Crime, Chaos, Corruption Documentary Reviews
There are some weeks when I check streaming services for new documentaries and I’m thrilled. When the MH370: The Plane That Disappeared documentary popped up as a notification on my phone from Netflix, I was elated and ready to finish my day so I could get to the next and watch this one during work.... Continue Reading →
I’m writing this well over a year after watching Have You Seen Andy? It’s a true crime documentary about the disappearance of Andy Puglisi in Massachusetts during the 1970s. Whenever I watch true crime documentaries or any other genre I feel is worth reviewing and writing about, I’ll make a note of it. Sometimes I’ll... Continue Reading →
Let’s clear up one thing right away. Mark Stroman and Marcus Stroman are two very different people. The one in the documentary An Eye for an Eye is a bit more sinister, at least at the start of things. If you've followed the ballplayer on social media, you'll know he can get himself into a... Continue Reading →
Beast of Bangalore: Indian Predator is the true crime documentary about an alleged sexual predator and murderer in India during the late 1990s named Umesh Reddy. The documentary covers multiple crimes of his and several escapes he made while imprisoned. Reddy is cunning and more clever than those assigned to watch over him. There’s nothing... Continue Reading →
It was probably the release and popularity of Making A Murderer which created the true crime documentary BOOM! We can credit streaming services for continuing it. The availability to go back and watch old documentaries made with blood, sweat, and tears was easier. What’s more, anyone with a camera and a police file could film... Continue Reading →
When I saw Colin Kaepernick was associated with Killing County, I thought I was going to get something self-righteous and slanted. As much as I want to agree with every point he makes, the man loves nothing more than the attention he gets for it. Killing County was different. Someone was smart to let him... Continue Reading →
I was watching a series on Hulu about missing people when the director of Cropsey popped up to talk about a different case taking place at the Willowbrook State School in Staten Island. Intrigued because I kind of recall seeing something about Cropsey in the past, I made it my documentary to watch the following... Continue Reading →
Young love and a lot of murder is one way to sum up the possible story behind The Twelfth Victim. The other is far less sexy. It involves an 18-year-old going on a killing spree with a 14-year-old girl hostage. A lot of what happened is known. Whether or not Caril Fugate was a willing... Continue Reading →
Michael Peterson and Damien Echols are easily two of the most famous main characters in true crime documentary history. Peterson is the leading man in The Staircase with Echols appearing as the primary defendant in the Paradise Lost trilogy alongside Jason Baldwin and Jesse Misskelley. Peterson and Echols have more in common than their Errol... Continue Reading →
Standing at 4’9, Richard Flaherty became the shortest member of the Green Beret. A decorated veteran of the Vietnam war, The Giant Killer covers his life and unusual death. Like far too many veterans of the war, Flaherty suffered when he returned home to the US. He got mixed up in some shady business at... Continue Reading →
The Murders Before the Marathon cover the unsolved murders of three men in a suburb of Boston on 9/11/2011. The date is significant in this case because one of the major suspects is Tamerlan Tsarnaev, one of the Boston Marathon bombers. He’s the one who died while on the run and not the younger brother... Continue Reading →
I didn’t know what I was getting into when I watched A Murder in the Park. I was pleasantly surprised because this true crime documentary seems to be over after about ten minutes only to take a great big turn against social justice warriors, snooty college kids, and professors who think they know better than... Continue Reading →
Where is the best place to watch a true crime documentary? On a comfy couch with a loved one of course! But seriously. I spent way too much time searching for the perfect true crime documentary to get me through the day. Most of my watching takes place while I work so anything foreign language... Continue Reading →
What A Murder in Mansfield is all about without spoiling the show This true crime documentary is different from many others. It’s not so much the case of Jack Boyle murdering his wife Noreen as much as it is about their son’s revelations in the aftermath. A Murder in Mansfield starts off with courtroom footage... Continue Reading →
I first heard of the Oklahoma Girl Scout murders on an episode of the true crime podcast Criminology. This was back in 2021 when I was the only person working from the office and didn’t know how to turn the lights on in the room. It sets a dark mood each working day. Only a... Continue Reading →
Here is where I have a personal-bias; I’ll often not bother with a true crime documentary if the name of the person in the title sounds like it might not be American. It doesn’t make me a bad person. Many of these documentaries I watch are viewed while working. I’ve mastered the art of being... Continue Reading →
