My Favourite Crime Documentaries

(Unfortunately, the trailers originally embedded in this post are too heavy to put here, so check out my original post on my blog with all the images and videos! I swear it looks better than here 🙂 )

 
Before we even start, NO! I have finished neither the Madeleine McCann or the Ted Bundy documentaries so pretty please no spoilers!! I might write a post on those in the future so don’t worry.
 
Anyway, if you know me, you definitely know about my obsession with true crime documentaries. Every now and then I’m binge watching a new show and
won’t put my laptop down until I finish everything in one go.
 
Here are some of my favourite true crime documentaries/shows that I have watched so far. I have watched several others as well, but the ones I wrote about are the ones I would definitely recommend to someone.
 
Disclaimer: Please bear in mind that these documentaries (except for BuzzFeed Unsolved True Crime) may contain graphic and/or disturbing content. You may be more sensitive to that than I am, so google about it or avoid watching the trailer (unless you really want to). The documentaries are in no particular order either.
 
BUZZFEED UNSOLVED TRUE CRIME

I discovered this YouTube show ages ago while browsing the BuzzFeed channel. I have never heard of it before, but I honestly don’t know why nobody talked about them until fairly recently. It is so cool and definitely one of my favourite things to binge. 
 
Every episode tells the timeline and facts of a different unsolved real crime, from the Zodiac Killer to O.J Simpson. 
 
The two presenters, Shane Madej and Ryan Bergara are the best part of it all. They bring so much humour and fun to the stories, as they go commenting everything as the crime unfolds, making the story less complicated to understand and to be honest, they make you less scared sometimes. 
 
All videos present the facts of the mystery in a really visual way, with infographics and images. Also, Ryan and Shane almost always go to the real scene of the crime to tell more bits of the story.  
 
For those interested, there is also the Supernatural series, where they go ghosthunting in the creepiest places ever, but without losing the humour.
 
BuzzFeed Unsolved was my go-to pastime for the last year. Totally worth binge watching!
 
 
EVIL GENIUS
This documentary is simply insane. I first heard about this case in an episode of BuzzFeed Unsolved but wanted to know more about it. This Netflix documentary has only 4 episodes, so it’s quite easy to finish in one day.
 
The mystery of this case is absurd. It has several crimes that link to each other, getting creepier every time. The people involved are always tied to another person in another crime. It is a massive web of mystery and horror that gets bigger in every episode. I got personally freaked out as my dad often goes to Erie, Pennsylvania to work (as for me? Hell to the nah! Not going there anytime soon thanks).
 
 
THE CONFESSION TAPES
 
 The Confession Tapes is a fascinating criminal documentary since it does not only talk about the guilty but also the innocent people who were perhaps trialled erroneously.
 
It has many twists as you go and keeps you in a cliffhanger up until the end of the episode to find out if the person was charged guilty or not. 
 
I got personally intrigued by this one and at the end of it all, I have a whole new perspective when making my personal judgement to decide if I think someone is guilty or not.
 
 

 

I AM A KILLER

Another somewhat unusual documentary is “I Am a Killer”. It tells the story of several prisoners sent to Death Row in the United States.
The twisted thing about it is that you hear the stories from the inmates themselves, as well as other witnesses to the crimes. It is a freaky but amusing trip inside a murderer’s mind.
 
 

MAKING A MURDERER
 
Last but definitely not least there’s “Making a Murderer”, basically considered a classic of criminal documentaries and my personal favourite.
 
It tells the story of Steven Avery, a man who was put in jail for a crime he did not commit and only managed to get out of prison after spending nearly two decades locked up. He now suited Manitowoc County, in Wisconsin and fights for justice.
 
Bear in mind that is only one part of a huge chaos that unfolds throughout the episodes. Like, A LOT happens, but I will not tell you here because even if I wanted to, this post would be endless.
 
It is totally worth watching as it covers in excellent detail every aspect of the story. Netflix has made an excellent job of covering such a detailed and complicated story, although it has caused a lot of controversy in the media as people think it glorifies crime and makes it extremely “Hollywoodian”.
 

These are just a few of the crime documentaries I enjoy watching every now and then. Obviously there are still many on my list, along with some podcasts I need to finish (thanks Laura ie. my lecturer, who showed us the Serial podcast in class).
If you have a personal favourite that is not on this list pleeeease let me know, the more the merrier!

 

 

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