Critic Reviews

The Hillside Strangler: Devil In Disguise is a straightforward retelling of the famous serial killer case. But it definitely gives information and perspectives that people who paid attention to the case four decades ago might not have either gotten or remembered.

“Devil in Disguise” is not as powerful or haunting as Netflix’s “Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer,” but it’s equally as fascinating in its deep exploration of another notorious crime that captured the city‘s imagination. ... Footage of interrogation sessions with Bianchi stand out here, taking this series deep into the mind of a sociopath.

If its recap is relatively thorough, though, it stumbles in lucidly explaining prosecutors’ theory about Buono and Bianchi’s partnership, and worse, it features a key omission: Frank Salerno, the renowned LA County detective who led the Hillside Strangler investigation.