Winter Kill (1974)

A small ski resort town is the target of a serial killer who leaves no clues except the taunting messages spray painted in red near the bodies of his (or her) victims. The local sheriff (Andy Griffith) may be out of his depth but he is determined to track the down the killer. Directed by Jud Taylor (FADE IN). Surprisingly solid murder mystery made for television. It was successful enough for Andy Griffith to do four more sequels. While the characters are broadly (to put it mildly) drawn, the whodunit aspect is well done with a red herring thrown in to deflect from the real serial killer. Murder mystery fans should enjoy it. The underscore is by Jerry Goldsmith. With Nick Nolte, Sheree North, Louise Latham, Lawrence Pressman, Joyce Van Patten, Tim O'Connor, Robert F. Simon and Ruth McDevitt.