Most disturbing, dark, crime, mystery, controversial Documentaries.
by clairelingtonnokes | created - 10 Jul 2014 | updated - 24 May 2016 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Capturing the Friedmans (2003)
Not Rated | 107 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
Documentary on the Friedmans, a seemingly typical, upper-middle-class Jewish family whose world is instantly transformed when the father and his youngest son are arrested and charged with shocking and horrible crimes.
Director: Andrew Jarecki | Stars: Arnold Friedman, Jesse Friedman, David Friedman, Elaine Friedman
Votes: 27,141 | Gross: $3.12M
2. The Imposter (2012)
R | 99 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
A documentary centered on a young man in Spain who claims to a grieving Texas family that he is their 16-year-old son who has been missing for 3 years.
Director: Bart Layton | Stars: Adam O'Brian, Nicholas Barclay, Carey Gibson, Bryan Gibson
Votes: 50,475 | Gross: $0.89M
3. Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father (2008)
Not Rated | 95 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
A filmmaker decides to memorialize a murdered friend when his friend's ex-girlfriend announces she is expecting his son.
Director: Kurt Kuenne | Stars: Kurt Kuenne, Andrew Bagby, David Bagby, Kathleen Bagby
Votes: 40,743 | Gross: $0.02M
4. Just, Melvin: Just Evil (2000)
96 min | Documentary
An in-depth look at the director James Ronald Whitney's family history of incest spanning at least three generations and the devastating consequences that include drug abuse and alcoholism.
Director: James Ronald Whitney | Stars: James Ronald Whitney, Melvin Just, Denise Benson, Jean Benson
Votes: 1,775
5. There's Something Wrong with Aunt Diane (2011 TV Movie)
TV-MA | 101 min | Documentary, Crime
This documentary explores the depth behind the case of a woman whose vehicle collision killed numerous people, including herself. Was she really the reckless drunk, or the perfect suburban mother?
Director: Liz Garbus | Stars: Jesse Temple, Brad Katinas, Diane Schuler, Jay Schuler
Votes: 6,405
6. The Bridge (I) (2006)
R | 94 min | Documentary, Drama
Filmmakers use hidden cameras to capture the various suicide attempts at the Golden Gate Bridge - the world's most popular suicide destination. Interviews with the victims' loved ones describe their lives and mental health.
Director: Eric Steel | Stars: Eric Geleynse, Chris Brown, Susan Ginwalla, Caroline Pressley
Votes: 12,221 | Gross: $0.18M
7. The Woman Who Wasn't There (2012)
Not Rated | 65 min | Documentary
A psychological thriller that goes inside the mind of history's most infamous 9/11 "survivor."
Director: Angelo J. Guglielmo Jr. | Stars: Tania Head, Elia Zedeno, Gerry Bogacz, Brendan Chellis
Votes: 2,638
8. Child of Rage (1990 TV Movie)
27 min | Documentary
Six-year-old Beth talks to a therapist about the horrific abuse she has suffered as well as the abuse she inflicts upon small animals and her own brother. This film documents her subsequent healing and recovery.
Director: Arthur Ginsberg | Stars: Joel Craiger, Ken Magid, Beth Thomas
Votes: 1,178
9. Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills (1996)
Not Rated | 150 min | Documentary, Crime
A horrific triple child murder leads to an indictment and trial of three nonconformist boys based on questionable evidence.
Directors: Joe Berlinger, Bruce Sinofsky | Stars: Tony Brooks, Diana Davis, Terry Wood, Dick Clay
Votes: 18,157
10. The Virgin Killer (2014 TV Movie)
65 min | Documentary, Crime
Director: Talya Tibbon | Stars: Lucy Briers, Cayla Bergman, Junan Chen, Park Dietz
Votes: 49
On Friday 23 May 2014, British-born Elliot Rodger killed six students and injured 13, causing carnage across nine locations in Santa Barbara before turning the gun on himself.
11. My Granny the Escort (2014 TV Movie)
Documentary
A portrait of three of the UK's mature prostitutes who sell sex in hotel rooms and their homes.
Director: Charlie Russell | Stars: Beverly Merrindempse, Sheila Vogel-Coupe
Votes: 53
12.
