Love a good crime documentary? Here are 15 bone-chilling shows to watch

In 2023, true crime is a popular and widely available genre. It has grown from a niche interest to a significant and profitable business, with true crime stories being featured on the big screen, TV and streaming platforms such as Netflix, Hulu, and HBO Max.

With so much content available, it can be challenging to distinguish between thoughtful, inquisitive titles and sensationalized, filler content. To help you navigate this vast landscape, we have compiled a list of the best true crime documentary movies and series that have been released in recent years. After researching and cataloging hundreds of offerings, and have narrowed down our list to the most worthwhile, insightful, and engaging titles. So, get ready for a list that includes a range of offerings, masterpieces, scandal-exposing documentaries, and popular titles on Netflix.

Amanda Knox

A Netflix doc that benefits from the admission to Knox, the largely unheard but widely noticed as a youthful, beautiful apparent vamp in the middle of a globally shielded illegal trial in Italy. Her performance feels real and instead of appearing victorious, she mainly comes off as conquered.

Casting JonBenet

Maybe you had enough of the story of the miserable killing of the child beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey. There are plausible theories, but also conspiracy theories, and other theories. The documentary is a bit strange but can haunt you in its effort to interview some Colorado locals and create re-enactments of this horrible story.

The Devil Next Door

If you ever asked yourself if your neighbor can be a brutal Nazi, we've got a film for you. The Devil Next Door is a mystery about an Ohio guy presumed of having a terrible history as a death camp security. There's misleading proof so expect it to be captivating.

Gringo: The Dangerous Life of John McAfee

John McAfee despised this documentary from Oscar-nominated filmmaker Nanette Burstein. Because as it obviously shows without speaking, the late tech tycoon was a narcissist and a possible killer who ran his Belize affair with more weird questions than strong answers.

Heidi Fleiss: Hollywood Madam

This L.A. story brings on the screen a harsh portrait of Fleiss, an escort procurer to the celebrities. It is interesting to see different versions of the same stories and try to make sense of the truth.

Into the Abyss

You shouldn't minimize the influence of an abstract Werner Herzog documentary. Why? Because the beautiful, super empathic film Into the Abyss is his image of two men sentenced in a triple killing in Texas, one that doesn't get the death penalty and the second one facing execution. The focus here is not on the guilt but rather on what everything means philosophically and socially - in terms of punishment.

Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer

Nick Broomfield is known for his prolific work in the true crime documentary genre, with five titles on the list. His movies often feature him as a curious reporter and delve deeper into the subjects beyond their initial appearances, such as in his second movie about convicted murderer Aileen Wuornos, where he empathy and portrays her mental struggles and reflections on her past as she nears her execution date.

All the Beauty and Bloodshed

Laura Poitras' recent movie combines the powerful story of photographer Nan Goldin's career and her activism against the opioid epidemic, specifically focusing on the actions of the Sackler family and Purdue Pharma. The film highlights the emotional toll of the opioid crisis and the callous actions of pharmaceutical companies and is included in this list as an important examination of this issue.

Frank Serpico

A recent film reviews Al Pacino inspiring solitary life and retired NYPD authority and whistleblower that worked in the department during the ‘60s and ‘70s. It is also about a man just as silvery and unique as you can imagine.

Free Meek

A miniseries produced by Jay-Z - very captivating to watch if you want to discover the bigger picture of criminal justice reform that is related to the campaign Free Meek. It's a campaign for the rapper Meek Mill.

I Love You, Now Die

Perhaps this is a fancy title, but the film is also good, because I Love You, Now Die will guide you through a twisted suicide case via texts that definitely raised some very hard questions about our obsession with social media and how everything can escalate real quick when you're young and vulnerable.

The Innocence Files

The Innocence Files is a documentary coproduced by Alex Gibney and revisits some of the most essential creations that are part of the Innocence Project that strives to release people who were wrongfully convicted.

I'll Be Gone in the Dark

The director of What Happened, Miss Simone? - Liz Garbus - comes with a wonderful documentary about the bright author Michelle McNamara as she obsessively pursues deciphering the identity of the Golden State Killer.