Summary

• True crime documentaries on Netflix provide a safe environment for viewers to confront their deepest fears and anxieties.
• Scary crime documentaries are not always centered around murder or serial killers, but can also explore other types of criminals and systemic flaws.
• Some of these documentaries shed light on real-life cases where the perpetrator may not always be caught, exposing problems with the justice system.

This article contains discussions of true crime, including: kidnapping, animal abuse, torture, murder, sexual assault, rape, child abuse, sex trafficking, necrophilia, and violence.

The true crime genre is one of the most popular on Netflix, and the streaming giant has crafted some scary documentaries on Netflix. What makes true crime documentaries so popular is that the format allows viewers to work out their deepest anxieties in a safe setting. More often than not, these stories have a definitive ending in which the perpetrator is caught, the mystery is solved, and audiences feel lucky that they watched the horrors of the case unfold on the screen rather than in real life. However, not all crime documentaries see the perpetrator behind bars by the story's end.

The best true crime documentaries on Netflix aren't always about murder, and a serial killer doesn't necessarily have to be involved to make scary crime documentaries. Some perpetrators are con artists, cult leaders, or thieves. In addition, what makes a crime documentary so frightening isn't always linked to the heinousness of the crimes. Rather, sometimes a program is scary because of how easily events could happen to anyone, or it displays glaring flaws in institutional systems that allow criminals to walk free. Other times, it is the crimes themselves that are so depraved that they stick in audiences' minds.

25 Catching Killers (2021 - )

Catching Killers Chronicles The Whole Investigative Process

One of the more scary crime documentaries is the Netflix docies Catching Killers. Told from the perspective of law enforcement, journalists, and lawyers, Catching Killers is different from most true crime shows for its focus on the victims involved, rather than glorifying the killer. However, what makes Catching Killers so frightening is the realization of how in the dark law enforcement really is during the investigative process.

There are eight episodes in this series, with stories ranging from The Green River Killer and Aileen Wuornos (the subject of Monster) to B.T.K.

True crime shows usually come out once the mystery has been solved, and the answers seem obvious to audiences. Catching Killers takes viewers through the entire process from start to finish, causing people to realize that answers aren't so obvious when the information is coming back in real time. There are eight episodes in this series, with stories ranging from The Green River Killer and Aileen Wuornos (the subject of Monster) to B.T.K. and The Toronto VIllage Killer.

24 Amanda Knox (2016)

Amanda Knox Has The Chance To Tell Her Own Story

Few haven't heard the story of Amanda Knox, and she's the subject of one of the more scary crime documentaries on Netflix. Amanda Knox made headlines after being convicted of killing her roommate while in Italy on a student exchange program and spent four years in an Italian prison before being exonerated. Amanda Knox is so frightening because it's a tragic case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time that had resounding consequences.

The way the Italian Police handled Knox's case is nothing short of shocking, and when Knox tells her side of the story, viewers can hardly believe that she was able to be convicted and wrongfully imprisoned. The movie premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2016 and then hit Netflix just two weeks later. It received critical praise and was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special and Outstanding Writing for Nonfiction Programming.

23 Unsolved Mysteries (2020 - )

Netflix's Unsolved Mysteries Is A Reboot

Although this documentary series is a reboot of the classic show in the 1980s and 1990s, the Netflix version is a little more eerie and one of the scariest crime documentaries. Aside from the eerie paranormal experiences, there are some horrors hidden in this series. There are unsolved murders, and disappearances that haven't been solved, all of which brought to light what most viewers fear most: losing someone and never finding out the truth.

The heartbreak of the loved ones left behind without answers is felt through the screen, making it incredibly difficult to watch. It's haunting and leaves the viewers feeling melancholy after finishing an episode. In all, there have been 16 seasons of the series with two new volumes as Netflix original presentations. A third installment is also coming in later in 2024, which will add to the 21 episodes the streaming giant has released so far.

22 The Confession Tapes (2017 - )

The Confession Tapes Questions Whether Killer Confessions Can All Be Trusted

The Confession Tapes has an intriguingly unique premise, but its real-life consequences make it one of the most scary crime documentaries on Netflix. The critically acclaimed docies focuses on one subject per episode and sees people making confessions to murders leading ultimately to conviction in court — but they may not all be real. The Confession Tapes frighteningly explores the idea of false or coerced confessions, which sometimes lead innocent people to jail.

The series is the ultimate reminder of why lawyers need to be present in interrogative situations, as no one should ever be coerced into confessing a crime that they didn't commit. There are two seasons of The Confession Tapes on Netflix, with a total of 11 episodes in the series so far. The episodes make this truly one of the scariest documentaries on Netflix because these people are all innocent and still go to prison, meaning that the real killers are still on the streets, a danger to all of society.

