As a fan of drama, and especially as a Criminology student, I can’t get enough of True Crime Documentaries. It’s like a dramatic movie but the fact that it’s true gives it a spooky element that you just can’t achieve in fiction. Here are some of my favorite True Crime documentaries you can easily watch on Netflix.
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1. Making a Murderer
Making a Murderer follows the story of Steven Avery, a man who was falsely imprisoned for 19 years for a crime he did not commit, but was then arrested again for murder. This series follows all the twists and turns of his case, and it has two seasons of full episodes for hours of entertainment.
2. Amanda Knox
I find Amanda Knox’s case especially interesting as a college-aged woman because she was accused of murder while studying abroad in Italy during college. A brutal prosecutor and miscommunications with the Italian government lead to her imprisonment overseas. I find this particularly chilling considering Kent State has a huge program in Florence, Italy!
3. Casting JonBenet
Most documentaries seem to follow the same pattern of interviewing key people involved and showing pictures related to the crime, but this one takes a new approach. This film follows a bunch of normal people, seeming to be auditioning for a dramatization of the JonBenet Ramsey murder case, in which a six-year-old girl was found dead in her home. The people just simply talk about their beliefs and impressions of the case, and then it wraps up with clips from the supposed film they were auditioning for. It all comes together very interestingly, and in a way, beautifully.
4. Aileen: The Life and Death of a Serial Killer
Aileen Wuornos, commonly regarded as the first female serial killer, has some of the most flippy-floppy interviews I’ve ever seen. She goes back and forth on whether she did it, why she did it and how she did it. Trying to keep up with her constant conflicting statements keeps you invested until the very end and maybe beyond to keep watching even more about her!
These are just some of my favorites on Netflix. What are yours?