The 20 Best Serial Killer Documentaries To Give You Nightmares

From the story of "the Brooklyn Vampire" to the tale of "the Pig Farmer," these are the best serial killer documentaries guaranteed to keep you up all night.

The Best Serial Killer Documentaries To Watch

Best Serial Killer Documentaries On Netflix

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Albert Fish: In Sin He Found Salvation (2007)

Here you'll find the horrific story of sadomasochistic cannibal serial killer Albert Fish, who claims to have raped, tortured, and killed some 100 victims, including many children, in various U.S. states a century ago.

Stream here on Amazon. Buy here on Amazon.Waterfront Productions

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The Pig Farm (2011)

The story looks at Robert Pickton, the millionaire Canadian farmer who killed dozens of women and fed them to his pigs between the 1980s and the 00s.

Buy here on Amazon.CTV Television Network/Barna-Alper Productions/Entertainment One

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H.H. Holmes: America's First Serial Killer (2004)

This documentary probes the life and crimes of H.H. Holmes, who killed countless victims in his Illinois "murder castle" more than a century ago.

Stream here on Netflix. Buy here on Amazon.Waterfront Productions

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Aileen: Life and Death Of A Serial Killer (2003)

Aileen Wuornos was executed in 2002 for killing six men in Florida a dozen years earlier. This film tells her harrowing story.

Stream here on Netflix. Buy here on Amazon.Lafayette Films

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Cropsey (2009)

The filmmakers behind Cropsey delved into the New York urban legend based in part on the cases of five missing children and real-life boogeyman Andre Rand, who was linked to their disappearances in the 1970s and 80s.Antidote Films/Afterhours Productions/Ghost Robot/Off Hollywood Pictures

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The Iceman Confesses: Secrets of a Mafia Hitman (2011)

Throughout this film, notorious mafia hitman and serial killer Richard Kuklinski provides all-new insights about his decades of brutal killings, which may amount to about 200.

Stream here on HBO. Buy here on Amazon.HBO

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Jack The Ripper: Prime Suspect (2011)

The mystery of who exactly was Jack the Ripper has confounded investigators for more than 100 years. But now, these filmmakers believe that they may have a case against one surprising suspect.

Stream here on Netflix. Buy here on Amazon.Prospero Productions

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This Is The Zodiac Speaking (2008)

This film covers every aspect of the Zodiac killer investigation, including interviews with the original investigators and surviving victims of the murderer who terrorized California nearly 50 years ago.

Stream here on YouTube. Buy here on Amazon.Dreamlogic Pictures

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Tales Of The Grim Sleeper (2014)

This film investigates the case of the Grim Sleeper, a serial killer who terrorized Los Angeles by killing 12 women in a span of 25 years.

Buy here on Amazon.South Central Films

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Ed Kemper: In His Own Words (1984/1991)

This extremely candid collection of interviews features Ed Kemper, also known as "The Co-ed Killer," who kidnapped and murdered at least eight people — including six college students, his abusive mother, and his mother’s friend. The intelligent, six-foot-nine Kemper is known as a lust killer who decapitated his victims and often used their severed heads for sexual acts.

Stream here on YouTube. Wikimedia Commons

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The Jeffrey Dahmer Files (2012)

Using archival footage, interviews, and fictionalized scenarios, this film tells the story of infamous cannibal murderer Jeffrey Dahmer, who was convicted on charges of killing 17 young men and boys in the Midwest between the 1970s and 90s.

Buy here on Amazon. Good/Credit Productions

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Interview with a Serial Killer (2008)

Here you can watch Arthur Shawcross, The Genesee River Killer, share ghastly insights on his crimes, which includes cannibalism, mutilation, and the killings of two children and 11 prostitutes in New York in the 1970s and 80s.

Stream here on Netflix. Buy here on Amazon.XiveTV

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My Brother The Serial Killer (2012)

Clay Rogers narrates this film about his brother, Glen Rogers, also known as the "Casanova Killer," who was convicted for a series of murders and arsons in various states in the 1990s. The film also looks at Rogers as an alternate suspect, instead of O.J. Simpson, in the infamous 1994 murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Lyle Goldman.

Stream here on YouTube. Documentary TV

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The Confessions of Thomas Quick (2015)

In 1993, Thomas Quick, confined to a psych ward in Sweden, confessed to killing 39 men, women, and children. However, he withdrew all of his confessions in 2008. With the only evidence being his confessions, the police were forced to end their investigations. This is his story.

Stream here on Netflix. Buy here on Amazon.Century Films/Film i Väst/Filmgate Films

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I Survived BTK (2010)

This film focuses on Charlie Otero and the murder of his family at the hands of the BTK killer, who murdered 10 people in Kansas between 1974 and 1991 while at the same time taunting police with letters about his crimes.

Buy here on Amazon. Unsub Films

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Inside The Mind Of A Serial Killer (2015)

Mixing dramatic re-enactments with actual footage, this docuseries delves into the twisted and vile minds of the world's most infamous serial killers.

Stream here on Netflix.Netflix

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Tobin: Portrait of a Serial Killer (2016)

The film dives into the story of Scottish serial killer and sex offender Peter Tobin, who is currently serving three sentences of life imprisonment for three murders committed between 1991 and 2006.

Stream here on Amazon. Buy here on Amazon.XiveTV

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Serial Killer Culture (2014)

Instead of focusing on the killers themselves, this documentary explores our own fascination with serial killers via interviews with collectors of murder memorabilia and the artists who focus on these deranged individuals.

Stream here on Amazon. Buy here on Amazon.Waterfront Productions

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Bayou Blue (2011)

Ronald Dominique raped and killed 23 men in poverty-stricken southeastern Louisiana between 1997 and 2006. This dark film tells his story.

Buy here on Amazon.Garden Thieves Pictures

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Carl Panzram: The Spirit of Hatred and Vengeance (2013)

This documentary examines the twisted life of Carl Panzram, who killed 21 people and committed more than 1,000 acts of sodomy across the U.S. in the early 1900s.

Stream here on Amazon. Buy here on Amazon.Waterfront Productions

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From Jack The Ripper to Jeffrey Dahmer to Aileen Wuornos, serial killers have always held a grip on the most morbid corners of our imagination. Whether we want to be thrilled by the fear or seek to understand how such a twisted mind works, we focus on serial killers time and again in TV shows, movies, and documentaries.

While many movies depict fictionalized accounts of actual murderers, it's the serial killer documentaries that really send shivers down our spines. After all, these are true stories told by the victims, investigators, and sometimes even the serial killers themselves.

Mass murder, mutilation, rape, and cannibalism abound in these horrid tales. So, if you're prone to nightmares, we suggest you turn back now. Otherwise, take a look at the 20 best serial killer documentaries you can watch right now on Netflix, Amazon, HBO, and DVD.

Enjoy figuring out the best serial killer documentaries to watch? Next, take a look six unsolved murders that will keep you up at night. Then read about how some of the most famous serial killers met their end.

The 20 Best Serial Killer Documentaries That Will Chill You To The Bone