Night Stalker incorporates many staples of the true crime genre – extended slo-mo montages, the click-click flitting through crime scene photos, seedy bar aesthetic – for the story of a serial killer with unusual indiscretion. The victims – some brutally murdered, some left to call for help – ranged in age from six to 82. There was no consistent target of gender, age, race or class; the murder weapons ranged from attempted strangulation with a telephone cord to point-blank gunshot. Sometimes the killer would leave Satanic messages or symbols, other times he paused to eat a piece of fruit from the fridge. Richard Ramirez victims included men, women, and children — all from completely different backgrounds.
Never in criminal history such gruesome and unconnected set of crimes were committed by a single individual. In a race against time, detective newbie Gil Carrillo from Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department was joined by the legendary homicide investigator Frank Salerno to crack this case. Filmed over 13 years, Making a Murderer tries to discover the truth about the new allegations and exposes the corruption of their local law enforcement.
The five-part American true crime documentary, which is directed by Rovert Kenner and Taki Oldham, is based on the 1983 case of Henry Lee Lucas. The serial killer's crimes spanned from 1960 to 1983 and he was convicted for murdering 11 people. During each 45 minute long episode, it unravels the truth behind the case with certain cast members involved from the original case. Netflix has its share of true crime projects, but the streamer has no plans of stopping the dark content any time soon. In fact, Netflix is all set to develop a new limited series following the horrific story of one of society's most notorious serial killers, casting Evan Peters to bring his story to life. The show is based on the investigation and death row sentencing of the infamous serial killer Richard Ramierz.
The miniseries explores the traumatic journey fo two detectives in their attempt at capturing the criminal. The series take a deep dive into the shocking life and sentencing of one of the most prolific serial killers of America, convicted of thirteen counts of murder, five attempted murders, eleven sexual assaults, and fourteen burglaries. Night Stalker tells the story of Richard Ramirez, a notorious serial killer who committed a series of disturbing crimes in Los Angeles during the '80s. Detectives Gil Carrillo and Frank Salerno, who solved the case, share their insights in this documentary through interviews and archival footage. The 2017 true crime television documentary series follows the story of a number of people who were convicted of murder, but go on to say that their confessions were tampered with. It has been praised for its great representation of criminal law, miscarriages of justice and psychology.
One episode looks at a man who was advised to confess to murdering a teenage girl at the wheel of his truck whilst driving, while another follows Hamid Hayat's case of admitting to attending a terrorist camp. Fans have compared the series to other popular crime documentaries like The Keepers and Making a Murderer. Thankfully, Netflix has released a new true-crime documentary series which details the true story of how one of the most notorious serial killers in American history was hunted down and brought to justice.
It's why people read up on the most notorious female serial killers, why people love watching serial killer documentaries, and why so many true crime books sit on store shelves. One might wonder, despite their morbid content, why real serial killer movies, series and documentaries are fascinating. Well, if we talk about the killers, their apparent normality - the juxtaposition of horror in the garb of humanity - surely fascinates the viewer. And when it comes to the psyche of the audience, the appeal has to do with the safe space these stories provide, where they can dare to wrap their minds around an otherwise unfathomable emotion. Let's take a look at true crime sagas that have enthralled the audiences with their blood-spattered rabbit hole of murder stories. Russell first met Carrillo through a colleague at an "old-school LA joint" steakhouse bar and was "just absolutely riveted by the precision and specificity of his recollections," he recalled.
Carrillo, in his mid-30s at the time of the murders, remembered exact times and dates, what a victim was wearing, the address of the crime scene. Netflix has been pumping out true crime docuseries through 2021 with almost weekly regularity, but few have compared to the best in the history of the streaming service. The best of the bunch is this June 2021 Irish production about the brutal murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier in a remote Irish village in 1996. Over three episodes, the producers detail the unexpected death of the French TV producer along with several of the main suspects, including one in particular who was eventually convicted of the crime in Paris. Said suspect is a fascinating figure, a man who walks through a cloud of suspicion as he actively fights back against his accusers, including suing newspapers for libel and the Gardai for wrongful arrest. An all-star team of documentarians collaborated on this 9-part series, including Liz Garbus, Roger Ross Williams, and Alex Gibney.
