The True-Crime Craze
“The uptick in true-crime stories is very telling about our contemporary culture,” says Eddie Muller, the host of Noir Alley on Turner Classic Movies. “In the original noir era, there was a fascination mixed with disbelief. But now when we see ‘Based on a true story,’ it’s a subtle way of saying ‘This could happen to you.’”
Check out our list of some top true-crime murder movies and TV shows—and the stars who’ve made them.
FOXCATCHER (2014)
There’s a chill in the air from the opening moments of this tale of training for the 1988 Olympics. Steve Carell plays John du Pont, who invites wrestler Mark Schultz (Channing Tatum) to move to his estate to train. It sets in motion a dark road that leads to a shocking tragedy. (Hulu)
MINDHUNTER (2017–19)
This expertly crafted series focuses on the team who began the Behavioral Science Unit in the FBI (and ultimately coined the phrase “serial killer.”) The main characters are fictional: Young and idealistic Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) teams up with the wise Bill Tench (Holt McCallany) in the 1970s to interview criminals in a bid to learn more about the dark inner workings of murderers. (The killers are real people, including Edmund Kemper and Charles Manson.) (Netflix)
TED BUNDY: FALLING FOR A KILLER (2020)
Who was Ted Bundy when he wasn’t manipulating and killing innocent women? A low-key suburban family man who hid a secret life. In this documentary, Elizabeth Kendall, Bundy’s former girlfriend, and her now-grown-daughter, Molly, share what it was like to live under the same roof as one of the world’s most notorious serial killers in the 1970s and early ’80s. (Prime Video)
ATLANTA’S MISSING AND MURDERED: THE LOST CHILDREN (2020)
Over the course of five painfully heartbreaking episodes, this series chronicles the disappearance and murder of at least 30 children and young adults in the Atlanta area in the 1970s and ’80s. The manhunt led to the capture of Wayne Williams, who was convicted in 1982 of killing two adults. Nonetheless, many of the families aren’t convinced the killer(s) have been stopped—thus prompting officials to reopen the case. (Note: This case also served as the basis for the second season of Mindhunter.) (Netflix)
I’LL BE GONE IN THE DARK (2020–21)
In 2016, Michelle McNamara was writing a book about her crusade to solve the case of California’s notorious “Golden State Killer” when she died suddenly in her sleep. This seven-part docuseries produced by her husband, Patton Oswalt, excels both as a detailed re-creation of McNamara’s doggedness to identify the man—who often whispered the ghoulish titular words to his victims in their homes—and as a riveting examination of McNamara’s life as she consumed herself with her DIY investigation. Alas, she did not live to see Joseph James DeAngelo’s arrest in 2018. (HBO Max)
THE STAIRCASE (2022)
Kathleen Peterson’s fatal fall down her North Carolina staircase in 2001—and the subsequent court cases that ended with her husband, novelist Michael Peterson, being convicted of murder—has spawned podcasts, a groundbreaking 2004 documentary and an intriguing series starring Toni Collette and Colin Firth. While it’s not a traditional whodunit, Firth, who plays Michael, has described it as “the study of a family and the whole idea of mystery even with people you’re closest to—it compels you.” Peterson still maintains his innocence. (HBO Max)
DR. DEATH (2021)
Like The Good Nurse, this is a harrowing medical horror story. Joshua Jackson (The Affair) plays Christopher Duntsch, a charming and well-regarded Texas-based neurosurgeon who uses his scalpel to harm his patients. Surgeons Randall Kirby (Christian Slater) and Robert Henderson (Alec Baldwin) first investigate suspicious claims of injury and death, then quickly make it their mission to stop him from scrubbing in ever again. The bad doctor is currently serving a life sentence in prison. (Peacock)
HOUSE OF GUCCI (2021)
Glamour, wealth, style, lust, jealousy, murder. All the boxes are checked in a salacious saga that focuses on the ill-fated marriage between Patrizia Reggiani (Lada Gaga, herself a true-crime fan) and fashion heir Maurizio Gucci (Adam Driver). After he files for divorce, she seeks her revenge. The film plays fast and loose with the murder plot details, but Gucci was indeed shot down outside his apartment in 1995. (Roku)
NIGHT STALKER: THE HUNT FOR A SERIAL KILLER (2021)
Fear and dread are front and center in this four-part documentary that breaks down the crimes of satanist Richard Ramirez. A serial killer known as “The Night Stalker,” he terrorized Los Angeles for 18 months until his 1985 arrest. The series also shines a light on the L.A. homicide detectives who dedicated every waking hour to tracking him down and bringing him to justice. (Netflix)
CANDY (2022)
This limited series is set in the heart of Texas, where mild-mannered teacher Betty Gore (Melanie Lynskey) is found dead in her home with 41 ax wounds. Who did it? Her outgoing church friend, well-to-do housewife and mom Candy Montgomery (Jessica Biel). Stories like this make us ask ourselves, “What am I capable of?” says Lynskey, who also stars in another show based on a true story, Yellowjackets, about plane crash survivors. (Hulu) —M.R.