37 best true crime documentaries on Netflix
True crime documentaries on Netflix come with the kind of real-life drama so gripping that for that hour or so, you forget everything else in life. It's for this reason that we can't. Get. Enough. And we're not the only ones.
We never get tired of discovering how disturbingly screwed up the human race is – the fact that real-life people have committed some of these crimes is truly disturbing but, in some weird way, compelling. I mean, take, for example, Charles Cullen, a former ICU nurse who killed patients while working in various hospitals and nursing homes before being caught. The investigation that led to his arrest is told in Capturing the Killer Nurse.
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Then there are those bizarre real-life stories that are just too difficult to wrap our heads around. Case in point, the doc Girl in the Picture, which viewers have labelled “The most frightening thing they've ever seen”, and Evil Genius: The True Story of America's Most Diabolical Bank Heist, which looks at the infamous moment a pizza delivery guy walked in to rob a bank with a bomb tied around his neck…
So, have you got your notepad at the ready and detective hat on? Great. Because when it comes to the murky world of true crime docs, nothing is ever what it seems. From stories that tap into secret lives, dangerous roommates, and tales of millennial scamming and murder, these are the best true crime documentaries to watch on Netflix right now.
Here is our list of the best crime documentaries to watch on Netflix now...
NetflixLover, Stalker, Killer
Based on a true story, of course, this twist-and-turn doc follows a mechanic trying online dating for the first time and getting caught up with a love match who is more sinister than she first appears. The real tale involves murder and arson – the stuff true romances are made of.
Courtesy of NetflixAshley Madison: Sex, Lies & Scandal
This one is a doozy. The data for a site catering to people looking to have adulterous affairs is leaked, exposing millions of users' intimate data and threatening to destroy relationships and lives. Truly scandalous, making you think about deeply about the ethics that underpin our use of tech and how safe our data really is…
Mark WeissDirty Pop: The Boy Band Scam
Boy band and true crime fans, this one is for you. What an overlap. This Netflix doc charts the rise and fall of music boss Lou Pearlman, who was found to have exploited top 1990s boy bands such as Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC and O-Town.
© 2024 Netflix, Inc.Worst Ex Ever
This one might put you off dating and love for life. The docuseries explores some harrowing stories of violent and deceitful romantic partners. Survivors, members of victims' families and investigators involved in past and present cases are interviewed, showing just how dark the world of dating can be.
NetflixDancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult
A mysterious story is told of a young dancer Miranda Wilking, who became involved with a church 7M when looking for management. She soon cut off contact with her family, who suspected she had joined a cult. The documentary interviews Miranda's family, as well as former members of 7M.
Courtesy of NetflixAmerican Nightmare
A massive true crime hit on Netflix, American Nightmare explores the unhinged true story of a home invasion and kidnapping that was later accused or being staged after the “kidnapped” woman reappears. In real life, the kidnap hoax was dubbed “the real Gone Girl” by the media. We are all over it.
© 2024 Netflix, Inc.Can I Tell You A Secret?
This one is a harrowing watch. It recounts the actions of one of history's most prolific cyber stalkers Matthew Hardy, how the law failed his victims and the impact his relentless stalking and manipulation had on his victims.
NetflixCapturing the Killer Nurse
Capturing the Killer Nurse focuses on how investigators proved that serial killer Charles Cullen was killing patients while working in various hospitals and nursing homes across New Jersey and Philadelphia. Charles is currently incarcerated at the New Jersey State Prison and is not eligible for parole until June 2388. Eddie Redmayne also played Charles in a movie called The Good Nurse alongside Jessica Chastain, released on Netflix in 2022.
NetflixVictim/Suspect
Directed and produced by Nancy Schwartzman, Victim/Suspect sees Emmy-winning investigative journalist, Rae de Leon, examine the widespread pattern of women across the United States not being taken seriously by authorities after being sexually assaulted and instead charged for making false rape accusations.
NetflixKeep Sweet: Pray and Obey
This harrowing four-part documentary series looks at the rise and fall of controlling cult leader Warren Jeffs and the institutionalised child abuse, sexual assault and manipulation that took place under his rule as the self-proclaimed prophet of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Those who broke free of the community now reflect and bravely tell their stories about everyday life under Warren's restrictions and rituals and what the final catalyst was that made them flee.
