Here’s a plethora of crime docu-series which bring you face-to-face with some of the world’s notorious criminals
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Behind every crime, there’s a story. And these stories when told from the perspective of truth sound stranger than fiction. OTT platforms’ collaboration with documentary filmmakers to dish out crime docu-series isn’t a new concept but it sure is catching up with viewers. We list some of the best true-crime doc-series that’s keeping the genre in the headlines.
The Hunt for Veerappan
(IMDb Rating: 8.0/10)
Veerappan’s name was associated with crimes of poaching, murdering and kidnapping. While many films and documentaries have been made on the forest brigand, director Selvamani Selvaraj narrates the story from the perspective of Veerappan’s wife, Muthulakshmi. Selvaraj offers a deep understanding of the enigmatic relationship that Veerappan shared with the jungle. It also explains how the socio-political situation of a society could create an entity like him.
The Tinder Swindler
(IMDb Rating: 7.1/10)
The British true crime documentary is based on Israeli conman Simon Leviev. He used the dating app Tinder to emotionally manipulate his matches and make them financially support his lavish lifestyle. Born Shimon Hayut, he posed to be the son of Russian-Israeli diamond mogul Lev Leviev. Travelling in Europe, he would charm rich women with expensive gifts and later manipulate them. It’s estimated that he swindled multiple women of about $10 million. It is written and directed by Felicity Morris.
American Nightmare
(IMDb Rating: 7.5/10)
This compelling series is based on an authentic investigation and captures the ordeal of the people involved. Denise Huskins and her boyfriend Aaron Quinn are awaken in the dead of the night by an intruder and Huskins is kidnapped. The police initially accuses Quinn of murdering his girlfriend but once Huskins resurfaces, the police and the media go after her, calling her the real-life Gone Girl. Sergeant Misty Carausu, a police detective in Dublin, CA, draws a connection to a similar case and manages to crack it. The series offers a dash of investigative reporting. Your heart goes out for the wrongly-accused couple and all other victims. The Tinder Swindler fame Felicity Morris and Bernadette Higgins have directed this one.
Wedding.con
IMDb Rating: 7.1/10
The Amazon original series is part expose, part analysis of how matchmaking websites have become the playground for fraudsters to con innocent women. Directed by Tanuja Chandra and produced by BBC Studios India, it narrates the ordeals of Sneha, Veena, Priyanka, Nithya and Sadhya who in search of their perfect partners are caught in the web of lies and lose their savings to scammers.
Lover Stalker Killer
IMDb Rating: 7.0/10
Taking a step further from stalking and swindling money, this Netflix series revisits the disturbing tale that leads to a murder. It involves three people — David Kroupa, Cari Farver, and Liz Golyar. The love triangle takes a horrific turn. It is directed by Sam Hobkinson.
Curry & Cyanide: The Jolly Joseph Case
IMDb Rating: 6.7/10
The Christo Tomy directorial brings to fore the case of Jolly Joseph, a lady suspected of poisoning six of her family members, including a two-year-old kid, with cyanide. This is, however, not the first visual representation of the real story. Besides a Malayalam serial, there’s also a 10-episode podcast made on this.
The Program: Cons, Cults and Kidnapping
IMDb rating: 7.6/10
This Netflix series is directed by Katherine Kubler. It follows the anecdotes from students of The Academy at Ivy Ridge, located in Ogdensburg, New York, who experienced horrific incidents at the institute. They decide to expose the abuse of the troubled teen industry.
Keep a watch
The Outreau Case: A French Nightmare
A tragic affair of child abuse and judicial disaster, the docu-series revisits the Outreau case, one of the biggest scandals in French history.
Release Date: March 15 (one episode per week)
Platform: Netflix
Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV
The series is directed by Mary Robertson and Emma Schwartz. It highlights the toxic culture behind some of the most iconic children’s shows in the late 1990s and early 2000s. It talks about the accusations made on showrunner Dan Schneider of toxic workplace culture for female writers and two crew members’ arrests for child abuse.
Release Date: March 17
Platform: Prime Video
