If you’re someone who frequents oddities or metaphysical shops (hell, even antique shops in some instances), you start to get pretty good at sensing the authenticity of not just the items around you but the people, too. You’re able to distinguish whether or not those standing behind the counter love the stuff as much as you or if they’re in it for some other reason, be it money, fad, or something else. 

Joshua Chaplinsky’s Letters to The Purple Satin Killer follows the story of Pennsylvania native serial killer Jonas Williker entirely through letters written to him by his mother, the bereaved, investigators, and even self-proclaimed “fans.”

Unlike traditional true-crime retellings, Ryan Murphy’s Monsters: The Erik and Lyle Menendez Story dives into the chilling abuse allegations and complex family dynamics that led to the 1989 murder of José and Kitty Menendez.

The new release Red Rooms offers an intense and accurate take on true crime, cyber hacking, and the depths one will go to uncover the truth.

 In 2003, Charles Cullen was convicted of killing 29 patients across two states and nine hospitals. While it is believed that his actual victim count is much higher (as many as 300), two films released just months apart in 2022 examine his story and those affected by his crimes.

In the finale of Season Four of You, viewers realize that Joe hasn’t changed his murderous ways since leaving the United States and that he’s gotten much, much worse—or better when it comes to getting away with his crimes.

In the first few episodes of Season 4 of You recently released by Netflix, viewers find Joe Goldberg living a new, peaceful life in Europe. While he’s managed to refrain from his murderous tendencies in the states, it would appear he’s now the one in someone else’s crosshairs.

The Black Phone is a psychological thriller about a 13-year-old boy who must fight to escape the clutches of a neighborhood serial killer.

Ryan Murphy’s recent adaptation of infamous serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer’s life and murderous encounters in Netflix’s Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story seems to focus on the humanization of Dahmer, more so than the unhuman acts he committed to 17 men and boys.

Former Seattle police officer turned true crime author Ann Rule recalls the chilling case of Randy Roth, a serial killer known for swooning women into marriage, opening hefty life insurance policies on them and then profiting from their tragic deaths. His story, among others in the anthology, reminds us that even the sweetest of charmers can have a dark side.

Based on real-life tragedies, Smiley Face Killers misses the potential of what could have been an enjoyable exploration of true crime.

The saga of murderers, Joe and Love, turned married progresses as a newborn baby throws a wrench into their new chapter in an upper-class suburban neighborhood.

In the latest Peacock true crime documentary, John Wayne Gacy: Devil in Disguise, viewers are taken through a detailed timeline surrounding the events of the 1960s and 1970s Chicago “Killer Clown” murders.

The Creep duology is a carefully crafted combination that makes for a micro-budget psychological slasher we didn’t know we needed, but are so grateful to have.

Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel (created by Joe Berlinger), Netflix’s latest true crime documentary and story of Elisa Lam, is like many other Netflix documentaries, but falls short in some crucial ways.

In the latest Netflix true crime documentary, Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer, viewers follow the hunt for Richard Ramirez through the stories of crime investigators and the chilling accounts of survivors and victims’ family members.

In director Ben Wheatley’s take on Daphne du Maurier’s Gothic horror masterpiece Rebecca, Wheatley’s distinctive, macabre style is muted by stylistic missteps and a lack of critical components from the novel.

Even if you can’t relate to ever being a weird kid, did you ever meet a true stranger? Someone you just couldn’t pin? In My Friend Dahmer, viewers get a glimpse of the life as told through the eyes of friend and graphic novelist Derf Backderf, right before before Jeffery Dahmer began his path to becoming the Milwaukee Monster.

Even by today’s standards, we can unfortunately predict that such a polite, attractive and considerate person isn’t easy to come by. Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile never delivers that fear-for-your-life expectation, not until the very end.