28 Scariest True Crime Documentaries to Stream Right Now
28 Scariest True Crime Documentaries to Stream Right Now
James Mercadante, Jacqueline Weiss, Caroline Blair, Emily KrauserTue, May 5, 2026 at 10:00 AM UTC
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From left: Megan Waterman with daughter Liliana 'Lily' Waterman in a Netflix still from 2025's 'Gone Girls: The Long Island Serial Killer'; Lyle Menéndez and Erik Menéndez leave the courtroom in Santa Monica, Calif., on Aug. 6, 1990Credit: Courtesy of Netflix; AP Photo/Nick Ut, File -
There's no shortage of shocking and thrilling true crime documentaries and series
Some of the most popular releases explore mass murders, infamous cults, disturbing disappearances, familial killings and even bizarre kidnappings
From Netflix to Hulu, there are plenty of options for true crime fans to stream
There's a reason for the saying "real life is stranger than fiction" — and sometimes, it's scarier, as evidenced by a slew of true crime documentaries and series available to stream.
These docs cover real-life crimes that can be psychologically and physically terrifying, which means they aren't for the faint of heart. All the big-name streamers, including Netflix and Hulu, have an impressive library of twisted tales for on-demand viewing.
Since true crime is such a vast genre, there's no shortage of offerings for people looking to learn more about some of the scariest stories. For instance, The Way Down: God, Greed and the Cult of Gwen Shamblin explores cult leaders, while Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke unpacks abusive parents and Unknown Number: The High School Catfish reveals the devastating realities of cyberbullying.
Others uncover notorious serial killers, like Gone Girls: The Long Island Serial Killer and My Father, The BTK Killer. What connects them all is the psychology of criminals, the aftermath for the families and the justice that sometimes doesn't get served.
If you're drawn to the darker side and psychology of human behavior, these chilling true crime documentaries and docuseries will get you hooked.
One Night in Idaho: The College Murders
Karen Laramie, Madison Mogen's mother, on 2025's 'One Night in Idaho: The College Murders'Credit: Courtesy of Prime Video
In the early hours of Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022, four University of Idaho students — Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Madison Mogen, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20 — were found stabbed to death in their off-campus home. One month later, suspect Bryan Kohberger was arrested in Pennsylvania.
Though he pleaded guilty to four charges of first-degree murder in July 2025 to avoid the possibility of being executed, Kohberger was sentenced to four lifetimes in prison without parole, plus 10 additional years for burglary.
Produced before the gag order was lifted, the four-part 2025 docuseries One Night in Idaho turns its focus to the families, friends and community members still wrestling with the aftermath, offering a piercing look at a case with many unanswered questions.
Watch One Night in Idaho: The College Murders on Amazon Prime Video
Fred and Rose West: A British Horror Story
A still of Rose West and Fred West from 2025's 'Fred and Rose West: A British Horror Story'Credit: Courtesy of Netflix ©2025
Fred and Rose West seemed like an ordinary couple, but behind closed doors, they spent two decades committing horrific crimes — abusing and murdering at least 10 young women, including two of their own daughters.
Netflix's Fred and Rose West: A British Horror Story revisits their infamous story, featuring more than 100 previously unheard police tapes and shedding new light on one of the U.K.'s most disturbing serial killer cases.
Watch Fred and Rose West: A British Horror Story on Netflix
A Deadly American Marriage
Jason Corbett and Molly Martens pose with their children, Jack and Sarah, in 2025's 'A Deadly American Marriage'Credit: Courtesy of Netflix
This Netflix 2025 true crime documentary revisits the mysterious death of Jason Corbett, an Irish widower who married Molly Martens just a month after losing his first wife.
When Corbett was found brutally murdered in their North Carolina home in August 2015, the case led to a series of damning accusations against him, his second wife and their family.
Molly and her father pleaded no contest to reduced charges of voluntary manslaughter in October 2023, per the AP. They were released from prison in June 2024.
A Deadly American Marriage sets out to shine "a bright light on the many questions that have lingered since the shocking events of that night."
Watch A Deadly American Marriage on Netflix
Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing
Piper Rockelle (right) and one of her 'Squad' members on 2025's 'Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing'Credit: Netflix
Starting her social media career at 8 years old, internet celebrity Piper Rockelle built a multimillion-dollar empire through viral challenges, staged pranks and seemingly innocent "crush content" with her friends.
