8 thrilling true crime shows and movies to watch on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and VOOT Select 

Does life imitate art or does art imitate life? While we'll let the philosophers debate this question, we can say one thing for sure—crime and disturbing mysteries have certainly inspired many filmmakers out there. While there are eccentric criminal stories out there (such as Netflix's Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened), here are titles that will truly chill you to the bone. These eight shows will leave you wanting to know more about their subjects and may just keep you awake at night; be sure to keep the kids away from this binge-fest. 

The Serpent (2021)

Shot across Thailand and the United Kingdom, The Serpent narrates how conman and murderer Charles Sobhraj was ultimately captured. Born to an Indian father and a Vietnamese mother—and raised in France, Sobhraj and his girlfriend, Marie-Andrée Leclerc, toured across Thailand, Nepal and India in 1975 and 1976, carrying out a spree of crimes on the Asian 'Hippie Trail'.

Streaming on Netflix

The Stoneman Murders (2009)

In 1980s Bombay, a serial killer begins targeting homeless street dwellers as a suspended police officer attempts to solve the case. Starring Kay Kay Menon and Arbaaz Khan, The Stoneman Murders is an Indian neo-noir crime thriller film based on the real-life Stoneman serial killings. The film has garnered a bit of cult status over the years thanks to outstanding performances and a crisp plot. 

Streaming on Amazon Prime Video

Crimes Of The Century (2013)

Directed by Ridley Scott, Crimes of the Century is a documentary series that investigates using Scott's signature visual style. Each episode concentrates on one event and presents viewers a virtual scene-of-the-crime vantage point by employing previously unaired footage, exclusive interviews with witnesses, victims, and investigators of the crimes. Subjects include the 2001 Washington sniper attacks, the killing of John Lennon, the Reagan assassination attempt, the Oklahoma City bombing, the Waco siege, and the Unabomber case.

Streaming on VOOT Select

Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel (2021)

One of the most bizarre disappearances in the last decade, one that often haunts most internet sleuths, is that of college student Elisa Lam. Lam was on vacation—a soul-searching mission—in Los Angeles. However, the hotel she checked into one of the city's notorious Cecil Hotel (where she was last seen alive) that was known to house serial killers, prisoners on the run, mental patients with nowhere to go, and rapists. 

Streaming on Netflix

City Of Ghosts (2017)

City Of Ghosts follows the efforts of Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently, a citizen journalist group and a few anonymous activists banded together after their homeland was taken over by ISIS in 2014. Here is the narrative of a courageous group of civilian reporters as they face the realities of life undercover, on the run, and in exile, risking their lives to stand up against one of the greatest evils in the world.

Streaming on Amazon Prime Video

Inside the Manson Cult: The Lost Tapes (2018)

Inside the Manson Cult: The Lost Tapes is a series of previously unaired archival interviews with former Manson cult members, key people involved in the history of the Manson case and Bobby Beausoleil, who is in prison serving a life sentence for a murder he committed in association with the Manson family.

Streaming on VOOT Select

The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann (2019)

Directed by Chris Smith, The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann presents a comprehensive look at the disappearance of three-year-old Madeleine McCann, who vanished from her vacation apartment at the seaside hotel of Praia da Luz in Portugal, in May 2007. This eight-part series reflects upon the media furore that took over the small town following McCann's disappearance and consequently highlights the flourishing slave trade and sexual abuse/pedophile rings that work on the darknet. 

Streaming on Netflix

An American Crime (2007)

An American Crime tells the true story of suburban housewife Gertrude Baniszewski who kept a teenage girl (Elliot Page) locked in the basement of her Indiana home during the 1960s.

Streaming on Amazon Prime Video

Also read:

This might be the reason why women are obsessed with true crime stories

7 nail-biting true crime podcasts you can stream on Spotify and Apple Podcasts