NetflixEvil Genius: The True Story of America's Most Diabolical Bank Heist
Probably one of the most bizarre crime stories on our list, this documentary tells the story of a 43-year-old pizza delivery guy who walked into a bank with a bomb tied around his neck and armed with a shotgun demanding $250,000 in cash. When cornered by police outside the bank, he pleaded with them that he didn't have much time to live and that the bomb would go on any minute, which it ultimately did and led to his death. So what happened in the actual "pizza bomber" case, and who was behind this shocking heist?
Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator
Another fascinating look into the terrifying extremes of cult leadership and abuse of power, this series chronicles how hot yoga founder Bikram Choudhury managed to build a global empire in the seventies before recent allegations of rape and sexual harassment by his countless followers exposed the corrupt system that helped him succeed and ultimately led to his unravelling and downfall.
Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez
In a massive fall from grace, Aaron Hernandez went from a celebrated NFL star to a convicted killer who was sentenced to life in prison for the 2013 murder of Odin Lloyd. This documentary features in-depth interviews with his friends, fellow NFL players and insiders to offer further insight into how his life unravelled the way it did despite him seemingly being at the top of the sporting world.
Murder to Mercy: The Cyntoia Brown Story
In 2004, Cyntoia Brown was only sixteen when she was sentenced to life in prison for murdering a 43-year-old man who picked her up for sex. In 2019, Governor Bill Haslam granted her request for clemency following a series of legislative changes in juvenile sentencing laws in Tennessee. This documentary examines Cyntoia's past, physiology and the changing law, which has enabled her to be a free woman today.
Courtesy of NetflixMadoff: The Monster of Wall Street
The rise and fall of American financier Bernie Madoff is explored in the docuseries Madoff: The Monster of Wall Street. The American financier orchestrated one of the biggest Ponzi schemes in the history of Wall Street, worth about $64.8 billion. It left the lives of his victims upended before he was eventually exposed amid the 2008 financial market crisis.
The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker
From social media fame to imprisonment, The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker chronicles the fall-from-grace journey of homeless surfer-dude Kai Lawrence, who won thousands of fans on the internet thanks to a viral meme in 2013. However, what could have been a pathway to a better future led Kai to a conviction of double murder in 2019. He was sentenced to 57 years in prison and remains imprisoned in New Jersey today.
Strong Island
Strong Island follows the story of an unarmed Black man named William Ford Jr, who was killed by a 19-year-old white man. This documentary looks at the parallels between crime and racism as Ford became the prime suspect of his own murder during the police investigation. Unbelievably sad and shocking.
Courtesy of NetflixOur Father
Nothing is more shocking than the documentary Our Father - the story of an Indiana-based doctor Donald Cline, who worked at a women's fertility clinic. While he seemed normal on the surface, his fertility patients were unaware that he was inseminating them using his own sperm without their consent.
The Burari Deaths
The Burari Deaths is a bizarre documentary that centres on eleven family members that were killed by hanging or strangulation in the Burari neighbourhood of Delhi, India, in 2018. The random killings of the seemingly typical, middle-class family rocked India and hit the headlines - prompting the nation to get to the bottom of their murders.
Courtesy of NetflixSins Of Our Mother
Family is everything, right? Well, you'll rethink that when you watch Sins Of Our Mother. The harrowing documentary follows the story of mother Lori Vallow, who was supposedly brainwashed by a cult leader and subsequently accused of killing her two children. The documentary is helmed by director Skye Borgman, from the other hugely popular (and distressing) documentary, Girl In The Picture - so you're guaranteed a chilling watch.
NETFLIXGirl in the Picture
Probably one of the most chilling things we have seen in a long time - the Girl in the Picture, which Skye Borgman directs, is centred around a young mother whose tragic and mysterious passing is followed by the shocking kidnapping of her son. The events that follow during the subsequent decades are unbelievable...
Courtesy of NetflixBad Vegan
Bad Vegan has received mixed reviews, and it's hard to sum up exactly what it is about, but, in short, it follows the story of a New York socialite, Sharma Melngailis, who starts up a popular vegan restaurant. Everything seems to be going well until she married a mysterious man who claims he can make her dog immortal, from here, he sets her a series of bizarre and controlling tasks, forcing her life off track and into chaos. This four-part series is intense, bizarre and at times, pretty confusing.
