Whether it’s a documentary detailing the heinous crimes of the world’s most despicable serial killers or a dramatical exploration of what makes a murderer tick, the Netflix generation has no doubt become addicted to true crime shows. Netflix’s Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story has become one of the most successful series for the streaming giant, with almost 500m hours viewed since its launch.
But while people are still tuning in to witness the shocking crimes of the so-called Milwaukee Monster, its online buzz appears to be slowing down. Here, we have compiled a list of five more Netflix dramas and documentaries to help get your true crime fix.
Manhunt: Unabomber
Former professor and math prodigy Ted Kaczynski, eventually known as the Unabomber, killed three people and injured 23 more between 1978 and 1995 by sending explosive devices through the US postal service. Living off-grid in Montana, a reclusive Ted wrote a 35,000-word manifesto in which he argued the “industrial revolution [has] been a disaster for the human race” and targeted those he felt contributed to the advancement of technology and the destruction of the environment.
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Boasting a Certified Fresh 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Manhunt: Unabomber is a fictionalised retelling of the longest and most expensive investigation in the FBI’s history at the time. It centres around criminal profiler Jim Fitzgerald – played by Avatar’s Sam Worthington – as he uses ingenious analysis of Ted’s writing to aid the hunt of a domestic terrorist regarded as both a “genius” and a “madman.”
Evil Genius
This explosive documentary details the mind-boggling robbery/murder plot often referred to as the “pizza bomber” case which occurred in Eerie, Pennsylvania in 2003. Described by CNN as “one of the most bizarre bank robberies in FBI history,” the incident involved 46-year-old Brian Wells, who robbed a bank whilst wearing an explosive collar around his neck.
Brian was soon apprehended by police and arrested as the bomb squad were called. While sitting on the ground cross-legged and in handcuffs, with police ensuring the area around him was clear, Brian became visibly distressed as the bomb strapped to his neck began beeping, ultimately exploding and killing him just three minutes before the bomb squad arrived.
This four-part series, released in 2018, explores the vast web of evidence surrounding the case and looks at several potential suspects, as well as hearing from the alleged mastermind of a convoluted and tragic robbery plot.
Mindhunter
Arguably one of Netflix’s best original outputs, Mindhunter follows the founding of the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit in the late 1970s, as a small team of criminal psychologists lead the way by interviewing imprisoned serial killers to hone the then-new act of criminal profiling. Throughout the series, two FBI agents get to know the infamous Charles Manson, “Son of Sam” David Berkowitz and most notably the less well-known but equally devilish Ed Kemper, in order to find what makes a murderer tick.
Brought to us by Hollywood heavyweight David Fincher – best known Fight Club, Zodiac and The Social Network – this series boasts incredible performances from all involved, and offers a dark and sinister tone akin to several of Fincher’s previous blockbusters. Mindhunter should no doubt be a must for any true crime connoisseur.
The Staircase
This documentary series first dropped on Netflix in 2018, with the case garnering further attention earlier this year as it was dramatised in an HBO Max series starring Colin Firth. In 2003, American author Michael Peterson was convicted of murdering his wife Kathleen after she was found dead at the bottom of a staircase in their North Carolina home in somewhat suspicious and unexplainable circumstances.
Filming began shortly after Michael was indicted for the crime, and its crew were given access to his home, family, defense attorneys and the courtroom as details around potential motives and Michael’s secret sexuality are brought to light. The Staircase examines the trial from the point of view of Michael and his attorney David Rudolf and highlights the effect on his family as its patriarch is charged with murder.
American Murder: The Family Next Door
The case on which this documentary focuses may be fresh in the minds of some viewers as it occurred in the not-so-distant past. In 2018, a typical American family living in Colorado was torn apart as 33-year-old Chris Watts was convicted of murdering his pregnant wife Shanann, 34, and their two daughters Bella, 4, and Celeste, 3.
This feature-length doc is pieced together in a found-footage style using fascinating home video and police bodycam footage, including interviews with suspicious friends and neighbours to depict the aftermath of a heinous and grisly event where a man kills his own family and tries in vain to cover it up. Social media posts and text messages from the late Mrs Watts also shed a light on the circumstances preceding her murder, suggesting not everything in her marriage was as it seemed.
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