(Credits: Netflix)

Aileen Wuornos, the subject of Netflix’s latest documentary, Aileen: Queen of the Serial Killers, was executed in 2002 after killing seven men in Florida between 1989 and 1990. Time and again, the horrors of her carnage have been retold, debated and discussed, most notably in Charlize Theron’s Oscar-winning performance in Monster and in follow-up true-crime stories.

Still, two decades later, Netflix chose to return with her story not to contest the legal findings, but to shed light on why it remains so complex even after all this time.

Aileen: Queen of the Serial Killers hit Netflix shelves just today. Speaking of the subject, director Emily Turner told Tudum, “She is so confusing and so complex, which runs so in the face of how we like women to be.” But for those assuming this is some “apology piece” about what she did, Turner truly hopes viewers draw different conclusions.

The question remains whether Aileen: Queen of the Serial Killers has something new to offer that hasn’t been said before. As a result, here’s a peek into the ending and the insights it has brought so far.

What’s new in the Netflix documentary?

Aileen: Queen of the Serial Killers is packed with new audio conversations with prominent figures involved in her case. It also features archival footage of Dateline correspondent Michele Gillen’s reporting, court visuals, and police recorded tapes. The Netflix documentary even includes unseen conversations between Wuornos on her death row and filmmaker Jasmine Hirst.

It turns out the reason behind Turner’s forgoing on-camera interviews serves a twofold purpose. Firstly, it offers viewers a recount of the events with a sense of urgency that’s not abruptly cut with commentators. Secondly, it allows a more candid reflection from the participants. “I was just so astounded by how much people tell you when you haven’t got a camera. We just wanted those voices to feel as unmediated as possible,” she said.

It’s safe to say that Aileen: Queen of the Serial Killers doesn’t exactly live by the formula of true crime documentaries. It rather features raw footage to capture the unmediated reactions, allowing Netflix viewers to witness the complexities and contrasts surrounding the case in real time.

What made Wuornos kill seven men?

Turner never really wanted to put Aileen: Queen of the Serial Killers in the worn-out “killer or victim” frame, which has always been the go-to periphery in which Wuornos’s story has been retold. Instead, she wanted to bring to light the significant moments that shaped her and her narrative. “It’s actually so much easier to write off someone who’s done such heinous acts as a cold-blooded murderer [rather than] a deeply damaged human. Actually, she was made, and that’s chilling,” she explained.

For the uninitiated, Wuornos was born in 1956 in Michigan, and she didn’t exactly live a life of a fairytale. She never saw her father, and when she was just four, her mother left Wuornos with her grandparents. There were multiple reports of physical and sexual abuse at home. She conceived at the age of 14 after being raped.

While she gave birth to a boy, she was coerced into giving him up for adoption. After she dropped out of school, she was eventually abandoned once more, this time by her grandfather. At the time, she sought shelter in the nearby woods. Wuornos then caught a ride to Florida, making ends meet with sex work and turning to minor offences. Aileen: Queen of the Serial Killers, with its archival footage and interviews, suggests that these traumatic events led to her life of crime, for which she came to be hailed as notorious over time.

The documentary also revisits her claims of self-defence, hinging on this foundational history. It includes testimony about a ruthless sexual assault at the hands of her first victim, Richard Mallory. What it further reveals is the records of Mallory’s history of treatment at an institution for sexual offenders and the attempted-rape convictions before, which were not part of the evidence. With those, Turner leaves it to viewers to draw their conclusions.

Wuornos was eventually convicted of killing Mallory, resulting in her death sentence. Despite being her only trial, she gradually confessed to no contest in five more murders.

Did gender and stigma shape the conclusion against Wuornos?

Indeed, to a large extent. The scrutiny and commentary from the media and the legal system didn’t help her case, and the bias was palpable in plain sight. Journalists went ahead to present and sensationalise Wuornos as a sex worker. Lead prosecutor John Tanner drew counsel, indicating Wuornos was hopelessly evil and should not be cut any slack. Then, there was a shocking connection found between Tanner and the notorious Ted Bundy, which revealed the double standards on gender in daylight.

“This was something that was reported on at the time, but it was certainly news to us – John Tanner, the prosecutor, had been Ted Bundy’s prayer partner a few years before [Wuornos’s trial] and had spent hours praying with him [as a part of his prison ministry]. And so to hear that, only a few years later, he’s prosecuting Aileen and writing opinion pieces about how prostitutes are to blame for the ills of society – it is immoral at best or amoral at worst,” Turner added.

Aileen: Queen of the Serial Killers pulls up with an important question: who is given a shot at redemption and who isn’t?

Who was Tyria Moore? How was she connected to Wuornos?

Tyria Moore was Wuornos’s girlfriend during the murder spree. As a result, she was also involved in the investigation process. After Moore left Florida, she collaborated with the cops.

They cooperated to set up recorded phone calls with Moore, attempting to lure out incriminating statements from Wuornos. Aileen: Queen of the Serial Killers features a part of those calls where Wuornos was pressed to make those confessions, which ultimately became a significant testimony against her in court.