Netflix has repeatedly released mind-boggling documentaries for years. However, their specialty has always been true-crime documentaries. These true-crime documentaries vary from several subjects like serial killers, scammers/fraudsters, man-made disasters, multibillion-dollar scams, etc.
2023 in itself has been very promising for true-crime content enthusiasts, and Netflix has a huge role to play in it. This OTT platform is one of the most-visited websites in the world, with its highest viewership coming from the United States of America. Furthermore, it has millions of viewers in the United Kingdom and Brazil.
Here are some unmissable Netflix documentaries.
Casting JonBenet
Casting JonBenet released in 2017. Directed by Kitty Green, this 80-minute-long documentary showcases the story of JonBenét Patricia Ramsey. JonBenét was only six years old when she was killed in her home in Boulder, Colorado. Furthermore, according to her autopsy report, she died of “asphyxia by strangulation associated with craniocerebral trauma”. The young girl was a child beauty queen.
According to Netflix’s official YouTube channel, the official synopsis of Casting JonBenet reads,
“In 1996, Boulder, Colorado was rocked by the mysterious death of six-year-old pageant queen, JonBenet Ramsey. Two decades later, director Kitty Green returns to audition local actors, unpacking how each remembers and relates to the ill-fated Ramsey family. A darkly moving exploration of crime, guilt and personal bias. Casting JonBenet expertly blurs the lines between documentary and drama.”
The producers of Casting JonBenet are Scott Macaulay, James Schamus, and Kitty Green.
Don’t F**k with Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer
Written and directed by Mark Lewis, Don’t F**k with Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer explores the infamous case against Luka Magnotta. Released in December 2019, this four-part true-crime docuseries narrates how Magnotta murdered a Chinese international student named Jun Lin.
The official synopsis of Don’t F**k with Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer, according to Netflix’s YouTube channel reads,
“When a video is posted online of a mysterious man killing two kittens, internet users across the world leap into action to find the perpetrator. Encouraged by the attention he’s receiving, the killer continues posting ever more disturbing videos, eventually crossing into murder.”
Furthermore, executive producers of Don’t F**k with Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer were Dimitri Doganis and Adam Hawkins.
Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey
Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey is a four-part documentary that showcases the exploits of the polygamous religious sect, Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Led by Warren S. Jeffs, this church is another version of orthodox Mormonism. The Netflix documentary is directed by Rachel Dretzin and Grace McNally.
The official synopsis of this true-crime docuseries, according to Netflix’s official YouTube channel reads,
“An in-depth look into the secretive polygamous sect of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and the rise of self-professed prophet Warren Jeffs. From forced underage marriage and pregnancy to a complete unraveling into an oppressive criminal cult under Warren Jeffs’ rule, the story uncovers extraordinary bravery battling tyrannical control in modern America.”
Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey released on June 8, 2022. Furthermore, it is one of the most-watched documentary series on the platform.