However, as Netflix's three-part 2025 docuseries reveals, Rockelle's "Squad" was an artificially designed group of kid actors, many of whom went on to allege physical, emotional and sexual abuse from Rockelle's momager Tiffany Smith, who has denied the claims.
Bad Influence unpacks Rockelle's case to expose the dark underbelly of child influencers and the adults who profit from their fame.
Watch Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing on Netflix
Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke
Shari Franke, daughter of Ruby and Kevin Franke, on 2025's 'Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke'Credit: Disney/Kai Pfaffenbach
Popular family vlogger Ruby Franke built a following of more than 2.5 million subscribers on her 8 Passengers YouTube channel, crafting a picture-perfect image of her Mormon family — until her strict parenting methods started to raise red flags.
In August 2023, Ruby and her podcasting partner, Jodi Hildebrandt, were arrested and later charged with four counts of aggravated child abuse. They were sentenced to between 4 and 60 years in prison.
On Hulu's 2025 three-part docuseries, Ruby's ex-husband, Kevin Franke, and their two oldest children, Shari Franke and Chad Franke, share their side of the story for the first time on camera.
Watch Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke on Hulu
American Murder: Gabby Petito
Brian Laundrie and Gabby Petito pose for a selfie while holding chopsticksCredit: North Port Police Department/Facebook
For couple vloggers Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie, their "van life" adventures painted a perfect picture on social media — but the reality behind the filter was far more disturbing.
Petito was found strangled to death by Laundrie in September 2021. Laundrie died by suicide, with his family's attorney announcing that he was found dead from a gunshot wound to the head five weeks after partial human remains of the 23-year-old fugitive were discovered in October 2021 in Florida's Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park, near Laundrie's last known location.
The 2025 Netflix docuseries American Murder unpacks the case that gripped the nation, retracing the couple's final days and unveiling the chilling secrets they kept off camera.
Watch American Murder: Gabby Petito on Netflix
Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey
JonBenét Ramsey poses against a tree for a photoCredit: Netflix
On the morning after Christmas in 1996, 6-year-old pageant star JonBenét Ramsey was found beaten, sexually assaulted and strangled to death in the basement of her family's home in Boulder, Colo.
The 2024 docuseries Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey revisits the allegedly incompetent investigation by the Boulder Police Department and how media sensationalism influenced the public's perception of the case while examining several suspects, such as JonBenét's parents, Patsy and John Ramsey.
Watch Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey on Netflix
The Menéndez Brothers
Erik Menéndez (left) and Lyle Menéndez sitting in trial on March 9, 1994Credit: Ted Soqui/Sygma/Getty
In light of the controversy surrounding Ryan Murphy's Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menéndez Story, the Menéndez brothers got to share their side of things for the first time since they were convicted and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole in 1996.
This 2024 Netflix documentary dives into their 1989 parricide — killing their parents, José and Kitty Menéndez, after alleging years of sexual abuse — and the high-profile trial that followed. The Menéndez Brothers features exclusive audio interviews with Lyle and Erik from California's Donovan Correctional Facility.
Watch The Menéndez Brothers on Netflix
American Murder: Laci Peterson
Laci Peterson (left) and Sharon Rocha on 2024's 'American Murder: Laci Peterson'Credit: Netflix
American Murder: Laci Peterson goes deep into the heartbreaking case of Laci Peterson, who went missing on Christmas Eve 2002 while eight months pregnant. Her body was discovered months later, just one day after the remains of her unborn child, Conner, were found.
Despite his claims of innocence, her husband Scott Peterson was convicted of her murder in 2004. This three-part 2024 Netflix docuseries paints a fuller picture of Laci's life and untimely death, including rare interviews with her mother, Sharon Rocha, and Scott's former mistress, Amber Frey.
Watch American Murder: Laci Peterson on Netflix
Perfect Wife: The Mysterious Disappearance of Sherri Papini
A photo of Keith and Sherri Papini shown on 2024's 'Perfect Wife: The Mysterious Disappearance of Sherri Papini'Credit: Disney
In November 2016, Sherri Papini disappeared during her morning jog and resurfaced three weeks later with a far-fetched tale of being abducted by two Hispanic women. For four years, her story baffled investigators, until one day they finally got their answer: Sherri faked her own kidnapping.
