It’s the last week of October, which means everyone’s making horror-movie lists. We don’t do fiction scares here. We do the real ones. So here are seven true crime picks on Netflix right now, in rough order from “gripping” to “maybe leave a light on.”
1. The Witness (series)
The Rachel Nickell case, told from the point of view of the family left behind. It’s the rare true crime show that’s more about grief than the killer, and it’s the one on this list I’d push on anyone who says they’re “over” the genre. Our full review is here.
2. The Monster of Florence (limited series)
Italy’s most famous unsolved serial case, dramatised with real restraint. If you like your mysteries unresolved and your scenery gorgeous, this is yours. We covered the real case here.
3. Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story
Ryan Murphy’s anthology goes back to 1892 for its first female lead. It’s stylised and, by all accounts, darkly funny, which is either exactly what you want this week or a red flag. Read our “real story” post first (coming tomorrow!) so you can spot what’s invented.
4. The Crash (documentary)
The Mackenzie Shirilla case: a teenager drives into a wall at 100 mph with two passengers in the car. The documentary isn’t about whether she did it; it’s about why. Unusual structure, and it sticks with you.
5. Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel
An older one, but it’s Halloween and the Cecil Hotel is the closest true crime gets to a haunted house. Watch it for the web-sleuth frenzy around the elevator video, then read our Elisa Lam post for what actually happened.
6. House of Secrets: The Burari Deaths
Eleven members of one Delhi family, eleven years of diaries. Handled with real care, and the most quietly unsettling thing on this list. Not a Halloween watch in the jump-scare sense; a lie-awake watch. We wrote about the case yesterday.
7. Aileen: Queen of the Serial Killers (30 October)
Saving the newest for last. Rare footage and death row interviews with Aileen Wuornos, dropping just in time for Halloween weekend. We’ve written a primer on the real case so you know who you’re watching.
One to skip
Any of the glossy “inside the mind of” serial killer docs with a drone shot of a cornfield in the first ten seconds. You know the ones.
What’s on your list this week? Drop your picks below, especially anything not on Netflix that I should be watching.
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