Interest in true crime has reached an all-time high in teens and young adults, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic when people were trapped in their homes for days on end. Netflix has taken note of this and has added some fascinating series for true crime enjoyers. Here are my top three documentaries to deep dive into this spooky season.
“Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer” is about the well-known serial killer Richard Rimerez, who was active in California between 1984-85. This documentary has insight from lead detectives on the case and some of the victims and their families. It is a frustrating and heart wrenching story that includes crime scene analysis, real images and news footage from these events.
Released in October of 2022, “Conversation with a Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes” is a chilling recording session with the killer, Jeffery Dahmer. Following the release of the series “Dahmer ” which quickly hit top ratings on Netflix in September of 2022, there was an influx of people interested in his story, making this documentary the perfect opportunity to learn more about it. This TV series includes actual voice recordings with Dahmer detailing his life and crimes, footage inside the courtroom and heartbreaking testimonies from victims of the families who lost a loved one to Dahmer.
“American Murder: The Family Next Door ” is the twisted story of Chris Watts who murdered his pregnant wife and two daughters over an affair. This film provides the audience with raw police body cam and interrogation footage, in addition to screenshots of conversations between his wife and her friends leading up to her murder. The messages contained conversations of Watts’ family troubles and his wife’s annoyance with his distant behavior towards her, adding to the overall eeriness of the crime.
Of course, there are other crime documentaries that audiences love, such as “The Sons of Sam: A Descent into Darkness” and “Memories of a Murderer: The Nilsen Tapes,” and there will always be more to come. With Halloween just around the corner, now is the perfect time to dive deep into some new crime documentaries and experience the eerily true stories of these killers.
