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15 Best Documentaries About Serial Killers

Many people have a keen interest in true crime which involves a lot of serial killer stories as many people want to know what usually prompts a person to murder someone. According to research, most of the factors that usually shape a person until they become a serial killer are usually significant events and traumas that happened in their childhood. However, this is not the case for all serial killers. Therefore, this article will explore the 15 documentaries about serial killers to give the reader a deeper insight into the world of true crime and what happens.

1 Conversations with a Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes

The documentary is a three-part series by Joe Berlinger who describes the real story of what really happened with serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer and how he performed the murders. The documentary features audio interviews with Jeffrey Dahmer and his defence team which in turn give a true crime enthusiast a rare chance to listen to the story from the perspective of the killer and thus learn more about what motivated him to commit the crimes. The documentary also pokes holes into the accountability of the police force as they let a convicted rapist walk free for a long time and this time, he did despicable crimes to many victims.

2 Ted Bundy: Falling for a Killer

This documentary is narrated by Elizabeth Kendal who was the long-time girlfriend of the notorious serial killer Ted Bundy. The documentary gives a unique perspective as we are able to understand how Ted Bundy was from the perspective of those people close to her. The documentary explores the relationship Elizabeth and her daughter Molly had with Ted Bundy all while not knowing that he was a dangerous man. As the documentary progresses, we are able to witness the impact his crimes had on the people that were close to him after it was revealed that he was a serial killer. Furthermore, the documentary humanizes the actions of Ted Bundy in that by getting to understand the emotional and psychological pain that the two had to go through because of Ted Bundy, we are able to explore the human impact his crimes had.

3. John Wayne Gacy: Devil in Disguise

The documentary is one of a kind as it is told from the perspective of the killer himself. The confessions made by John Wayne Gacy before being convicted of 33 murders which led him to be sentenced to death and execution are featured in the documentary. The commentary captures the attention of the audience because of the commentary given by John Wayne Gacy which makes the plot interesting. Furthermore, the director’s ability to ensure that the victim’s experiences are not overshadowed by the serial killer’s story of what motivated him to commit the crimes.

4. Tales of the Grim Sleeper

The Tales of the Grim Sleeper is a documentary by Nick Broomfield. The documentary gives a true crime enthusiast a recount of the murders committed by Lonnie David Franklin Jr. from 1984 to 2007, which was quite a long time. The documentary looks at the 10 crimes committed by this serial killer. His nickname came from the fact that he took a break from crime from 1988 to 2002 when he came back again. The documentary focuses on how Franklin was able to avoid arrest for so many years despite the severity of the crimes he had committed. The documentary was well received by the audience and it was even shortlisted for the Academy Awards in 2015.

5 Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer

Ricardo Ramirez popularly known as The Night Stalker was a notorious serial killer that is well known for his crimes. The serial killer’s story has been used as a plotline for several television shows and films. Ramirez was active during the 1980s and he was known for being a rapist, murderer, burglar and kidnapper. The documentary follows two detectives as they work hard to apprehend the night stalker before e wrecks more damage having already killed 15 people. The detectives work hard to find clues that would bring them closer to catching the serial killer. The interactions they had with Ramirez make the documentary quite intense.

6 Catching Killers

This is a ten-part documentary that gives a true crime enthusiast a glimpse into the different chronicles as police enforcement tries to apprehend murderers. The documentary gives the viewer a rare chance to experience and learn the detail and effort that law enforcement authorities put into catching killers all over the world. The unique part about this docuseries is that it does not give the viewer one story about a serial killer and instead, they get to learn about the different serial killers around the globe and how they were caught.

7 The Ripper

The documentary gives the story of Peter Sutcliffe who was a serial killer operating in the North of England in the 1970s. most of the crimes that he committed happened in a county known as York which earned him the nickname The Ripper of Yorkshire. Sutcliffe killed 13 women and assaulted several others while on his crime spree.

The documentary which is aired on Netflix has four parts and it gives a detailed picture of the murders that were committed by the Ripper of Yorkshire. The documentary explains why the local authorities had a hard time apprehending the killer. The delay in catching him was because the victims were female and at the time, police officials had a sexist attitude towards crimes committed to females. The documentary is an insightful one on how negligence can cause adverse effects and it would make for an interesting watch for the viewer.

Check out this article on the 20 best podcasts on serial killers and crime here

8 The Women and the Murderer

The documentary is a series that comprises seven murders that happened between 1991 to 1997 in Â鶹APPian Society. The person that committed the crimes, Guy Georges was nicknamed the Beast of Bastille. Before being arrested for the murders, the serial killer had been in prison for charges of assault and rape. The documentary gives the victim’s side of the story through Anne Gautier who was the mother of one of the victims. It is a unique series that will make the viewer emphasize what the victims and their families went through at the hands of the Beast of Bastille.

9 Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer

This documentary was directed by Nick Broomfield in 2003 as a follow-up to his film in 1992 which featured his efforts to interview the notorious serial killer Aileen Wuornos. Aileen murdered six male clients while she was a prostitute along the Florida Highway. When taken to trial, Aileen was sentenced to death and she was to be executed by lethal injection. The documentary shows Aileen in lock up but her mental state has adversely deteriorated. Aileen Wuornos was later executed in 2002 after spending 12 years in lockup. The execution was done amid controversies about how she was not supposed to be executed as she was not mentally fit.

10.  Killers Behind Bars: The Untold Story

This serial killer documentary looks at several crimes committed by serial killers. The unique part about this documentary is that it introduces David Wilson, a professor of Criminology who brings in his expertise and analyses the evidence gathered by law enforcement officers during the investigations of the murders committed by serial killers in England. The show will interest the viewer as the expert reveals how the case should have been handled.

11. I’ll Be Gone in the Dark

The documentary was released in 2020 and it explores the unsolved crimes of the Golden State Killer. The Golden State Killer terrorized the residents of San Francisco during the 1970s and the 1980s. The documentary is based on the novel by Michelle McNamara and it explores how the author engrosses herself in the crimes that were carried out by the Golden State Killer as she writes her book.

12 World Most Evil Killers

The documentary is as the title suggests in that it looks at the most gruesome serial killers that the world has ever witnessed. The documentary was first released in 2017 and it is now in its seventh season which was released in January 2023. The documentary employs the use of experts like forensic scientists, criminologists, lawyers and psychologists who analyze the evidence and give factual facts to the viewers.

13 H.H. Holmes: America’s First Serial Killer

The documentary which was released in 2004 features H.H. Holmes and the crimes he committed as a con artist. The documentary focuses on the Chicago Hotel with torture chambers and trap doors and also where it is believed that he carried out his gruesome activities there. The documentary reenacts parts of his childhood to try and debunk some long established myths that were associated with H.H. Holmes.

14 Catching Killers

The Netflix documentary which was released in 2021 features the world’s most difficult cases and the effort they put in as they study the crime and work until the killer is apprehended and arrested. This documentary is quite good as it deeply examines the facts and ways used by law enforcement authorities to nab the killer and thus provides a unique perspective to the case.

15 The Confession Killer

This is also a Netflix documentary that features Henry Lee Lucas who was one of the most notorious serial killers in the world. The serial killer confessed to killing more than a hundred victims but he was only convicted for the murder of eleven of them. The documentary gives the viewer a detailed investigation of the murders that will leave them feeling goosebumps.

Check out this article on the 35 best books about serial killers here