Stranger Than Fiction: Top 13 True Crime Netflix Documentaries

Nothing describes our fascination for the True Crime genre more than Mark Twain’s famous quote: «Truth is stranger than fiction. It has to be! Fiction has to be possible, and truth doesn't!». These kinds of documentaries confront us with the dark side of life, the everyday crime, the murder next door.

by Gabriela Tscharner Patao

We are watching them with a mixture of curiosity and disgust, and all of it from the comfort of our own couch. Since the thirst for the genre keeps growing, Cineman.ch has compiled a list of the top 13 best True Crime documentaries streaming on Netflix.

1. «The Tinder Swindler»

Stranger Online-Danger

Didn’t their moms ever tell them: «If it looks like it’s too good to be true, it probably is?». This True Crime documentary tells the story of three women, Cecilie Fjellhøy, Pernilla Sjoholm, and Ayleen Koeleman, who were looking for love on the dating app and fell victim to Shimon Hayut, aka «The Tinder Swindler». Posing as a Russian oligarch called Simon Leviev, the con man pretended to be the heir of a wealthy diamond mogul, stalking women he could defraud of all their money to fund his extravagant lifestyle.

From the Emmy winning producer of the «Don’t Fuck With Cats: Hunting An Internet Killer» series, Felicity Morris is directing a topic very close to most Netflix consumers who probably spend a lot of time on the Internet and dating apps.

Is it worth watching? Yes. It’s a fascinating examination of a heartless and dangerous con man, his narcissism and the resilience of his victims who refuse to be defeated by a love gone wrong.

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2. «Trust No One: The Hunt for the Crypto King»

All that glitters is not gold

If, after watching the «Tinder Swindler», you’d think only women fall for charismatic con men, you’d be terribly mistaken. «Trust No One» dives deep into crypto scams with the story of Gerry Cotten, the founder of the Canadian Bitcoin exchange QuadrigaCX. He died under suspicious circumstances, leaving his bitcoin investors without ways of recovering their money.

«Bitcoin is counterculture», says Andrew Wagner of the Vancouver Bitcoin Co-Op and a former friend of Cotten’s at the very top of the documentary. With that he sums up the draw of the new currency and its enormous potential for abuse. «Trust is not common in my industry», he continues. A group of amateur sleuths, among them a distorted, computer-generated dog-head with hard-to-understand Australian accent called QCXINT, are trying to solve the mystery of Cotten’s death and their missing $217 Million in Crypto.

Is it worth watching?: It depends. Crypto is still a mystery to many of us and this True Crime story does double duty in explaining cryptocurrency and presenting a murder mystery. However, if crypto is of no interest to you, all the talking heads and a less than satisfying conclusion make it for a tough documentary to watch.

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3. «Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives»

Herbivores can be predators too

This is the gold standard of True Crime documentary. From Chris Smith, the director of «FYRE: The Greatest Party That Never Happened», and the producers of «Tiger King» comes this twisted tale set in the gastronomy world. It follows the meteoric rise of Sarma Melngailis, the co-founder of the trendy vegan restaurant «Pure Food and Wine» in New York, who in 2004 became the poster child for the vastly growing vegan dining craze.

When «The Queen of Vegan Cuisine» started embezzling millions from her restaurant, it came to light that she was tricked by her husband, Anthony Strangis, who came up with plans to expand her food empire and to make her beloved dog immortal!

Is it worth watching?: Very much! It never seizes to fascinate how manipulative and controlling con men can be. In this case, Strangis took on fake identities, even pretended to be his wife, manipulating, and controlling her, until they were arrested. An incredibly bingeworthy series.

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4. «The Family»

Thicker than holy water

If you are looking for a True Crime series that doesn’t deal with murder or people being swindled, this one is for you. This documentary from director Jesse Moss examines a secretive conservative Christian group, calling itself «The Family». Using reenactments, casting stars like James Cromwell («Babe»), the series shows how influential this group has been on the highest level of American politics while remaining in the shadows for a very long time.

Is it worth watching?: Very much so. It never seizes to amaze how deeply Christian groups reach into American politics, even though the separation of church and state is the law in the US.

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5. «Wild Wild Country»

Religion or cult

This docuseries from the producers Mark and Jay Duplass remembers the rise of the Indian Guru «Osho», also known as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, in the 70s. What began as a spiritual retreat in Oregon soon turned into a worldwide cult, generating legions of followers for the guru. This series focusses on Ma Anand Sheela, Osho’s right hand woman. She has served time in prison for attempted murder, second-degree murder, arson, and wiretapping, among other things. To spread Osho’s ideology, all means seemed to be justified.

Is it worth watching?: Yes. Even those who remember the sexual and spiritual salvation, promised to his followers the Sannyasin by Bhagwan, will be given a lot of new facts and details by this film.

