Although Netflix faced a substantial drop in viewership towards the start of 2022 - with millions choosing to abandon it altogether, it seems as though the popular streaming platform has had a resurgence as the year comes to a close.
With popular releases such as season four of Stranger Things, and the final chapter of Breaking Bad spin-off Better Call Saul coming to screens worldwide - more and more once-loyal customers made a grand return and began renewing their subscriptions.
One of the more recent record-breaking blockbusters exclusive to the platform also came in the form of Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story - which achieved 196.2 million viewers in its launch week - with everyone exposed to the story of the infamous Cannibal Killer ranting and raving about Evan Peters' on screen portrayal.
And with 'true crime' constantly growing on the platform itself, we thought we would take a look at the top ten hits tagged with the subgenre according to IMDB figures.
10) Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez
7.4/10 based on 17,000 reviews.
Released in 2020, this three-part docu-series looks at convicted murderer and ex-professional American Footballer, Aaron Hernandez. It specifically deep dives into his conviction after murdering Odin Lloyd, as well as other murder cases in which he was a suspect.
The series also touches on the personal-life and subsequent suicide of the former athlete - after he was sentenced to life in prison in 2013. It also includes the investigation into brain disease CTE, which was discovered during the autopsy of Hernandez.
9) Evil Genius: The True Story of America's Most Diabolical Bank Heist
7.5/10 based on 28,000 reviews.
A 2018 true crime documentary series following the death of Brian Wells - a high-profile incident dubbed as the 'collar/pizza bomb'. On August 28, 2003, pizza delivery man Brian robbed a Bank in Pennsylvania, and after being caught by police, an explosive collar attached to him was detonated leading to his death.
An FBI investigation was launched into the case, and a complex plot was uncovered - described as 'one of the most complicated and bizarre crimes in the annals of the FBI' due to questions as to whether Brian committed the crime on his own accord, or was forced into it by higher powers.
8) The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez
8.1/10 based on 12,000 reviews.
A 2020 true crime documentary revolving around the 2013 murder and abuse of Gabriel Fernandez - who was just eight years old and lived in Palmdale, California. Shortly after his birth, Gabriel was put into the custody of his great-uncle Michael Lemos Carranza before moving on to live with his grandparents. But in 2012 he was recalled by his mother, Pearl Fernandez and her boyfriend Isauro Aguirre, where he was systematically abused and tortured.
This six-parter focuses heavily on the response of the incident from widespread media and the local government, after calls made to social services leading up to the murder were answered to no avail.
7) The Staircase
7.8/10 based on 25,000 reviews.
Starring Colin Firth as Michael Peterson, a writer convicted of murdering his wife Kathleen Peterson (Toni Collette), this miniseries documents all of the controversy and conviction surrounding a mysterious murder. Kathleen's body was found at the bottom of the stairs at her North Carolina home in 2001, with Michael becoming accused of her murder and subsequently convicted two years later.
Michael claimed that Kathleen had been taking Valium and lost her balance in a freak accident, but she was found containing some serious injuries that the fall would not explain and leaning towards physical assault. Coupled with a rocky marriage with Michael, the husband found himself a prime suspect in a murder case.
6) Don't F With Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer
8/10 based on 54,000 reviews.
A three-part docuseries about a group of amateur online sleuths chasing a strong of cases relating to animal cruelty online by Luka Magnotta. The series chronicles the events which took place after a crowd-sourced pledge was launched by the group, which led to Magnotta not only being scrutinised for animal cruelty, but also convicted for the murder of Chinese international student Jun Lin.
On May 25, 2012, Magnotta posted a brutal video online showing the murder and dismemberment of Lin, which officials initially dismissed as fake. However, this was later confirmed as being authentic, leading to the conviction of the sick and twisted killer.
5) The Keepers
8.1/10 based on 23,000 reviews.
An American documentary web series exploring the unsolved murder of nun Catherine Cesnik - an English and drama teacher at the Archbishop Keough High School in Baltimore - in 1969. After Cesnik's murder, ex-students believed foul play was present in the form of a cover up, with suspicions of another priest at the school sexually abusing students.
The documentary looks into these allegations, while trying to uncover the killer responsible for her brutal murder nearly six decades ago.
4) Long Shot
7.4/10 based on 8,000 reviews.
IMDB describe this one as: "When Juan Catalan is arrested for a murder he didn't commit, he builds his case around raw footage from the popular TV show Curb Your Enthusiasm." Catalan was initially arrested in 2003 for the murder of Martha Puebla - who had been a witness at his brother's hearing a few days prior.
Officers subsequently arrested him after matching the facial composite that a witness had described, and this documentary looks into how he used footage from a popular TV show to show how he couldn't be at the place of murder at the time estimated.
3) Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes
7.7/10 based on 30,000 reviews.
Ted Bundy is no doubt one of America's most infamous serial killers throughout history, after kidnapping, raping, and murdering numerous young women and girls during the 1970s. He confessed to 30 murders between 1974 and 1978, although his true combined victim count is still unknown to this day.
Bundy was given the death penalty for his unspeakable crimes and was subsequently executed at Florida State Prison on January 24, 1989. This series details Bundy's life, crimes, arrests, escapes and death in severe detail - using archived footage, police evidence, personal photos and interviews with death row inmates throughout.
2) Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story
8.3/10 based on 38,000 reviews.
Jeffrey Dahmer was one of the United States of America's most notorious serial killers - murdering 17 men and boys between 1978 and 1991. He went undetected for more than a decade despite various close brushes with the law and suspicions arising by those closely surrounding him.
Last week, Netflix released a brand-new docu-series looking at his life and crimes, accruing record ratings in viewership of almost 200million in its first week of showing. Starring Evan Peters as Dahmer himself, this enthralling watch uncovers the Milwaukee Cannibal Killer from start to finish, and the impact his crims had on the families of victims for decades after.
1) Making a Murderer
8.6/10 based on 96,000 reviews.
Dubbed as the 'original' true crime series on Netflix, Making a Murderer made waves when it was released in 2015. Three seasons long, this stunning documentary looks at the life and alleged false conviction of Steven Avery - a DNA exoneree and prime suspect in a grisly crime.
Avery initially spent 18 years in prison between 1985 and 2003 for a wrongful conviction of sexual assault and attempted murder of Penny Beerntsen - and was later charged with and convicted of the murder of Teresa Halback in 2005. This controversial documentary in the form of a series looks into if Avery was once again set up, after he filed a 38.6million lawsuit against Manitowoc County, as well as several officials associated with his initial arrest and conviction of 1985.
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