CRIM BINGE: Here’s 8 Addictive True Crime Series & Films To Sink Your Teeth Into
The cray-zay success of true crime series like podcast Serial and Netflix’s Making a Murderer have lit a fire under everyday folk, transforming anyone and everyone into a couch detective and lounge lawyer.
While we wait for the next chapter of Steven Avery‘s tale, and what becomes of Adnan Syed upcoming trial, we’ve dug up some truly enthralling true crime series and films that will get you equally hooked.
Here’s our 8 fave true crime obsessions to sink your teeth into:
1. The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst
Robert Durst is a man from a very rich and respected family, but he is also a man linked to a number of murders, including his own wife’s disappearance. For the first time documentarians actually interview Durst himself, and to say he is an intensely peculiar character would be an understatement.
The impact of this series is even more explosive than what anyone could have expected. Hot tip: don’t google the show before watching all six episodes, for the best payoff.
2. Paradise Lost Trilogy
This is probably my absolute favourite true crime series, because like Making a Murderer and Serial, it actually brought on judicial change. The Paradise Lost trilogy led to the exoneration of Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley, Jr. and Jason Baldwin, accused of killing three young boys when they were mere children.
These films go into the case, along with investigating other suspects that could have committed the heinous crimes. While separate from the franchise, Echols’ film West of Memphis is also a great fourth inclusion to the trio and offers even more theories.
3. Shenandoah
In 2008 in the United States, four football stars brutally beat and killed Mexican immigrant Luis Eduardo Ramirez Zavala, putting the small town of Shenandoah into the national spotlight. The film looks into the wider implications of racial tensions, and the ethics of the community and police’s handling of the crime.
4. The Staircase
Like The Jinx, The Staircase follows another high profile American man, this time novelist Micheal Peterson. On 9 December 2001, his wife Kathleen Peterson died, after assumedly falling down the stairs. But there is a lot more to the story, as Michael is accused and charged with her murder.
The eight-part series follows his trial and while it’s a little dated, is a really interesting and thorough example of how lawyers build someone’s defense- even if they’re guilty.
5. There’s Something Wrong with Aunt Diane
This remains a fascinating mystery still unsolved, following an event in 2009 where Diane Schuler drove a minivan on the wrong side of a New York parkway and took the lives of eight people- four of them children.
It was later found that Diane had marijuana and the equivalent of ten alcoholic drinks in her system at the time of the crash. A fact that was completely at odds with what Diane’s family knew about her. The film dissects the entire day, posing several theories about what went wrong with Aunt Diane.
6. The Imposter
This is a modern day true crime classic. If you haven’t seen it, you’re in for a treat. In 1994 young boy Nicholas Barclay disappeared from his Texan home, and then randomly pops up few years later in Spain, but let’s just say he looks VERY different. There’s a lot of layers to this film and it’s left fairly open ended.
7. Talhotblond
If you thought the TV show Catfish was thrilling, just wait until you see Talhotblond. It follows the true story of a love triangle between two men and one mysterious woman ‘Jessi’ or her screen name ‘Talhotblond’, which led to the tragic murder of Brian Barrett.
8. The Thin Blue Line
Who would of guessed that an innocent car ride from a stranger could have led to being accused of shooting a police officer. This documentary is known for its important impact in the aftermath of the case and is an interesting perspective, showing how the police investigated the death of one of their own.