How ‘American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders’ Channels Alfred Hitchcock’s Use of Duality

Duality is one of the most organic themes in literature and movies. The idea of two sides within one person – or two people who share one identity – has been explored since storytelling was invented. And Netflix’s new four-part docuseries “American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders” offers a tantalizing take on the concept.

While mainly focusing on a vast network of corruption and malfeasance in the U.S. government, the series also tells another story of two men: Investigative reporter Danny Casolaro, who was researching the scandal he called “The Octopus” when he was found dead in 1991; and photojournalist Christian Hansen, who a decade ago took up Casolaro’s cause and continued to track the deceased writer’s leads.