Mindhunter Season 2 trailer teases Atlanta Child Murders and more

Netflix series Mindhunter returns for a second season on August 16, and the official trailer was just released, teasing Charles Manson and Son of Sam.

Mindhunter is a crime/thriller series about the early days of serial killer profiling. It stars Jonathon Groff and Holt McCallany as FBI Agents, Holden and Bill.

In the series’ first season, the duo started the Behavioral Science Unit at the FBI’s Quantico headquarters, with the assistance of psychologist Wendy (Anna Torv). As part of their self-training, the agents interviewed serial killers to try to understand how they think, hoping to use their knowledge to solve current cases.

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The Netflix series is based on the true crime book Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit. It was written by retired FBI agent John E. Douglas (who the character of Holden is based on) and Mark Olshaker. Bill’s character is based on FBI agent Robert K. Ressler, who is said to have coined the term “serial killer.”

Season two picks up a few years after the season one finale. If you recall, Holden suffered a severe panic attack after being threatened by serial killer Edmund Kemper. Information given by Netflix tells us that serial killers interviewed in the upcoming season include Charles Manson and David Berkowitz (the Son of Sam). While the appearance of Manson is teased, we don’t see him in the trailer.

The trailer begins with a police officer telling Holden and Bill about a call they responded to in January of 1974, which resulted in their discovery of a murdered little girl. From there, we are treated to bits and pieces of interviews and scenes. When Holden is asked who he would want to interview more than anyone, he answers: “Charles Manson.”

In a scene that made me very happy, we see the return of Cameron Britton, who gave an incredible performance last season as the murderous Ed Kemper. He is instructing Holden not to stare when he interviews Manson because Manson is “very small.” Interesting to note, Ed Kemper himself was NOT small at 6’ 9” tall.

We hear Holden referred to as “an arrogant, self-serving twit,” and we see him crouched down beside a car while popping some pills. It’s clear that he still has more issues than National Geographic, and that he remains cocky.

Mindhunter season two will also be covering the Atlanta Child Murders case, in which 28 children, adolescents, and adults were killed between 1979 and 1981. This case was the most exciting part of the trailer.

Holden maintains that the murderer is a black male, while other law enforcement members are convinced that the KKK is behind it. Ultimately, Wayne Williams was convicted of the adult murders, though he was also suspected of the others.

My takeaway from the trailer is that Holden is still causing trouble with his tactics and lack of finesse. I was disappointed at the lack of Manson or Berkowitz. But, as someone with interest in both thrillers and true crime, I will definitely be tuning in when season two begins streaming.

Watch the thrilling new trailer for season two of Mindhunter right here:

What did you think of the trailer for season two of Mindhunter? Do you plan on watching the season when it debuts on Netflix? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Season two of Mindhunter will begin streaming on Netflix on August 16th.