The HBO Original four-part documentary series LAST CALL: WHEN A SERIAL KILLER STALKED QUEER NEW YORK from director Anthony Caronna (“Pride”) and executive producer Howard Gertler (HBO’s Oscar®-nominated “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed,” “How To Survive A Plague”) debuts SUNDAY, JULY 9 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT) on HBO and will be available to stream on Max, with new episodes debuting subsequent Sundays at the same time. Executive producers of the series include Charlize Theron, Liz Garbus, Dan Cogan, Jon Bardin, and Kate Barry, and it is a production of Story Syndicate (HBO’s “I’ll Be Gone In The Dark”), and based on the award-winning book “Last Call: A True Story of Love, Lust and Murder in Queer New York” by Elon Green.
In the early 1990s, with homophobia and hate crimes on the rise as the AIDS crisis worsens, a serial killer preys upon gay men in New York City, infiltrating queer nightlife to find his victims. A gripping, investigative crime story, LAST CALL: WHEN A SERIAL KILLER STALKED QUEER NEW YORK also dives deeply into the prejudices and attitudes of the times, when deep-rooted biases in the criminal justice system and the media’s distorted public perception of the victims undermined the investigation and enabled a brutal killer to prey on a marginalized populace. The complexities of the closet combined with a long-standing mistrust of law enforcement further complicated the case. It also highlights the heroic efforts of activists, including the NYC Anti-Violence Project, to force law enforcement to recognize and protect the queer community.
Through exclusive archival and first-time interviews with activists, investigators, and family members, LAST CALL: WHEN A SERIAL KILLER STALKED QUEER NEW YORK illuminates how the LGBTQ+ community fought to solve the murders and demand fair treatment of queer crime victims. Their work remains relevant today.