Simon Leviev / InstagramThe Tinder Swindler
Perhaps the most-talked about true crime series of 2022, the Tinder Swindler, told through the first-person stories of his victims, follows the pretty unbelievable tale of an Israeli con man, Simon Leviev (real name, Shimon Hayut) who poses as the heir to a diamond business and manages to trick women in funding his lavish lifestyle.
Courtesy of NetflixWorst Roommate Ever
You might think that your sock-stealing, food-eating, messy housemate is pretty bad, but wait until you watch this docuseries about the actual worst roommates of all time. The show tells the story of four different roommates who are seemingly harmless, many of whom target people seeking financial relief via living with roommates or shared boarding. These four roommate stories follow subjects ranging from malicious monetary intentions to cons to downright evil, violent actions against innocent victims.
NetflixNight Stalker: The Hunt For A Serial Killer
Not for the faint-hearted, this documentary follows the victims, detectives, and investigation surrounding serial killer Richard Ramirez, who haunted the Los Angeles, California area in the 1980s. Called the “Night Stalker,” Ramirez was known for sneaking into victim’s homes at night and inflicting pretty horrifying crimes.
I Am A Killer
There’s something fascinating, albeit terrifying, about what goes in the mind of a murderer, and that’s exactly what I Am A Killer depicts. The series features in-person interviews with death row inmates convicted of capital murder, who give their account of their crime.
NetflixMemories of a Murderer: The Nilsen Tapes
This doc reveals never-before-heard information on serial killer Dennis Nilsen. After his death in 2018, Netflix gained access to his private collection of recordings that were left in his cell. They've informed this doc.
NetflixMurder Among The Mormons
The latest extraordinary true crime story that is sending social media into a frenzy, Murder Among The Mormons explores the 1985 bombings in Salt Lake City, the implications it had on the Mormon Church, and the involvement of document dealer Mark Hofmann, who begins the series as a victim, but is slowly revealed to be its prime suspect.
Trial By Media: The Truth Behind The Crimes
This fascinating docu-series examines famous court cases, whose outcomes may have been affected by the extensive media coverage they received.
Unabomber In His Own Words
With footage from a rare interview, this documentary traces the Unabomber's – Ted Kaczynski's – campaign of terror from 1978 to 1985, from childhood to young intellectual, to one of the most-feared terrorists in history.
NetflixTiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness
You won't even believe your eyes as this is truly wild. This popular Netflix true-crime series comes from the makers of the infamous Fyre Festival. The series traces the story of the eccentric zoo owner, Joe Exotic, who owns a collection of wild cats with his two husbands.
NetflixDon't F**k With Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer
A twisted killer's gruesome videos that begin with cat murders and move onto gruesome human murders – where victims are lured by internet posts – lead to a collection of amateur online detectives launching a highly dangerous manhunt that brings them into the dark underbelly of the internet.
Murder Mountain
Hunboldt County in California runs a big business of legal marijuana, attracting vistors from all around the world. However, many are never seen again.
Dirty Money
This compelling Netflix Original documentary, directed by Oscar award-winning director, Alex Gibney, explores corporate greed. Each episode covers a different business and its controversies with episode one kicking off with the 2015 Volkswagen emissions scandal. Warning: this will leave you raging.
NetflixWild Wild Country
Rural Oregon is not quite the place you would have assumed played host to a 'utopian city' founded by 'religious guru' Baghwan Shree Rajneesh and his group of loyal followers. But Rajneeshpuram defies all of your expectations. Enter the world of Wild Wild Country to discover the fascinating story behind this religious group who found fame in America in the 1980s for their conflicts and alleged bioterror attacks on the local community and the extremely divisive personality Ma Anand Sheela. Trust us, it's as wild as it sounds.
NetflixThe Confession Tapes
The Confession Tapes focuses on six separate homicide cases where the prosecution got a conviction primarily based on taped confessions that the suspects claim were coerced. It consists of seven episodes made up of a mix of archival footage and interviews with suspects, their families and the detectives who worked on the case. The docu-series sheds light on the ways in which brutal police interrogations can shape the way a suspect thinks and, ultimately, manipulate them into admitting to something they may not have done.
NetflixCaptive
This documentary series compiles some of the most complex and high stake hostage situations in history. Made up of eight episodes, it features victims from eight different countries recounting their experiences in interviews and looks back at archival footage.