Over three episodes, this 2024 Hulu docuseries examines the case, featuring interviews with those closest to it — including her ex-husband Keith Papini, who shares his side of the story for the first time.
Watch Perfect Wife: The Mysterious Disappearance of Sherri Papini on Hulu
Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult
Melanie Wilking (left) and Miranda Derrick on 2024's 'Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult'Credit: Courtesy of Netflix
Netflix delivers a hard-hitting three-part docuseries that dives into a dark corner of the billion-dollar app.
Directed by Derek Doneen, 2024's Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult tells the unsettling story of young dancer Miranda Derrick, who signed up with a management company called 7M — which turned out to be a religious group led by Shekinah Church pastor Robert Shinn.
The former leader has faced allegations of sexual abuse and coercing members into cutting off contact with their families — all of which Robert, his associates, 7M and the Shekinah Church vehemently deny.
Watch Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult on Netflix
The Jinx
Robert Durst on 2024's 'The Jinx: Part Two'Credit: HBO
For his Emmy Award-winning 2015 docuseries, director Andrew Jarecki sat down with wealthy New York City real estate heir Robert Durst, interviewing him about the three murders he was accused of committing — which he shockingly confessed to on camera.
HBO revisits the aftermath and shares what happened next in 2024's Part Two, which chronicles Durst's life sentence for the murder of friend Susan Berman and his death at age 78 in 2022.
Watch The Jinx on HBO Max
Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV
Alexa Nikolas on 2024's 'Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV'Credit: Investigation Discovery
After Jennette McCurdy's 2022 memoir I'm Glad My Mom Died exposed the toxic culture of the Nickelodeon empire and child stardom, other whistleblowers stepped forward with additional revelations about the behind-the-scenes workings of the children's TV network.
On this four-part docuseries (with a bonus episode that aired April 7, 2024), former child stars — including Drake & Josh's Drake Bell and Zoey 101's Alexa Nicolas — and crew members reflect on their experiences working with producer Dan Schneider, inappropriate actions both on- and off-screen and the untold stories of child actors being allegedly abused.
Schneider has denied all wrongdoing and is suing the producers of the docuseries for defamation, per The Hollywood Reporter.
Watch Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV on HBO Max
American Nightmare
Denise Huskins on 2024's 'American Nightmare'Credit: Courtesy of Netflix
When Aaron Quinn reported the abduction of his girlfriend Denise Huskins to the police in March 2015, he found himself initially cast as the prime suspect, only to witness a jolting reversal as they — along with the media — shifted the responsibility onto her, accusing her of orchestrating a Gone Girl-style smokescreen.
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In the end, the truth came out: Huskins and Quinn had committed no wrongdoing. She had been kidnapped and assaulted by a man named Matthew Muller who later pleaded guilty to one count of federal kidnapping. He was sentenced to 40 years in prison.
The 2024 three-part docuseries American Nightmare dives headfirst into several thought-provoking issues, including victim-blaming and glaring inadequacies in the criminal justice system.
Watch American Nightmare on Netflix
Chowchilla
The Dairyland Union School bus from the kidnapping detailed in 2023's 'Chowchilla'Credit: UPI/Bettmann/Getty
Featuring exclusive interviews with the survivors, the 2023 documentary from CNN Films and HBO Max explores the most bizarre mass kidnapping of all time.
In Chowchilla, Calif., three masked men hijacked a bus carrying 26 school children and loaded them into soundproofed vans that drove them to the underground chamber where they were buried alive.
The kidnappers planned to ransom the children for $5 million, but the victims managed to escape — after 16 hours underground, they clawed their way to freedom as the three men napped.
Watch Chowchilla on HBO Max
The Curious Case of Natalia Grace
Natalia Grace on 'The Curious Case of Natalia Grace'Credit: Investigation Discovery/YouTube
It's the story that left the world in disbelief. This ID documentary series follows Michael and Kristine Barnett, the white-picket-fence couple who adopt a young Ukrainian girl with dwarfism, Natalia Grace, and later accuse her of being an adult masquerading as a 6-year-old.