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6. «Athlete A»

The monster with a stethoscope

This investigative report by a team of journalists from the Indianapolis Star newspaper exposes the crimes of Larry Nassar, a doctor for USA Gymnastics, who abused and sexually assaulted young female gymnasts for 29 years. «Athlete A» is Maggie Nichols who in 2015 had told her coach about the assault but he never reported it. This documentary looks at all involved, up to the president of USA Gymnastics, who helped to cover up the countless crimes and many coaches who didn’t report the gymnasts’ allegations.

Is it worth watching?: Of course! Nobody will forget the pained faces of Simone Biles and her fellow Olympic gymnasts testifying against their abuser, a person who was supposed to keep them safe and healthy.

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7. «Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admission Scandal»

White privilege in US-universities

Director Chris Smith tells this notorious story from 2019 the about the rich and famous who got caught bribing top US-universities to get their children admitted. He combines actual YouTube footage from High School Seniors with reenactments of wiretapped conversations between Rick Singer (played by Matthew Modine), a con man posing as a college counselor, and his famous clientele like actresses Felicity Huffman or Lori Loughlin, whose children weren’t getting into college on their own merit.

Is it worth watching?: Yes. It’s an interesting insight into the the corruption that goes on at certain US-universities and how the top 1% always tries to find a shortcut to the top.

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8. «American Murder: The Family Next Door»

Evil lives everywhere

Domestic violence cases are sadly all too common in the True Crime genre, and this is one of the most harrowing. One of the most watched Netflix films in this genre follows the Watts family. When Shanann and her two little daughters disappear in Colorado, all signs point quickly to the husband and father Chris Watts.

Is it worth watching?: Yes, but this is a hard one to watch. The story is so well documented with home videos, social media posts, even police cams and news interviews with Chris Watts that make it all more haunting. It’s a tragic reminder of the evil that lurks next door.

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9. «Night Stalker»

In the shadows of Hollywood

Los Angeles in the 1980s. Not everything was Hollywood glamour, the city had a dark underbelly and it produced one of the most infamous serial killers, the Night Stalker. What made Richard Ramirez so dangerous was that he seemingly killed anywhere and anybody. His crimes and his victims followed no pattern, which is highly unlikely for a serial killer. We learn about the lives of the lead detectives Gil Carrillo and Frank Salerno as they recount their harrowing hunt for the Night Stalker, a Devil worshipper.

Is it worth watching?: Hell yeah! In depth interviews mixed with stories of Los Angeles in the 80s, combined with the most charismatic serial killer, adored by legions of groupies make for an irresistible True Crime cocktail.

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10. «Bad Sport»

On your marks, get set, cheat!

Its own subgenre of True Crime are the atrocities committed in sports. «Bad Sports» focusses on scandals and controversies in sports history. From people trying to fix Basketball games to show horses being killed for insurance money to Juventus director Luciano Moggi bribing soccer referee. These are stories of how dirty sports can get and we are here for it.

Is it worth watching?: Yes! You’ll never watch your favorite team play the same again.

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11. «House of Secrets: The Burari Deaths»

Exotic mass deaths

It’s as intriguing, mysterious, and spicy as a good Indian dish. The «House of Secrets» documentary talks about the haunting tale of eleven deaths in one family, living together in one house. It dives deep into the theories about the murder or suicide cases, aided by eleven diaries that were found at the crime scene. Creator Leena Yadav and co-director Anubhav Chopra have created a carefully researched collage of words and images trying to explain what could have caused an entire family to die together or be killed.

Is it worth watching?: Yes! After an initial period of getting used to the subtitles and the accents of the protagonists, «House of Secrets» is like an exotic trip into a foreign culture we know very little about. The filmmakers attempt to solve this mystery with the help of home movies, footage from public cameras and interviews with the people involved.

Trailer

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12. «The John Wayne Gacy Tapes»

Never trust a clown

Another «star» among serial killers is John Wayne Gacy, a pederast who raped, tortured, and killed over 33 young boys and men in the US in the 1970s. Sometimes he would dress up as Pogo the clown in hospitals to find his victims. The documentary uses news footage and interviews with police officers who worked on the case. However, the most interesting aspect of the series are previously unheard audio tapes where Gacy talks about his crimes in his own voice.

Is it worth watching?: Yes. However, if you suffer from coulrophobia (a fear of clowns) this might be hard for you to handle.

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13. «The Worst Roommate Ever»

Beware who you invite in your house

We all had them, the roommate from hell. Messy, smelly, lazy people who invade our private space. This series tells stories of people who are way worse than you can even imagine. The serial squatters, defrauders, and even murderers described in this documentary make your college weirdo seem like the perfect cohabitant.

Is it worth watching? If you’ve ever lived with other people, yes! You’ll enjoy the fact that it could have been so much worse!

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