What Death in the Bayou: The Jennings 8 is all about without spoiling the show Death in the Bayou is the case of the Jennings 8. There you have it! Explanation complete. I think most people who are into true crime are familiar with this case. It’s well-known, a rumored inspiration for the first season... Continue Reading →
The revived Unsolved Mysteries series on Netflix doesn’t have the same feel as the old Robert Stack version. Nevertheless, it’s a fantastic rendition of a classic. Rather than give us an hour of television with about four stories lasting ten minutes, each episode of the new Unsolved Mysteries is a single case. I’ve enjoyed most... Continue Reading →
Murder to Mercy: The Cyntoia Brown Story gives away exactly what it’s about in the title. It’s all good. Plenty of true crime documentaries work even when you know the outcome. I won’t tell you exactly what happens in the end because I think it’s a worthy watch. In this story, Cyntoia Brown is a... Continue Reading →
Murder in Big Horn is a true crime documentary about several different cases in Big Horn County, Montana. The area is largely populated by Indigenous people. If you’ve followed true crime, you’ll know the rate of murdered and missing Indigenous women is outrageously high compared to the population. This is a huge problem in the... Continue Reading →
The ongoing trial of Alex Murdaugh has every streaming service scrambling to create some documentary about the case. And before we get into this battle of true crime documentaries, take note he pronounces his first name as “Alec” for some odd reason. I’ve listened to multiple podcasts about this case and have already reviewed Murdaugh... Continue Reading →
With a title like Where is Private Dulaney? one would expect something a little more unsolved or a slew of suspects. The true crime documentary Where is Private Dulaney (dropping the question mark because spell checker loves to capitalize the next word automatically) starts off like a mystery but early on in the first of... Continue Reading →
I have a new favorite type of true crime documentary. Ones that were once featured on the Robert Stack version of Unsolved Mysteries have a certain connection with me. I watched the entire catalog of episodes back in 2021. The true crime documentary Still Missing Morgan is a case featured on the classic 1990s television... Continue Reading →
An autopsy on The Vanishing Women true crime documentary Warning: The following contains spoilers and is provided as a recap of The Vanishing Women. Read at your own peril. The Vanishing Women is a six-part series about, conveniently, six different women who may or may not be connected by more than their zip code. Our... Continue Reading →
The State of Alabama vs. Brittany Smith could very well be an early 2000s film starring Reese Witherspoon if all you did was create something on a title. This is quite different. It’s the story of a woman, Brittany Smith, who is imprisoned for shooting a man after he has allegedly raped her. There seems... Continue Reading →
What Captive Audience: A Real American Horror story is all about without spoiling the show Captive Audience: A Real American Horror story is a tale in two parts covering two different cases very much related to each other. First, it’s the story of Steven Stayner who at seven years old is abducted by Kenneth Parnell.... Continue Reading →
The trial of Alex Murdaugh is ongoing and will be one of the big ones in 2023 to follow. If you are unfamiliar with the story, the true crime documentary Murdaugh Murders: Deadly Dynasty will catch you up. You also have me to provide some insight and a few tidbits as to why this is... Continue Reading →
The Paradise Lost trilogy is the quintessential true crime series. On its own, the first film stands the test of time. We get a behind-the-scenes look at a murder trial, the families of the victims, and the three teenagers whose future will be determined by a jury. No true crime documentary may ever knock Paradise... Continue Reading →
What Evil Genius is all about without ruining the show Back before I knew how much I enjoyed true crime documentaries, I heard on a sports radio show of all places, a recommendation for a Netflix series called Evil Genius. I took the recommendation to heart and watched what became one of my early favorites... Continue Reading →
There are a lot of true crime documentaries I think fall into the underrated category. I certainly enjoy some of the classics like Paradise Lost, The Staircase, and the forgotten gem from the 1980s, The Thin Blue Line. Some more modern ones that have fallen under the radar stuck with me just as much, if... Continue Reading →
It’s not always easy to find a good true crime documentary to watch. I’ll watch at least three a week. Too many times I’ll spend a few minutes searching only to settle for whatever series I’m also putting on in the background during work. My enjoyment of true crime documentaries on a near-daily basis is... Continue Reading →
What Murder in the Valleys is all about without spoiling the show Never judge a true crime documentary by its title. Nothing about Murder in the Valleys seems attractive by looking at the title. It gets lost in the world of much more inventive true crime documentaries like The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker or Don’t Fuck... Continue Reading →
