Documentaries focus on real-life events which particularly engrosses the viewer at the truthfulness and authenticity of the story and people involved.
As well as being entertained yet disturbed by the incidences, documentaries provide the viewers with facts and knowledge and are extremely educational. The dialogue and discussion most often involve a range of different people who are somewhat connected to the individual or story that the programme is focused on, and concerning crime documentaries, it involves those connected to the case, victims, and law enforcement.
After conducting some research, we found out that BBC One, Two, and ITV, in particular, have featured some extremely popular crime series throughout 2021. To access these series and any future documentaries that may be broadcast, ensure that you have a working TV aerial.
Click here for any aerial installation inquiries. Crime documentaries use to dominate on live national TV with the BBC portraying true-crime series regularly however, documentaries have made their way directly towards Netflix and alternatives and the streaming platform now features several crime documentaries based on events all across the globe. Stay tuned as we provide you with what we believe are some of the best crime documentaries on Netflix.
1. Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel
Released in 2021, this docuseries focuses on the vanishing of young Elisa Lam, a Chinese student who believes that she is staying in a cheap and cheerful hostel on her trip to downtown LA. Throughout the series, we get an insight into the past trauma that took place in the building when it was formally named The Cecil Hotel.
The hotel was home to killers, the homeless, and all-around generally unstable characters as all it seemed to attract were death and violence regularly. The audience then gets a closer look into Elisa’s disappearance and speculation occurs that this is a complete mystery case, meaning that conspiracy theories begin to arise. Give it a watch on Netflix to form your own opinion on her disappearance and the history of The Cecil Hotel.
2. Killer inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez
Following the wildly popular, New England Patriots NFL star, the docuseries focuses on Aaron Hernandez’s life and how a turn in events and mindset quickly lead to a dramatic change in behaviour. The documentary comes as a strange one to viewers as this convicted murderer does not fall under the typical image of a malicious serial killer.
His life looked pretty much faultless considering he had a wife, a young child, an excelling career, the perfect home, and a $40 million NFL contract. The series dives deeper into his psychological issues that come as a surprise to the viewer, leaving them shocked and concerned that this had all gone on behind closed doors.
3. Don’t F**k With Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer
One of the best crime documentaries on Netflix is also an unusual one. It begins with footage online of an unidentifiable suspect killing two small kittens. After this video goes viral, an online Facebook group then attempts to delve deeper into the character who committed this crime and come across several other factors that contribute towards a greater and more severe murder.
Through the assistance of this online community, law enforcement successfully tracks down a dangerous killer. The title of this documentary is seen as very misleading as viewers tend to anticipate a mockery after considering the title, however, check it out for yourself and you will soon realise that it is very much sinister and truly chilling acts of evilness.
4. Abducted in Plain Sight
This documentary can be considered warped and weird by many, however, when watching, viewers appear to be extremely occupied and captivated by the strange and unnatural occurrence of events.
It is one of the best crime documentaries on Netflix as, unlike other kidnapping documentaries, the parents of the child being kidnapped, are aware of this and the kidnapper has their consent! With other events occurring throughout the series, the viewer realises that the family and their background are extremely eerie and unnatural leaving the viewers with so many questions.
5. American Murder: The Family Next Door
As one of the most viewed Netflix documentaries to date, the show was hard to grasp for the majority of viewers once they come to terms with the reality of a man murdering his pregnant wife and his two young kids.
The show portrays the dynamics of the family through social media posts, text messages, and camera footage which then leads to Chris Watts, the father, and husband of the suspects, confessing to killing his family. The eerie documentary is extremely chilling and disturbing for viewers to watch as the event is so raw and recent, taking place in 2018.
Now that we have given you an insight into 6 of the best crime documentaries on Netflix, we hope we have encouraged you to give some of them or all of them a watch. If none of the above appeal to you, which we are sure they will, head over to Netflix to discover the huge range of educational, eye-opening, and fearful documentaries and docuseries that they have to offer.
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