One of the most notorious crime sprees in American history is getting the Netflix docu-series treatment. A new trailer for the four-part series is out now, and promises a story that will chill even the most seasoned true crime enthusiast to the bone.
Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer chronicles the crimes of Richard Ramirez, who terrorized the city of Los Angeles in the summer of 1985. It shows the race for a young detective named Gil Carrillo of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department as well as homicide investigator Frank Salerno to solve the case as the media stoked fear of a boogeyman who had no pattern of victim or methodology in his crimes.
The series includes interviews with survivors of Ramirez's crimes and others who were involved in the case, as well as archival footage and original photography. It paints a portrait of a Los Angeles grappling with the very real possibility that anyone could be one of the Night Stalker's victims.
The trailer is set to a slowed-down, eerie cover of Bananarama's 1984 hit "Cruel Summer." With lyrics like "Hot summer streets and the pavements are burning," it's a fitting tune: The Night Stalker's crimes occurred during an intense heat wave in Los Angeles.
It is believed that Ramirez killed his first victim in San Francisco in 1984. However, he managed to stay below the radar until his Los Angeles murder spree, which ended with his capture in August of 1985 after a group of people in East Los Angeles recognized him from a photograph and detained him until police arrived.
You can learn more about the Night Stalker's reign of terror when the docu-series drops on Netflix Jan. 13. Watch the trailer above.