What The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker is all about without spoiling the show The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker is to true crime documentaries what Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town is to the Pearl Jam catalog. It’s a mouthful yet beautifully titled piece of true crime documentary. This story begins with how Kai, a... Continue Reading →
The name Skye Borgman is one to know in the world of true crime documentaries. In fact, she’s the unofficial queen of the genre. Let’s make the title official. Skye is to true crime documentaries what Ken Burns is to films about boring old-timey topics. This isn’t to insult Mr. Burns. I like his work.... Continue Reading →
What Dead Asleep is all about without spoiling the show The true crime documentary Dead Asleep covers the case of Randy Herman and the murder of Brooke Preston. Why is this one worth a documentary? Randy admits to the crime immediately and later uses sleepwalking as the defense. Dead Asleep examines the details of the... Continue Reading →
What The Keepers is all about without spoiling the show The Keepers is a layered true crime documentary about more than the death of a nun in Baltimore. While the murder of Sister Cathy Cesnik is a focal point of the story, there is a lot more to uncover. Along with trying to find the... Continue Reading →
What Down the Hill is all about without spoiling the show Down the Hill is the story of what became known as the Delphi Bridge Murders. By the time I watched it, the story was very outdated because it was a newer case and there was a lot of mystery at the time when Down... Continue Reading →
The true crime genre of films and series is ever-growing. Every streaming platform seems to have one come out each month. Peacock even gave Casey Anthony an opportunity to explain herself. I haven’t watched it. From what I’ve seen and heard, it didn’t change anyone’s minds. The growth of true crime documentaries is something I... Continue Reading →
What Into the Deep is all about without spoiling the show In the most simplest explanation, Into the Deep is a one-part documentary film about an inventor who murders a woman on a submarine. Into the Deep tells the story in a unique way. The murderer, Peter Madsen, was already being filmed around the time... Continue Reading →
What The Anthrax Attacks is all about without ruining the show A well-documented case anyone who was around in 2001 will remember, The Anthrax Attacks is the story of the post-9/11 mailings of anthrax to both prominent people and regular citizens. The documentary uses some good reenactments to tell the story of the man, Bruce... Continue Reading →
What Sins of Our Mother is all about without spoiling the show Sins of Our Mother is far too difficult to describe without giving away too many spoilers. The basic premise is a mother, Lori Vallow, who seems to have an affinity with a strange cult-like belief about the end of days and a chubby... Continue Reading →
What The Tetris Murders is all about without spoiling the show The Tetris Murders covers the story of a Russian immigrant, Vladimir Pokhilko, who was involved in the creation of the video game Tetris. Years later, he allegedly killed his wife and young son while taking his own life. The problem is that much of... Continue Reading →
What The Sons of Sam: A Descent into Darkness is all about without spoiling the show What is it with true crime documentaries and their long titles? Books are guilty of it, too. In any case, The Sons of Sam: A Descent into Darkness will be referred to as The Sons of Sam moving forward... Continue Reading →
What The Thin Blue Line is all about without spoiling the show This 1980s true crime documentary is the story of a man imprisoned for murdering a police officer. It sounds simple enough, but The Thin Blue Line sets a high bar. Both the imprisoned and the only other suspect in the case, a much... Continue Reading →
What Crime Scene: The Texas Killing Fields is all about without spoiling the show The documentary Crime Scene: The Texas Killing Fields, which’ll now be referred to as The Texas Killing Fields from now on in this review, is about a well-known case in, of all places, Texas! A series of bodies are found along... Continue Reading →
What Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills is all about Also well-known as the case of the West Memphis Three, Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills is a three-part documentary film series about murder of three children: Steve Branch, Michael Moore, and Christopher Byers. They, however, are not what... Continue Reading →
What The Clown & The Candyman is all about without spoiling the show Two of the sickest serial killers might have actually had a connection according to thise true crime documentary. The Clown & The Candyman proposes an idea that John Wayne Gacy and Dean Corll may have been part of a pedophile ring extending... Continue Reading →
What The Killer Nanny: Did She Do It? Is all about without spoiling the show The Killer Nanny: Did She Do It? is the story of and English woman who comes to the United States, lives in Boston, and ends up on trial for the murder of an infant. Did she do it? The documentary... Continue Reading →
What Two Shallow Graves is all about without spoiling the show The high-profile disappearance of the McStay Family of four (Joseph, Summer, Gianni, and Joseph Jr.) is the case discussed in this true crime documentary. This is a case many people followed when it was merely a missing persons case. There was a ton of... Continue Reading →
Practically Trouble 