E! Investigates (2008–2012)
Episode:
Kidnapping of Jaycee Dugard
(2010)
Documentary, Crime
Stars: Jaycee Dugard, Kathay Lovell, Denniss Joyce, Nancy Zarse
Votes: 14
13. Kidnapped for 18 Years: The Jaycee Dugard Story (2009 TV Movie)
Documentary
Jaycee Dugard was 11 years old when she was abducted. After being held captive for 18 years by a convicted child molester, Jaycee Dugard appeared to be alive and kicking, when police investigation closes in on her kidnapper.
Director: Boris Ivanov | Stars: Jaycee Dugard, Karen Gillis-Tinlin, Sue Bush, Amelia Edwards
Votes: 228
14.
Cutting Edge (1990–2017)
Episode:
Katie: My Beautiful Face
(2009)
Documentary
Director: Jessica Versluys | Stars: Daisy Beaumont, Katie Piper
Votes: 38
Katie Piper, upcoming Model had acid thrown in her face by an ex boyfriend. Her story.
15. The Cleveland Captives: What Really Happened? (2013 TV Movie)
60 min | Documentary
This documentary tells the story of three women who disappeared between 2002 and 2004, all of whom were held in the basement of a Cleveland house for approximately ten years.
Directors: Rachele Dryden-Smith, Tom Goudsmit, Sarah Hunt | Stars: Rick Edwards, Amanda Berry, Sylvia Browne, Ariel Castro
Votes: 24
Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michele Knight were discovered after a neighbour heard screams from Ariel Castro's house. The three women who had been missing were found with a six year-old girl at the home of the 52-year-old school bus driver on Monday 6 May.
16. Looking for Elizabeth (2005 TV Movie)
70 min | Documentary
In June 2002, Salt Lake City was the setting for a chilling kidnapping. An angelic young girl was stolen from her bedroom in the middle of the night. The daughter of a wealthy Mormon family... See full summary »
Director: James Kent | Stars: Juliet Stevenson, Dan Barnes, Wanda Barzee, Lee Benson
Votes: 32
17.
Crimes That Shook Britain (2008– )
Episode:
The Kidnap of Stephanie Slater
(2008)
Documentary, Crime
Director: Mike Le Han | Stars: Tom Roberts, Mark Murphy, Stephanie Slater, Warren Slater
Votes: 19
Stephanie Slater was held captive in a coffin for 8 days. Her story.
18. Is Amanda Knox Guilty? (2015 TV Movie)
60 min | Documentary, Crime
When the 21-year-old Amanda Knox from Seattle takes the stand next week, she will have the biggest audience of her life. The whole world will be watching.
Director: Andrea Vogt | Stars: Tina Daheley, David Balding, Valter Biscotti, Giulia Bongiorno
Votes: 49
19. My Brother the Serial Killer (2012 TV Movie)
90 min | Documentary
My Brother the Serial Killer examined Rogers' crimes and included claims that Rogers killed Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman in 1994.
Director: David Monaghan | Stars: Anthony Meoli, Clay Rogers, Glen Rogers
Votes: 61
My Brother The Serial Killer: My Brother The Serial Killer is a 2012 documentary about serial killer Glen Rogers, otherwise known as the Casanova Killer, who was convicted for a series of murders and arsons.
20. Making a Murderer (2015–2018)
TV-14 | 60 min | Documentary, Crime
Filmed over a 10-year period, Steven Avery, a DNA exoneree who, while in the midst of exposing corruption in local law enforcement, finds himself the prime suspect in a grisly new crime.
Stars: Steven Avery, Dolores Avery, Laura Nirider, Allan Avery
Votes: 102,890
21. The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst (2015–2024)
TV-14 | 45 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
Filmmaker Andrew Jarecki examines the complicated life of reclusive real estate icon Robert Durst, the key suspect in a series of unsolved crimes.
Stars: Robert Durst, Andrew Jarecki, J. Patrick Burns, Dick DeGuerin
Votes: 51,743
22. The Staircase (2004–2018)
TV-MA | 629 min | Documentary, Crime, Drama
The high-profile murder trial of American novelist Michael Peterson following the death of his wife Kathleen Peterson in 2001.
Stars: Michael Peterson, David Rudolf, Ron Guerette, Martha Ratliff
Votes: 27,233
23. The Cheshire Murders (2013 TV Movie)
TV-MA | 118 min | Documentary, Crime
A documentary about a brutal home invasion in Cheshire, Connecticut in 2007.
Directors: Kate Davis, David Heilbroner | Stars: Jennifer Petit, Hayley Petit, William Petit Jr., Michaela Petit
Votes: 3,172
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