The result is one of the most comprehensive, infuriating, and enlightening looks at the system flaws in our judicial system in history. The new Netflix documentary focuses on one of the worst serial killers in the history of the UK. Dennis Nilsen was from Scotland, born in 1945 to a lower class family with a father who was never home, but his crimes took place years later in London, England. In total, Nilsen murdered at least 12 boys and young men until he was caught in 1983.
One of the officers who directly worked on the case, Steve McCusker, plays a prominent role in the documentary. As the tapes reveal the murders based on Nilsen's image of his own life, McCusker adds to the conversation by recounting his own memories of what happened. McCusker was there for the discovery of the first bodies in Nilsen's apartment, the subsequent investigation to find all of the other bodies, and Nilsen's detailed confession.
The movie features interviews with other people connected to Nilsen and his crimes as well. If you haven't seen this true crime drama series, what have you been doing? Originally released on Netflix in 2015 and immediately had viewers gripped. The series explores the complex case of Steven Avery, who was previously exonerated after spending nearly twenty years in prison for a crime he didn't commit. But he was then arrested and sentenced two years later for the murder of Teresa Halbach, another crime he insists he didn't commit.
Some of the questions that have arisen include whether Avery and Dassey received a fair trial, and whether the police conducted a thorough investigation at the time. The series showcased the tale of notorious serial killer Henry Lee Lucas, who claimed responsibility for hundreds of murders. In 1983 and 1984, Henry's apparently unstoppable urge for murdering people helped Texas rangers clear 213 unsolved cases from its books. The Confession Killer showed how it didn't matter that the victims, methods and weapons used appeared to be chosen at random, nor that real tangible evidence was scarce.
Based on true events, the series follows a young woman accused of lying to the police about a rape, and two detectives who begin to find the truth as they investigate a spate of similar attacks. It's not the easiest watch and it will almost certainly make you cry and shout with frustration, but it's compelling storytelling of the treatment of sexual assault victims, with all twists and turns you expect from a true crime drama. Even if you think you already know the full story, watching a documentary can help you better understand and sympathize with victims' families and survivors.
This limited docu-series tells the true story of how one of the most notorious serial killers in American history was hunted down and brought to justice. If you're ready to dive into a new David Fincher-driven frenzy, prepare yourself forMindhunter, a true crime series so chilling it was renewed for a second season before it even hit the platform. Set in 1979,Mindhunterfollows FBI Special Agents Holden Ford and Bill Tench , a duo who interview imprisoned serial killers to get inside the minds of active murderers and solve cases currently ongoing. The Confession Killer underlines how Lucas became a throughline in cases spanning time and geography, confessing to hundreds of murders committed across the US over two decades.
But only 11 murders have been confirmed, including that of his own mother, who was likely his first victim, in 1960. Many true crime fans know about Lucas's spree of false confessions after his eventual arrest in 1983, most of which he retracted before his death in 2001. The Confession Killer is thus a unique look at how a false confession comes about — in the rare case where the confessor isn't a victim of the system but a skilled exploiter of it. Netflix's engrossing six-part documentary series Wild Wild Country put this bizarre story on the radar of true crime fans. The narrative balances an impressive amount of archival footage with an equally impressive number of contemporary interviews with key Rajneeshpuram figures. It's a fascinating close read of a cult whose devotees are anything but the meek, browbeaten stereotypes often expected in these cases.
Instead, cult members with fiery personalities clash memorably with one another, all the while manipulated by a stone-cold Rajneesh himself. By day, Dexter is a forensics expert for the Miami police whose work helps to solve murders and convict the killers. By night, Dexter is a serial killer, one that only targets other murderers who are yet to be caught and brought to justice for their crimes.
