Macabro presents: the best documentaries about serial killers

By: Chuck Pereda for www.elsalvavidas.mx

Technically, the correct title would be “Macabro presents: the best films and documentaries about serial killers,” but we would very possibly win an award for longest title on a post. Anyway, to get to the point, let's dive right in — we've got some scares in store.

Serial killers are so fascinating, and it's really impressive how, even though they've existed in nearly every country, in the United States there's been such a runaway proliferation that it was partly to blame for the Russians (in their arrogance) claiming it was a phenomenon exclusive to “Yankee materialism” (which is why it took them so long to catch Andrei Chikatilo — they wouldn't even admit they had a serial killer on their hands.)

Anyway, here's a list of documentaries and films about some of history's most prolific killers, starting with the one considered to be the first case: H.H. Holmes.

H.H. Holmes, America’s First Serial Killer.- This documentary is just okay — it's not the best since it consults very few experts, and it's clear it was made more by a killer fanboy than by an experienced documentarian. Still, the story of Holmes is IMPRESSIVE: the guy built a hotel the size of a city block just to murder people and then sell his victims' bones to medical schools and museums. You can watch it on U.S. Netflix using Hola.org (abre en nueva pestaña)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoY0j55BQKA (abre en nueva pestaña)

Jonestown, PBS Documentary.- Reverend Jim Jones is guilty of the largest massacre of Americans abroad that wasn't a war or a natural disaster. I hesitated about including him since he's not a serial killer, but he's one of the worst murderers to ever walk the earth, directly responsible for the deaths of 918 people, among them a senator from the United States and an unusually high percentage of young people and minors. You can watch it just below. (By the way, Ti West has a fictionalized version of these events that's worth watching: The Sacrament, which is on Netflix.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HTtLHgU9tY (abre en nueva pestaña)

The Jeffrey Dahmer Files.- A surprisingly good documentary, even though I didn't have much faith in it since it's made by an amateur, but it's quite revealing about the case and talks to the people directly involved (neighbors and staff from the police department in charge of the case), and it's full of those blood-chilling moments. You can watch it below too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmW-NNapvpA (abre en nueva pestaña)

Monster.- There are two documentaries by the same person, Nick Broomfield. Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killerand Aileen Wuornos: Life and Death of a Serial Killer; honestly, Broomfield is super biased and not very ethical — the more worthwhile of the two is the second one mentioned here — but it's Monster that wins out, because not only is it one of the best films about serial killers, but the transformation of Charlize Theron alone was worth every Oscar that came its way. It's cool to pair the original film with Life and Death of a Serial Killers — here it is, free of charge:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiT2Az9m6PU (abre en nueva pestaña)

The Iceman Tapes: Conversations with a Killer.- Produced by HBO, these conversations with Richard Leonard Kuklinski are… Fuck, I have no words… One of the cruelest killers in the mob, he killed (by his own account) between 100 and 250 people, nicknamed The Iceman because he froze his victims to make it harder for forensic examiners to determine time of death. There's a film (abre en nueva pestaña) about it, and it's better than it has any right to be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DAHM75MKfk (abre en nueva pestaña)

I Survived BTK.- Another of the most terrifying killers in history, Dennis Rader nicknamed himself BTK(Bound = to bind, Torture = to torture, Kill = to kill) and his confessions in front of his victims' families, the judge, and the court are chilling because he shows no emotion whatsoever — NONE. There are two documentaries, and the one that gives this little section its title is the first one below — yes, below, but that one's just the trailer; the other one you can watch in full, don't worry.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZIyu68-o8g (abre en nueva pestaña)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlWqj4n7AGg (abre en nueva pestaña)

And to top it all off, I'll leave you a gift (so you can never sleep again) — a playlist with the explanation closest to the truth about one of the most messed-up real crimes out there. Here you'll see James Ellroy, author of The Black Dahlia, discuss the theory he believes is the most plausible, along with the person who came up with it and several retired police officers from Los Angeles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qv7Xd2U2n0 (abre en nueva pestaña)