The saga unearths new layers on the second season as Natalia shares her harrowing experiences with her adoptive parents and has a face-to-face confrontation with Michael. The third and final season — which wrapped in 2025 — sees Natalia dealing with her attachment issues and reclaiming her independence.
Watch The Curious Case of Natalia Grace on HBO Max
Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets
Amy Duggar King and Dillon King on 2023's 'Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets'Credit: Courtesy of Amazon Prime Video
Season 1 of this four-part limited docuseries focuses on the Duggars — one of reality TV's most prominent families who were at the forefront of TLC's 19 Kids and Counting — and the practices of their religious organization, Institute in Basic Life Principles.
Exposing the household's disturbing secrets that never made it on-screen, 2023's Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets touches on serious subjects such as sexual abuse, child pornography and religious trauma.
Watch Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets on Amazon Prime Video
Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal
Morgan Doughty on 2023's 'Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal'Credit: Netflix
After Margaret "Maggie" Murdaugh, 52, and her son, Paul Murdaugh, 22, were found murdered at their hunting lodge in June 2021, their family's veiled history of corruption began to surface.
This 2023 docuseries centers on the Murdaughs, South Carolina's illustrious legal dynasty whose members were tied to multiple homicides, financial fraud and other alleged crimes. Eerily timely, Alex Murdaugh was found guilty of his wife Maggie and son Paul's murders and sentenced to two life sentences in prison shortly after this Netflix series came out.
Watch Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal on Netflix
Waco: American Apocalypse
David Koresh on 2023's 'Waco: American Apocalypse'Credit: Courtesy of Netflix
Self-declared prophet David Koresh indoctrinated a group of people living in Waco, Texas — notoriously known as the Branch Davidians — to believe the rapture was nearing and they needed to ambush the U.S. government.
In the ensuing, infamous stand-off Koresh died, along with over 70 members of the group. A small number of Brand Davidians reportedly still exist.
Directed by Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer's Tiller Russell, the 2023 three-part limited series Waco: American Apocalypse narrates the events that led up to the 1993 massacre, one of the most infamous and fatal police sieges in American history.
Watch Waco: American Apocalypse on Netflix
Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence
Larry Ray on 2023's 'Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence'Credit: Courtesy of Hulu
Stolen Youth chronicles the disturbing case of Larry Ray (né Lawrence Grecco), a man who lured his daughter's college roommates into a sex cult beginning in 2010.
In April 2022, Ray was convicted on 15 counts, including sex trafficking, extortion and racketeering conspiracy. He was sentenced in 2023 to 60 years in prison.
Over three hour-long parts, Hulu gets a closer look at the story through personal accounts and unseen footage from Ray and the survivors.
Watch Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence on Hulu
Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey
Rulon Jeffs (center) and wives on 2022's 'Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey'Credit: Courtesy of Netflix
The rise and fall of Warren Jeffs, the disgraced former president of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is chronicled in this 2022 four-part docuseries. Jeffs married as many as 78 wives, including 24 girls, and oversaw the abuse of other women and children.
Jeffs was arrested in 2006 and later convicted and sentenced to life in prison in 2011. The show includes stories from survivors and ex-members of the polygamy-practicing group. (The LDS church has said the FLDS has no affiliation with the wider church.)
Watch Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey on Netflix
The Tinder Swindler
Pernilla Sjoholm in 2022's 'The Tinder Swindler'Credit: Courtesy of Netflix
This 2022 documentary tells the story of con man Simon Leviev (born Shimon Hayut), who swindled an estimated $10 million from people around the world.
Presenting himself as the son of a Russian-Israeli diamond mogul, Leviev used Tinder to manipulate women into financially supporting his extravagant lifestyle, all while pretending he needed the money to escape his "enemies."
Watch The Tinder Swindler on Netflix
The Way Down: God, Greed and the Cult of Gwen Shamblin
Natasha Pavlovich on 2021's 'The Way Down: God, Greed and the Cult of Gwen Shamblin'Credit: Courtesy of HBO Max
The five-part docuseries The Way Down follows Gwen Shamblin Lara, the founder of the Weigh Down Workshop diet program and the Christian group The Remnant Fellowship.