This series follows Dexter as he struggles under the pressure of trying to maintain his double life and hide his huge secret. Interviews with people in prison, especially on death row, rarely work as television. They're typically stomach-churning opportunities for the narcissistic criminal to get another chance in the spotlight.
Not only do the interviewers often confront their subjects with contradicting evidence or footage of interviews of people they've harmed, but they find a way to open these criminals up in a way that doesn't feel exploitative. These are nuanced, complex episodes of documentary television that remind viewers that a murder doesn't just change two lives, but everyone else caught up in the wake of the crime. The first season takes place from 1977 to 1980, in the early days of criminal psychology and criminal profiling at the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Cameron Britton has a recurring role in this season as notorious serial killer Edmund Kemper, who is the first to assist Ford and Tench in understanding how a serial killer's mind works. Other notable serial killers featured in the first season include Montie Rissell played by Sam Strike, Jerry Brudos played by Happy Anderson, Richard Speck played by Jack Erdie, and Dennis Rader also known as BTK, played by Sonny Valicenti. The four part series tells the story of Richard Ramirez who went on a rampant killing spree across Los Angeles in the summer of 1985.
His crimes ranged from sexual assault to murder and he appeared indiscriminate when it came to his victims, who were from varied backgrounds, both young and old. The story of Ramirez, his crimes and his final imprisonment is told through first-person interviews, archive footage, photographs and reenactments. Ramirez ended up on death row but died in 2013 due to complications from B-cell lymphoma. Netflix offers some of the best true crime shows, many of which deal with murder mysteries, but fans often seem to be particularly fixated on serial killers both real and fictitious.
For whatever reason, series that were inspired by or were meant to document real-life killers are incredibly popular at the moment. What followed was one of the largest and most publicised manhunts in British history. The series uses archive footage from those times to show how an inept police force tried to close the case. What makes it an engrossing, yet morbid binge is that with the cops in disarray and attitudes of the people turning hostile, The Ripper himself dives right into the heart of the investigation. There is something oddly satisfying about watching a well made crimes series or murder documentary.
Psychologists say one of the main reasons we are obsessed with true crime shows, or serial killer series is because it gives us an opportunity to feel almost relieved that we are not the victim. Some even opine that watching crime shows also provide the viewer with an opportunity to feel empathy. This anthology series focuses on a different true crime murder in America each episode. It combines speaking to the real detectives who worked on the case with re-enactments of the events that took place in each scenario. With two seasons under its belt, it makes a riveting watch for any true crime fan. Based on the crimes of Charles Sobhraj, The Serpent is an intense eight-part true crime drama about the notorious French conman who killed young Western travellers between 1963 and 1976, mostly backpackers on the hippie trail around Southeast Asia.
They revel in the violent punishment of evildoers, even if this aspect of human nature is unpalatable. What better subject matter for a crime series than the greatest unsolved murder case of all time – Jack the Ripper? This time though, detectives pursue a Ripper copycat killer in modern-day London. It's gritty, gripping stuff, and likely to make you a mini Ripper expert as you watch. The second series focuses on a copycat of the Krays' grisly crimes, while the third series recreates the Ratcliff highway murders.
Longtime girlfriend of Ted Bundy Elizabeth Kendall tells the infamous story from her side in Falling For A Killer. In doing so, she centers the female perspective that's often overlooked in documentaries about the notorious serial killer and honors the memory of his victims. Night Stalker is thus four episodes of true crime in which the violent offender thankfully recedes to the offended. Russell also amasses humanizing recollections from the family members of some victims who were long minimized, in press coverage, into the most grisly details of their deaths. Using a mix of archive footage and present day interviews, this gives a rare and shocking glimpse into the life of a serial killer.
