7 Netflix True Crime Documentaries That’ll Have You On The Edge Of Your Seat

It’s easy to get utterly hooked on true crime documentaries and Netflix has made it even easier for us. Since the release of Making a Murderer, the streaming service has upped its game in the true crime stakes, providing us with some truly gripping tales.

Here are the top 7 true crime documentaries that are available on Netflix right now.

1. The Keepers 

This thought provoking and harrowing documentary tackles the unsolved murder of Sister Kathy Cesnick. The killer was never found, and the case returned to the spotlight after one of Cesnik’s former students accused the high school’s chaplain of sexual abuse – something Cesnick was supposedly trying to reveal. This is a Netflix must watch as you’ll be hooked into this fascinating and saddening story.

2. West of Memphis

In 1993, three eight-year-old boys were brutally murdered in woods in West Memphis. Suspicion fell on three older boys who were said to have worshipped Satan and were convicted, jailed and, in one case, sent to Death Row. After being wrongly convicted, this documentary looks into the failing of the justice system and the consequences it had on the rest of their lives.

3. The Hunting Ground

This documentary details incidences of rape across US college campuses and the failure of the American administration to deal with it adequately. Fair warning, this documentary will boil your blood as you witness the injustices that carry on in these institutions against victims of rape and sexual assault countrywide. Bonus: Lady Gaga’s Oscar nominated song ‘Til it Happens To You was written for it.

4. Amanda Knox

Based on the highly publicised case of American student Amanda Knox and the murder of her friend Meredith Kercher in 2007, this documentary puts Knox front and centre with never-before-seen interviews to camera. This illuminating story puts Knox in a vulnerable and truthful position which is truly eye opening.

5. The Confession Tapes 

This focuses on six separate homicide cases and hones in on the way detectives use manipulative, coercive strategies to induce confessions from suspects, even when those confessions are likely false. It sheds lights on how police injustice happens and appears to be the beginning of a new type of documentary that reveals inaccuracies in the justice system.

6. Audrie & Daisy  

This story follows two different girls who passed out from drinking at a party and were sexually assaulted by men they thought were their friends – all of which was recorded on mobile phones. After harassment online and attempted suicides, the girls’ lives spin out of control. This documentary looks into the perception of shame from the perspective of the teenagers and their families.

7. Aileen: Life And Death of A Serial Killer

Aileen Wuornos is one of the most infamous female serial killers, murdering seven men in Florida between 1989 and 1990. The documentary looks into her violent childhood in a series of interviews right up to when she was sentenced to execution. For true crime fans, this is one of the most famous stories to follow.

• Netflix