Lara — who died in a plane crash on March 29, 2021, while The Way Down was in post-production — was convinced that God had given her "the key to permanent weight control."
Watch The Way Down: God, Greed and the Cult of Gwen Shamblin on HBO Max
Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer
Richard Ramirez on 2021's 'Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer'Credit: Netflix
In mid-1980s Los Angeles, serial killer Richard Ramirez lurked at night for victims to torture and murder. The crimes and eventual arrest of Ramirez, known as the "Night Stalker," are documented in this gripping four-part series.
Ramirez was sentenced to death in 1989 and later died in 2013 at 53 years old while awaiting execution.
Watch Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer on Netflix
Captive Audience: A Real American Horror Story
Missing flyer of 7-year-old Steven featured on 2022's 'Captive Audience: A Real American Horror Story'Credit: Hulu
Produced by brothers Anthony and Joe Russo, this three-part docuseries will leave you feeling spooked.
In 1980, seven years after disappearing from his California home in 1972, 14-year-old Steven Stayner escaped his kidnapper, Kenneth Parnell, and returned to his family. Parnell was convicted and spent five years in prison.
Years later, the Stayner family was thrust into the spotlight again following the horrific crimes of Steven's serial killer brother, Cary Stayner. He was convicted of three counts of first-degree murder with special circumstances and one count of kidnapping. Cary is on death row.
Watch Captive Audience: A Real American Horror Story on Hulu
Unknown Number: The High School Catfish
Kendra Licari in 2025's 'Unknown Number: The High School Catfish'Credit: Courtesy of Netflix
The gripping 2025 Netflix documentary Unknown Number: The High School Catfish tells the story of a young teenage couple, Lauryn Licari and Owen McKenny, who were relentlessly cyberbullied by anonymous numbers for months.
After their parents got the police involved, the case remained unsolved for months until the FBI uncovered the shocking truth of who was behind the vicious messages after all.
Watch Unknown Number: The High School Catfish on Netflix
Gone Girls: The Long Island Serial Killer
Melissa Barthelmy in a photo shared on 2025's 'Gone Girls: The Long Island Serial Killer'Credit: Courtesy of Netflix
After escort Shannon Gilbert vanished without a trace in May 2010, a search began that led to the discovery of four bodies in December 2010. The missing women, all online escorts like Gilbert, became known as the Gilgo Four: Melissa Barthelemy, Amber Costello, Megan Waterman and Maureen Brainard-Barnes.
Then, in March 2011, authorities found the remains of more bodies along the beach. In total, since 2010, 11 sets of human remains have been found around Long Island's Gilgo Beach.
Architect Rex Heuermann walked free for over a decade until July 2023, when he was arrested and charged with first- and second-degree murder in the killings of Costello, Waterman and Barthelemy after DNA evidence and phone records linked him to the victims, and additional charges for more victims followed. On April 8, 2026, he admitted to killing eight women found on Long Island between 1993 and 2011.
The three-part 2025 Netflix docuseries Gone Girls: The Long Island Serial Killer was released just over a year before Heuermann's admission and dives into the hunt for the serial killer through his victims, their loved ones and the police's perspectives.
Watch Gone Girls: The Long Island Serial Killer on Netflix
My Father, the BTK Killer
Kerri Rawson in 2025's 'My Father, the BTK Killer'Credit: Courtesy of Netflix
Between 1974 and 1991, a serial killer targeting mostly women terrorized the city of Wichita, Kan. He gave himself the nickname "BTK," which stood for his "bind, torture and kill" method, and he taunted the police to find him.
In 2005, after the BTK Killer resurfaced to announce he was preparing to kill again, Dennis Rader was finally arrested for the killing spree. He admitted to often allowing the dark side of his personality to take over as he stalked his victims, seeking out sexual pleasure in sadistic ways. Rader killed at least 10, though there may be more unsolved murders linked to him.
The 2025 Netflix documentary My Father, the BTK Killer tells the story of Rader's daughter, Kerri Rawson. Her DNA helped catch Rader, though she didn't know it was being used by investigators, and Rawson only found out about her father's arrest after it made the news in February 2005.
Rader received 10 consecutive life sentences.
Watch My Father, the BTK Killer on Netflix
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