I’ve become obsessed with some terrifying subjects, but true crime tales — of serial killers, gang violence, the mafia, creepy Robert Durst-y tales, even crazy clowns — really captivate me. I’ll take my crime reporting in whatever format it’s available, but a well made documentary can’t be beat. With the superbly made The Jinx still in the news, it seemed like a good time to share my top five picks in this grim genre. Feel free to add your suggestions in the comments.
The Imposter (2012)
Nicholas Barclay disappeared in 1994 at 13 years old. Three years later, a French man named Frédéric Bourdin, who looked nothing like Barclay, claimed he was the missing boy — and even convinced the child’s family. Frédéric was 23 at this time — the boy would have been 16. Bart Layton directed this unsettling film with a dark edge that’s as scary as a horror movie. The reenactments really suck you into the mystery as you’re unable to believe the family’s denial of the fact — or that maybe the Barclays could have been involved in Nicholas’s disappearance.
Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father (2008)
Andrew Bagby was a happy, 28-year-old medical student when he fell for a mentally unstable woman named Shirley Jane Turner. When he broke up with her in 2001, she shot him to death. Kurt Keane, Bagby’s best friend, started making a film documenting Andrew’s life, after it was revealed that Shirley was pregnant with Bagby’s child. She named the boy Zachary.
This film isn’t easy to watch. It’s frustrating but riveting, and so, so sad. Along with the love letter Kurt made for his murdered best friend’s son, there’s the drama of Shirley wanting custody of her son after the courts had already given Zachary to Andrew’s loving parents to raise. I won’t spoil the ending, but it will shatter your heart.
The Staircase (2004)
On December 9, 2001, Michael Peterson called 911 after finding his wife Kathleen dead at the bottom of their stairs. He said he’d been asleep outside by their pool, and she must have gotten drunk and fallen down the stairs. Toxicology reports proved his theory to be false. Peterson, a novelist who wrote three books about serving in Vietnam, became an immediate suspect when the autopsy stated his wife had a broken neck, lacerations to the top and back of her head, and died from blood loss an hour or so after she “fell.”
Filmmaker Jean-Xavier de Lestrade made an eight-part documentary of the trial where he was given access to family, courtroom proceedings, and to Peterson’s lawyer’s strategizing (one of the lawyer’s theories was an owl had attacked the wife outside, and fleeing for her life, she fell while running up the stairs.) The Staircase is mesmerizing and addicting, though in 2011, Peterson was released after his appeal was granted. He remains a free man until his yet to be announced retrial.
Into the Abyss (2011)
This film by Werner Herzog portrays the story of Michael Perry, who was sitting on death row after being convicted of murdering Sandra Stotler, a 50-year-old nurse. He was suspected, but never charged, in two other murders which occurred in Texas. The film doesn’t focus on the question of Perry’s guilt or innocence, and features a small amount of narration, with Herzog never appearing onscreen (as he usually does in his films.) It’s been called Herzog’s most moving film (the director has always been strongly against the death penalty), as you see this inmate in a human light, and feel for him, even though, inevitably, it’s too late for him.
Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer (2003)
Aileen Wuornos was accused of murdering six men beginning in 1989 while she was a sex worker. She claimed self defence in each count, but was convicted of all of the murders and sentenced to death. In the film, her mental state is highly questionable, causing the audience to wonder why she wasn’t deemed insane. In addition, there were all sorts of conflicting details during her trial. She was eventually executed by lethal injection in 2002. Charlize Theron famously played Aileen and won an Academy Award for her portrayal in the movie Monster. The documentary ends with a prison spokesman reading Wuornos’s statement after she dies. “I’m sailing with the Rock, and I’ll be back. Like Independence Day with Jesus, June 6, like the movie, big mothership and all. I’ll be back.”
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Image of The Staircase from The Sundance Channel
