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.
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
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
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
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.
Albert Fish: In Sin He Found Salvation (2007)
The Pig Farm (2011)
H.H. Holmes: America’s First Serial Killer (2004)
Aileen: Life and Death Of A Serial Killer (2003)
Cropsey (2009)
The Iceman Confesses: Secrets of a Mafia Hitman (2011)
Jack The Ripper: Prime Suspect (2011)
This Is The Zodiac Speaking (2008)
Tales Of The Grim Sleeper (2014)
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
The Jeffrey Dahmer Files (2012)
Interview with a Serial Killer (2008)
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
The Confessions of Thomas Quick (2015)
I Survived BTK (2010)
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
Tobin: Portrait of a Serial Killer (2016)
Serial Killer Culture (2014)
Bayou Blue (2011)
Carl Panzram: The Spirit of Hatred and Vengeance (2013)
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.
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.