Ted Bundy started to confess to his crimes in the days before his execution in Florida, and some of that is shown in the documentary. Netflix has a wealth of true-crime inspired movies and shows to watch right now — including several that are directly inspired by some of history's most notorious serial killers. Journalist and presenter Piers meets a host of American women who are convicted murderers in this chilling series. There are two seasons to binge on, with season one featuring Erin Caffey, whose boyfriend Charlie Wilkinson and his friend Charles Wade shot and stabbed her mother and two brothers to death in 2008.
The second series features interviews with Rebecca Fenton, who murdered her husband and Amber Wright, who played apart in the murder of her teenage boyfriend. The docuseries is based on the shocking real life crime committed by Sonja Farak, who was a lab tester for the Amherst lab, in the US state of Massachusetts. Woven into the series is the true life story of Annie Dookhan, whose actions caused thousands of drug convictions to be cast into doubt. The lab tester and Sonja Farak's crimes resulted in the wrongful conviction of many drug related cases in the state.
This three-part series reveals the sick and twisted crimes of Canadian killer Luka Magnotta, who started off filming himself torturing animals before posting them online. In 2010 he posted his first video which saw him killing two kittens, before later footage showed another kitten being eaten alive by a Burmese python. The internet was up in arms at his behaviour and the documentary follows the real life people who started a manhunt to find him. But things took a more sinister turn when Luka moved on to murdering humans, killing Chinese student Jun Lin after they met on a gay dating site. Another Netflix original true crime documentary to watch is The Ripper, a four-episode miniseries that dives into the story of one of the most notorious and legendary murderers ever. As his woman-killing pattern continued in the late 1970s the entire police force was tricked again and again, never getting any closer, which triggered a big conversation about women's rights and how the world views the opposite sex.
An interesting combination of fiction and true crime, what made Mindhunter fascinating was that the characters from the show were actors playing real-life serial killers. In fact, some of the dialogue from the on-screen confrontations was taken from interviews conducted by the real people on whom the characters of Holden and Tench are based. That's just one of many interesting behind-the-scenes facts about Mindhunter. The four-part series tells the story of Richard Ramirez, infamous as the 'Night Stalker', who went on a rampage in Los Angeles in 1985. His victims came from various neighbourhoods, racial backgrounds and socioeconomic levels, which baffled the police and made it a completely unique case. Richard drew pentagrams on his hand and even shouted "Hail Satan" during his trial.
Fairly attention-grabbing behaviour then, and great material for a gripping crime show now. The 5-part miniseries recounts the murders, trials and execution of serial killer Ted Bundy from the perspective of his long-time girlfriend Elizabeth Kendall and her daughter, Molly. The series reveals how Bundy's pathological hatred for women collided with the feminist movement of the 1970s, leading to one of the most infamous crime stories of all time.
The crime docuseries delves into the life of Michelle McNamara, who becomes obsessed with the crimes of the Golden State Killer. The Golden State Killer or Night Stalker was Joseph James DeAngelo who committed at least 13 murders, 50 rapes, and 120 burglaries. In 2013, Aaron Hernandez, while on the roster of the New England Patriots, decided to kill Odin Lloyd. The investigation into that crime revealed that he may have committed a double murder just a few years earlier in Boston. The great Chris Smith directed this eight-part Netflix series about one of the most fascinating disappearances in history. In May 2007, 3-year-old Madeleine McCann traveled with her family to a resort in Portugal.
One night, while her parents were at dinner not far away, she was taken from their room, and the ensuing investigation and media fury was like nothing anyone had seen before. Smith gets into the case in more detail than any other project in history, ultimately revealing how shoddy police work and a rush to justice to accuse McCann's parents likely allowed the criminals to get away. McCann's case is a lot like that of JonBenet Ramsey in that it feels like we will never truly know what happened or find a theory that makes all the pieces fit. This is the most exhaustive look we've had yet at this story that continues to fascinate true-crime fans.
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. Following the investigation of detectives solving crimes of rape, murder and kidnappings all over LA.
