had an exclusive northern California engagement at the Northpoint theater when this movie was released. It was to be another couple of months from the Dec. 26, 1973 release date before the movie was shown in more theaters. This ad appeared in the Chronicle on opening day.
The day after the opening, a film critic with the SF Chronicle wrote a rather scathing review on the movie, basically panning it calling the movie a "disappointing nightmare". Of course the movie went on to become the year’s top grossing film. Did Zodiac also read this review and base his opinion about the movie on it without ever having seen the movie?
Good question, Seagull. There is really nothing in Zodiac’s review of the movie as a "saterical comidy" that indicates whether he saw the movie or not and he could have based his review off that but what would be the point of writing the letter to parrot another critique? He claims that he actually saw the movie so we know where he was on that date IF he’s telling the truth. So many of our discussions regarding the letters come down to the fundamental question of whether Z was lying or telling the truth and it’s not always easy to tell. For something as simple as seeing a movie and considering Z’s apparent affinity for movies, I tend to give him the benefit of the doubt here but who knows?
I was thinking about this when Seagull and T posted the chrono Chron articles. The first letter in 3 years and he chooses this subject to break his silence. I wondered, as Ent suggests here, if he actually saw it at Northpoint and that seeing that Paul Avery had written an article about the film showing at that very theatre. Was that just too much to pass up. Hence the letter. Surely a film wouldn’t be enough to make him do that, would it? (I know he followed up with the Badlands letter but he didn’t break his silence with that one). Was Paul Avery at the showing? Do we know? I wonder if Z asked himself that question as well? Maybe he actually saw him and didn’t need to wonder and couldn’t resist one last letter, sort of, to his secret pal. Just to let him know.
“I don’t know Chief, he’s very smart or very dumb.“
