7 true crime Netflix docos that will have you hooked
You know we live in strange times when even your parents are hooked on real-life killer documentaries on Netflix. Such is the morbid fascination with real-life crime stories, something that Netflix has tapped into.
So, if you’re in a Netflix and chill state of mind, here’s seven of the best crime documentaries to fill a weekend. Warning: you might want to get something stronger than popcorn for this viewing.
Don’t F**k With Cats: Hunting An Internet Killer (2019)
Since the rise of digital technology, citizen journalism has come into its own. One of the best examples of this is seen in Don’t F**k with Cats – a fascinating and dark account of the online community coming together to track down a kitten murderer, who posted a video of his the crime online.
And that’s just the beginning. This disturbing story never fails to grip you at each twist and turn. It may well just go down as one of the best true crime documentaries of all time.
- IMDb: 8/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 79% Audience Score
Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness (2020)
One of the best crime documentaries Netflix has given the world, Tiger King dropped just at the right time – as a global pandemic struck, and we were looking for boxsets to binge on.
This only contributed to the high-profile frenzy surrounding the show and its unique cast of characters: Joe Exotic – a big-cat owner with a penchant for country and western music, and his arch-nemesis kitty-whisperer Carole Baskin. It all culminates in a murder-for-hire plot, leaving you with the question – are you Team Baskin or Team Exotic?
- IMDb: 7.6/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 83% Audience Score
Trial 4 (2020)
Back in 2015 when ‘Making a Murderer’ was released on Netflix no-one could have predicted its global interest, as it became one of the most popular true crime documentaries of all time. Yet, in doing so, it paved the way for a flurry of ‘people versus’ programmes, highlighting social injustices and gaps in the American legal system.
The latest of these – ‘Trial 4’ documents the alarming story of a Boston man facing his fourth trial for allegedly murdering a police offer. Fighting to prove his innocence whilst highlighting corruption in the system, the Ellis case is one you don’t want to miss.
- IMDb: 7.4/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 88% Audience Score
American Murder: the Family Next Door (2020)
They were the all-American family, the sort that things like this don’t happen to. So, when in 2018 a pregnant Shanann Watts and her two young daughters go missing, it sends shockwaves throughout the local community.
Delving into archive footage, home videos, social posts, personal text messages, police reports and body-cam recordings, we learn more about the heart-breaking story, while reflecting on the digital times we live in. It’s undoubtedly one of the best true crime documentaries of 2020.
- IMDb: 7.2/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 76% Audience Score
Trial by Media (2020)
Turning the courtroom into a studio, this series reflects on some of the most intense, disturbing and public trials in modern times.
It looks at how the media can shape and influence the narrative and covers six cases ranging from murder trials to political shaming. Spread across six episodes, this true crime documentary of 2020 is executive produced by George Clooney and Grant Heslov.
- IMDb: 7.2/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 76% Audience Score
Rifkin on Rifkin: Confessions of a Serial Killer (2021)
In the latest killer documentaries on Netflix, Rifkin on Rifkin profiles New York’s most prolific serial killer. Using freshly unearthed interviews with recreated footage, you get a sense of what it’s like to be inside the mind of a monster.
But, what perhaps makes Rifkin most unsettling of all, is that he was just an ordinary Joel – and one of the last people you’d suspect of such heinous evil crimes.
- IMDb: 6.8/10
Allen V. Farrow (2021)
Their life, marriage and subsequent separation has been played out in public for all to see. Now, Mia Farrow talks on the sensational story and private details behind the sexual abuse accusations of film director Woody Allen, and their daughter Dylan.
This four-part series explores the high-profile custody trial, along with Allen’s relationship with Farrow’s adopted daughter Soon-Yi. To quote the documentary: “No matter what you think you know, it’s just the tip of the iceberg.”
- IMDb: 6.3/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 61% Audience Score
Watch now on Netflix.
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