Must watch crime documentaries

Something that most people might not know about me is I love watching documentaries, especially 

those centred around crime, murder and mystery. There is nothing better than sitting in bed with your 

pjs on, chocolate and popcorn with the lights off watching a crime documentary before bed. This was 

originally going to be a post about 'tv shows you must binge watch' but when I was scrolling through 

Netflix I released that most of the things I watch are documentaries. Since I love reading posts about 

what other shows other people are in to, I decided to take a spin of it myself! 

Dirty John, the Dirty Truth

IMDB rating - 6.0/10

"Based on the true life podcast, Dirty John, the documentary interviews former girlfriends, ex wives 

and police detectives detail the chilling decades long criminal career of John Meehan."

Personal rating - 8/10

This is the most recent documentary I watched and loved the idea that it was a 1 episode, movie long 

feature, where everything was explained together rather than dotted about over multiple episodes that 

aren't necessary. I had heard some things about this, but had no expectations going into it, so when 

the ending came around I didn't know what to think. I enjoyed how it showed how he liked the chase 

and how he managed to trick women into thinking he was something he wasn't.

Abducted in plain sight

IMDB rating - 6.8/10

"The twisting, turning, strange than fan fiction true story of the Brobergs, a naive, church going Idaho 

family that fell under the spell of of a sociopath neighbour with designs on their 12 old daughter."

Personal rating - 9/10

The hardest part about watching this for me was knowing how obvious the signs were and that the 

parents did nothing about it, even after the previous events. There were parts of this that were so 

shocking and had everyone talking. I understand that when this happened, it was a lot different to 

how we handle things now and how are justice system is, but the fact that nothing actually seemed to 

happen with this is the worst part. I appreciate seeing Jan's journey and how she hasn't let her past 

hold her back and continues to work harder and move forward.

Evil Genius

IMDB rating - 7.6/10

"The extraordinary story of the 'pizza bomber heist' and the FBI's investigation

 into a bizarre collection of suspects."

Personal rating - 9/10

I would be lying if I sat here and said the reason I didn't watch this is because it is known as the 'pizza  

bomber heist'. Like what is that supposed to mean?! This is a 4 part series following a robbery with a 

bomb collar attached to Brian Well's neck. A series of instructions are found that leads to them 

multiple ends. The main annoying feature of this is that there is no concrete conclusion and it doesn't 

wrap up neatly like it should. Trigger warning: there is a short clip of a man exploding featured in 

the first episode and quickly throughout, which some may find disturbing.

Blackfish

IMDB rating - 8.1/10

"A documentary following the conversion captivity of killer whales, and it's dangers

for both human and other whales."

Personal rating - 10/10

I haven't watched this in years yet it's stuck with me this entire time. I find a lot of documentaries 

interesting but also hard to watch, because they often feature children or vulnerable people. But this 

features animals which pulls on a different set of heartstrings. This mainly follows an orca called 

Tilikum who is being held in captivity along with other orcas at Sea World. You come out of this with 

a totally different mindset and mentality, and appreciation for animals. Out of all the documentaries 

I've watched in my life, this is the one that has had the biggest impact on my life. 

Don't f**k with cats

IMDB rating - 8.2/10

"A group of online justice seekers track down a guy who posted a video if him killing kittens."

Personal rating - 10/10

I believe this is one of the most recent documentaries to have been added to Netflix, but one that has 

everyone talking. I thought at first this would be a quick 3 part series about a man that kills kittens 

and is found, but it turned out to be so much more. You come away having a real appreciation for the 

online community and the power that the internet can have. I watched this back to back and found 

myself just staring at the tv to make sure I didn't miss anything, because of how clever and smartly 

everything was executed and done. Trigger warning: there are clips that feature abuse happening to 

kittens, which some may find disturbing, however most are hard to make out what is happening. 

MEMORABLE MENTIONS

3096 days

Natascha Kampusch

Surviving R.Kelly

I am a killer

The Ted Bundy Tapes

The people vs OJ Simpson

Do you enjoy crime documentaries?

xoxo

Lea-Mai