Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil And Vile (2019) tells the chilling story of the notorious serial killer, Ted Bundy (portrayed by Zac Efron), and how his juridical process and imprisonment happened. Being based on true events, the movie can be particularly scary and uncomfortable, especially because of how well the infamous serial killer used to hide in normal life and the victim-hunting process.
This movie can be pretty intriguing and fascinating: how did Ted Bundy hide for so long? Why did he do such terrible things? If this movie left you wondering about True Crime and deviant personalities, here are some tv shows and real-life documentaries all about crime.
Conversations With A Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes
This mini-documentary was created and directed by Joe Berlinger, the same journalist who recorded the tapes of the serial killer. The series is a total of 100 hours made of interviews and archival footage of Bundy, along with the participation of the law enforcement’s members who worked on his case. This is a good documentary to learn what happened during the murders and what type of person Ted Bundy is, as you can also listen to his words, see the evidence and know more about the victims.
MindHunter
Mindhunter (2017) is one of Netflix’s best shows, and it’s based on the popular book of the same name, which tells the story of the first American hunter of serial killers, Holden Ford (based on the real-life character of John E. Douglas). It shows the complex dynamics of the federal investigations and the study of the deviant personalities and origins of crime. The series contains more dialogues than action scenes, however, it successfully maintains a quite disturbing, twisted, and descriptive tone, which are the characteristics that make the show intriguing and fascinating.
The Act
Another tv show based on a true story is The Act (2019), which tells the full-of-twists story of Gypsy Rose Blanchard and the reasons behind the murder of her mother, Dee Dee Blanchard.
The story can be disturbing and shocking, as the mom, being affected by Munchausen Syndrome, forced her daughter to pretend to have numerous serious illnesses and to be intellectually disabled because of premature birth. Gypsy’s story is incredible and twisted, and it has to be known.
Tiger King
Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness (2020) is a popular mini-documentary about the life of the infamous zookeeper, Joe Exotic, and his years-long feud with Carole Baskin. Joe had a quite crazy and full life, starting from his political activities to the murder of his rival Carole, who was killed by a hitman hired from him. The miniseries, moreover, explores the dynamics and doings of the society of big cat conservationists and collectors in America.
Manhunt: Unabomber
Manhunt: Unabomber (2017; previously known as Manifesto”) explores in depth how an FBI profiler, Jim Fitzgerald, caught the dangerous terrorist Ted Kaczynski, or rather the Unabomber. The series gives an in-depth look at the procedures and hard work behind the profiling of these criminal masterminds, all at the hands of Jim’s profiling. It’s almost completely accurate to the real story and a must-watch for those who want to know more about true crime.
The Most Dangerous Animal Of All
Based on the New York Times best-selling book of the same name, this series tells the life of Gary L. Stewart, a man who starts searching for his biological father only to find out that he might be the most infamous serial killer of all, the Zodiac Killer, whose identity has been a true-crime mystery for a long time.
The series explores Stewart’s perspective, showing the evidence and clues he gathered about the infamous serial killer that supports his narrative.
Inside The Criminal Mind
Inside The Criminal Mind (2018) is a four-episode long documentary that explores a different type of crime in each episode: serial killers, kidnappers, cult leaders, and crime lords. With the participation of criminal profilers and neurological experts, each episode gives an in-depth look at how these criminals operate; the series also aims to explain whether they were created or born this way. It’s a must-watch for those who want to know more about the history of crime.
Killer Women With Piers Morgan
In the short docu-series Killer Women (2017), the journalist Piers Morgan decides to question multiple women convicted of awful crimes in an attempt to figure out what drove them to commit such shocking actions. Among these women is Erin Caffey, who slaughtered her whole family (mother and brothers included) at a young age. It can be creepy to listen to them talk, but Morgan’s interviewing skills make the series easier to follow.
The People vs OJ Simpson
Based on Jeffrey Toobin’s book titled The Run Of His Life: The People vs OJ Simpson, this television series focuses on Simpson’s murder case and its process, based on the real-life events. The season is acclaimed by critics, it received multiple nominations, and won the Golden Globe Awards for Best Miniseries or Television Film; it concerns one of the most infamous and shocking murder cases in history in a clear and in-depth way, which is why it makes a good suggestion.
Evil Genius: The true story of America’s most diabolical bank heist
Evil Genius (2018) is a four-part docu-series that focuses on the 2003 high-profile murder case of Brian Wells, also known as the “pizza bomber heist”. The story can be bizarre, sad, and messy, yet fascinating for its unbelievable events and facts. As typical of Netflix’s documentaries, the show can be a hell of a binge and a good one to learn more about twisted and non-ordinary events like this one.
