American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders

American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders is a true crime television documentary series about the 1991 death of writer Danny Casolaro amid his conspiracy theories of a supposed international cabal that he labeled "the Octopus". The film follows director Zachary Treitz and his friend, journalist Christian Hansen, as they investigate the Casolaro case. The film was released on Netflix as a four-part docuseries on February 28, 2024.

Plot
The documentary explores an investigation led by Danny Casolaro into what he termed "The Octopus," a supposed conspiracy involving the US government and its covert operations, and the circumstances around him being found deceased in a hotel room. The film discusses the Inslaw/PROMIS software conspiracy theories, the Iran–Contra affair and the 1980 October Surprise theory. Researcher Christian Hansen revisits Casolaro's work and questions whether Casolaro actually died by suicide. Hansen plays Casolaro in the film's re-enactments.

The film features interviews with Michael Riconosciuto, described by Rolling Stone as a "tech prodigy-turned-drug manufacturer and government operative who drops kernels of truth between what sound like madman ravings". Also interviewed is journalist Cheri Seymour, who reported being shown a doctored version of the Zapruder film in which John F. Kennedy appears to be assassinated by the Secret Service agent driving the car; Seymour interpreted this as an attempt to preemptively discredit her.