21 The Confession Killer (2019)

The Confession Killer Examines Henry Lee Lucas

Henry Lee Lucas is one of the most notorious serial killers, confessing to killing over 100 people and the subject of one of the more scary documentaries on Netflix. However, police have only ever been able to link 12 murders to him. Texas law enforcement were victims of Henry Lee Lucas as well as they fell for his lies and manipulation and believed his confession.

The Confession Killer is scary for different reasons than the others. It showcases complicated issues like holes in the justice system and how so many victims never receive the justice they deserve. Henry Lee Lucas may not have killed all of those people — but someone did. The real killers are still out there somewhere, and because Lucas was so dishonest in his desire for infamy, he ensured that several guilty people were still out there walking the streets, and justice was never served.

20 The Ripper (2020)

The Ripper Chronicles The Yorkshire Ripper Case

Several serial killers have been given the moniker "Ripper" over the years, but The Ripper follows the notorious case of the Yorkshire Ripper and is subsequently one of the more scary crime documentaries. Between 1975 and 1980 Peter Sutcliffe terrorized West Yorkshire and Manchester, responsible for killing 13 women in an appallingly brutal fashion.

The Ripper is so frightening because the docies makes it clear that leads on the case were so scant that if he hadn't been caught for his car having false plates, it's likely he would've kept his spree going for years and taken many more victims. This is a four-part true crime docies on Netflix that discusses the 13 women that the Yorkshire Ripper killed and the manner in which he went about his killings without ever getting caught, until fate finally brought him down.

19 Night Stalker: The Hunt For A Serial Killer (2021)

Night Stalker: The Hunt For A Serial Killer Discusses The Crimes Of Richard Ramirez

Richard Ramirez was one of the most prolific serial killers in California in the 1980s and the subject of one of Netflix's scary crime documentaries. He hunted, tortured, and murdered his victims in the most brutal and violent ways. Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer takes the viewer through the Ramirez investigation and pays special attention to his victims.

It doesn't shy away from the atrocities committed by Ramirez, making it a difficult one to sit through. Serial killer documentaries are what Netflix does best, and this one leaves the viewers thoroughly disgusted and in shocked disbelief of his crimes.

Night Stalker: The Hunt For A Serial Killer is a four-part docies on Netflix that checks in at about 45 minutes an episode. It starts with his original killings after the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles and ends with him in prison and the detectives revealing how this affected their lives.

18 Conversations With A Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes (2019)

Conversations With A Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes Provides Real Interview Footage

This documentary was released as a companion to the Zac Efron movie, Extreme Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, and works well to thoroughly disgust the viewer in one of the more scary crime documentaries on Netflix. While Bundy has been covered ad infinitum, the addition of hearing his real interviews makes this program chilling.

The documentary takes the viewers through the personal and intimate details of Bundy's life and uses never heard before interviews with him on death row. Ted Bundy's crimes are known all too well to most true crime fans, but this documentary adds to the never-ending list of the true horrors committed by one man.

This series not only has the Bundy interviews, but it also paints a picture of his life history, including early arrests, crimes, and his eventual death. There is also archival footage and interviews with people involved in the case, from witnesses and surviving victims to his family, officers, and journalists who covered the case.

17 Our Father (2022)

Our Father Chronicles The Crimes Of A Fertility Doctor

Our Father contains one of the most shocking stories to ever be seen on television and is subsequently one of the most scary crime documentaries. The documentary focuses on fertility doctor Donald Cline, who used his own biological material to impregnate dozens of unknowing patients, resulting in a total of 94 children.

Told through many of the children themselves who found out through DNA testing, Our Father explores the stuff of nightmares for women seeking help with fertility issues. Doctors are supposed to be people that the public can trust, but that sadly wasn't the case with Donald Cline.

The true-crime documentary was so shocking and different that it was an instant sensation on Netflix, watched for 42.60 million hours in its first month on the service (via What's On Netflix). To understand why this is so scary on top of the already terrifying subject matter, the documentary was produced by Jason Blum and Blumhouse Productions, the studio behind movies like Paranormal Activity, Insidious, and .

16 Carmel: Who Killed Maria Marta? (2020)

Carmel: Who Killed Maria Marta? Examines A Case From Argentina

One of the most publicized and controversial cases in Argentina, Carmel: Who Killed Maria Marta? s the ranks of scary crime documentaries. The docies follows the murder case of affluent sociologist María Marta García Belsunce who was found mysteriously dead in her home. Told primarily through journalists who covered the case, Who Killed Maria Marta? is terrifying because, by the end, it's still entirely unclear exactly what happened and who was responsible.

The circumstances are so strange that it has to be seen to be believed.

Many people have been accused over the years, including the Juarez Cartel, her husband, her brother, and now her neighbor. The circumstances are so strange that it has to be seen to be believed. This case, over two decades later, remains unsolved and is a terrifying cold case that shows that sometimes bad things happen and justice is never served. This could have been part of Unsolved Mysteries, but the four episodes checking in at just under four hours show there is a lot to unpack here.