Top 10 True Crime Documentaries to Watch in 2021
#10: “Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel” (2021)
Top 10 True Crime Documentaries to Watch in 2022
The death of Elisa Lam is one of the most puzzling stories of the 2010s. Back in February of 2013, Lam was found dead in the water tank of Los Angeles’s infamous Cecil Hotel. The body was found after guests made horrifying complaints of tainted water. Prior to her death, Lam, who suffered from bipolar disorder, was seen acting in a bizarre manner on the hotel’s elevator security footage. “Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel” concerns Lam’s tragic death, and it contains interviews with LAPD detectives, authors, and neuropsychologists, all of whom provide their opinions on Lam, her behavior, and the events that eventually led to her death.
#9: “World’s Most Wanted” (2020)
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This Netflix documentary covers the absolute worst that humanity has to offer. As the title suggests, it tells the stories of the world’s most wanted criminals. These include the leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, El Mayo; a financier of the Rwandan massacre, Félicien Kabuga; a suspected member of the Al-Shabaab militant group known as The White Widow; the so-called “most dangerous mobster in the world”, Semion Mogilevich:, and, finally, a Sicilian Mafia boss named Matteo Messina Denaro. The stories are both incredibly interesting and terrifying, and the documentary is well-made. It’s essential viewing for those who wish to study and witness the worst in humanity.
#8: “Love Fraud” (2020)
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Netflix is absolutely knocking it out of the park in the documentary game, but they’re not the only ones producing great content. Throughout August and September of 2020, Showtime aired “Love Fraud”, a fascinating and unique documentary about the perils and unknowns of online dating. The documentary has some originality appeal, as it’s told in real time and comes equipped with cartoon animations. It concerns a man named Richard Scott Smith who seduced women over the internet before marrying and conning them out of their money. Some of his victims banded together over the internet and hired a bounty hunter to track Smith down. The adventure, and the results, make for thrilling television.
#7: “American Murder: The Family Next Door” (2020)
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This is another unique true crime documentary, as it lacks traditional interviews and analysis. Rather, it tells its brutally tragic story through firsthand accounts and archival footage, including police body cam footage, social media posts, and home video. The intimate point of view makes the documentary all the more tragic, hard to watch, and ultimately captivating. The story concerns the Watts family - specifically Christopher Lee Watts, who searches for his missing wife and daughters. The heartbreaking story is much deeper than it initially appears, and watching it unfold made for some of the most enthralling, and upsetting, TV of 2020.
#6: “Onision: In Real Life” (2021)
Discovery+ is attempting to get in on the documentary game, and released “Onision: In Real Life” in January of 2021. The documentary follows controversial YouTuber Onision, real name James Jackson. Onision has long been the subject of online controversy owing to a multitude of problems. He has been the subject of numerous awful allegations, including harassment, the release of personal information of other YouTubers to the public, and he’s been banned from VidCon for making horribly insensitive comments. He has even faced allegations of grooming. The documentary is produced by Chris Hansen, the former presenter of Dateline NBC’s “To Catch a Predator”.
#5: “The Vow” (2020)
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HBO has long been one of the leaders in television production, and that continued in 2020 with “The Vow”. This documentary tells the story of a cult called NXIVM. While posing as a New York-based marketing company, NXIVM would offer so-called “ESP courses” for nearly $3,000. These “courses” were really just a form of mind control and often left its victims dealing with psychotic episodes and hallucinations. There was also a secret society within the cult known as Dominus Obsequious Sororium in which women (or “obedient female companions”) were physically branded and forced to have physical relations with the cult’s founder, Keith Raniere. Yes, it’s something like “The Handmaid’s Tale” come to life.
#4: “Murder to Mercy: The Cyntoia Brown Story” (2020)
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Released on Netflix in April 2020, this documentary covers the story of convicted murderer Cyntoia Brown. Brown became a victim of trafficking at a young age, and met a 43-year-old real estate agent named Johnny Allen, who paid Brown $150 to be intimate with him. Brown killed Allen during the encounter and stole $172 from his wallet. She was subsequently convicted and sentenced to life in prison. Brown states that she felt unsafe with Allen and killed him in self-defense. After serving over ten years in prison, Brown’s sentence was commuted, and she was released in August of 2019. It’s a twisting, sad, and tragic story.
#3: “Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez” (2020)
This documentary is cleverly titled, as it literally delves into the mind of Aaron Hernandez, and explores a topic that transcends the true crime genre. Hernandez was a professional football player who played with the New England Patriots. In June of 2013, Hernandez was suspected of murdering a man named Odin Lloyd. He was eventually found guilty and sentenced to life. Following the taking of his own life in prison, Hernandez’s brain was studied by Boston University and he was found to have advanced CTE, a neurodegenerative disease associated with football and repeated head injuries. Numerous experts believe that Hernandez’s advanced CTE might have contributed to the murder, as it is associated with aggression, paranoia, and a lack of impulse control. It’s a fascinating topic that deserves more exploration.
#2: “The Ripper” (2020)
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Released just in time for Christmas and containing absolutely no holiday cheer, Netflix’s “The Ripper” covers the murderous spree of Peter Sutcliffe. Dubbed the Yorkshire Ripper, Sutcliffe stalked the county of West Yorkshire throughout the late ‘70s, killing thirteen women and injuring another seven to nine. The killings generated national attention, and many people noted similarities with the infamous Jack the Ripper case, leading to Sutcliffe’s moniker. Like Jack, Sutcliffe targeted sex workers. This doc is well-produced, tells a gripping, tragic story, and contains interviews with many notable figures, including investigators and the survivors of the Ripper. Sutcliffe died in custody prior to its release.
#1: “Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer” (2021)
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Richard Ramirez is one of the most notorious serial killers in American history. Plaguing Los Angeles and San Francisco between 1984 and 1985, Ramirez would break into homes, kill the occupants, and leave behind erstwhile Satanic symbols. Dubbed “The Night Stalker” by the media, Ramirez was eventually convicted on thirteen counts of murder and was serving nineteen death sentences at San Quentin when he died of cancer in 2013. This Netflix documentary is highly engaging, using dramatic reenactments, interviews, and archival footage to tell the story of Ramirez and the detectives that successfully hunted him down. It’s both a horrifying true crime documentary and a riveting detective tale.
