Your nightly entertainment, sorted.
It’s times like these that we can really appreciate true crime documentaries. From digesting the information to becoming a fully-fledged at-home detective, there’s nothing quite like sinking your teeth into a good conspiracy. So, we’ve rounded up the best true crime shows and documentaries out there to feed your addiction. You can thank us later.
1. Night Stalker: The Hunt For A Serial Killer
The night stalker quite literally stalked the streets of California, murdering innocent people in their homes, in ways that are too gory to even articulate. For a year he freely roamed the city, killing as he pleased. People lived in fear and the killer turned California into a living nightmare that has the whole world shuddering. This show documents the period of the murders, his arrest and trial.
2. Crime Scene: The Vanishing At The Cecil Hotel
At Cecil Hotel in Skid Row, Los Angeles strange and disturbing things happen. People think the hotel is cursed, and when a young woman visiting from Canada goes missing things get even stranger. Nobody knows what happened to her and keyboard warriors direct accusations at anyone they suspect might have murdered her, but nobody could have known the reality of what happened. This one will keep you on the edge of your seat.
3. Real Detective
This series is made up of self-contained episodes, so if you’re not too into one narrative then you can always skip to the next one. However, you’re probably not going to want to skip because this is riveting stuff! The series follows detectives as they scour the most difficult crime scenes and series of events to try and piece together a puzzle. Figuratively, of course.
4. I Am A Killer
This series has to be one of the best on Netflix. Period. If you’re interested in the psychology behind the act of murder and the impacts on the human mind afterward then this will have you stuck to the screen. Each episode features a different person who has at some point in their life committed murder, and you get to know what was going through their mind, in their words, when it all happened.
5. The People v. O.J. Simpson
The O.J. Simpson case is familiar to most people. He was a world-famous American football player who was accused and tried for the murder of his girlfriend, Nicole Brown Simpson. The trial was incredibly tense for anybody involved, and even for people watching, as it was such a contentious case focussed on a very high profile person. This series really unfolds what happened and illustrates beautifully the increasing tension of the case.
6. Murder to Mercy: The Cyntoia Brown Story
When a 16-year-old American girl robbed and murdered a man she was locked up. She would be eligible for patrol once she reached the age of 67. The world reeled at the injustice of this case, and a huge discussion started concerning the culpability of a child for murder in the circumstances under which she was living as a child. This conversation is ongoing and this fascinating series delves deep into the situation.
7. Don’t F**k With Cats
Don’t F**k With Cats shocked audiences upon its debut just a few months ago, detailing the horrific crimes of Luka Magnotta. The series features a number of amateur internet sleuths who launched a manhunt for the twisted criminal, leading to his eventual conviction in 2014 – two years after committing a number of sickening crimes which were posted on the internet.
8. The Innocence Files
New to Netflix just this month, The Innocence Files has had audiences feeling all of the emotions since it dropped on the streaming platform. The series follows the previously untold stories of eight wrongfully convicted people, who the Innocence Project have uncovered and worked to exonerate. Expect tears of sadness, tears of joy and rage as their stories are shared with the world.
9. The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann
One of the biggest mysteries of our lifetime, Netflix dug out the investigation of the peculiar disappearance of Madeleine McCann, featuring interviews with the Portuguese detective who famously accused the McCann’s of being involved. Various others involved in the investigation also tell their side of the story. The evidence showcased will have you feeling dizzy, as the investigation jolts from one suspect to another with a number of shocking revelations. To this day, Madeleine McCann remains a missing person.
10. Mindhunter
While not a documentary series, Mindhunter covers a variety of real-life murders in a fictionalised manner, with serial killers such as Ed Kemper, Charles Manson and Wayne Williams being portrayed. The series follows two FBI agents on a mission to understand how the mind of a serial killer works, visiting notorious killers in prison along the way to create ‘Serial Killer Profiling’. The interesting part is, while loosely based on true events, this is something that actually happened within the FBI. There are two seasons to get stuck into, so you’re sure to be entertained for a couple of days at least.