(Credits: Netflix)

No matter how much we like to believe that reality is harmless, the truth is that it is almost stranger than fiction. This is why the popularity of the true-crime genre on Netflix often remains unmatched and, to some extent, even unparalleled.

Not only do they help us keep up with the unkind reality, but they also spread awareness, reminding the audience of the importance of staying alert at all times.

While true-crime documentaries on Netflix can send chills down your spine, they can often humble you, highlighting the psychological extremes humans are actually capable of. Although the Netflix library isn’t short of such documentaries, 2026 already brought plenty on its coattails.

So, for those seeking out titles from the genre, here are five gripping true-crime documentaries on Netflix to watch right now.

Five gripping true-crime documentaries to stream on Netflix

My Father, the BTK Killer (Skye Borgman, 2025)

Directed by Skye Borgman, one of the most notable names in the true-crime documentary genre, My Father, the BTK Killer tells the intense true story of Dennis Rader, a serial killer who adopted the moniker BTK through the lens of his daughter, Kerri Rawson. Although Radar always came across as a harmless church congregation president and former Cub Scout leader, after getting caught by authorities, it was found that he committed 10 murders between 1974 and 1991.

My Father, the BTK Killer recounts Rawson’s unrelenting search for answers and healing, highlighting the impact of Radar’s crimes on his immediate family and community. In the documentary, Rawson confronts the possibility of additional victims, joining dots between her childhood memories, holding hidden traumas. The movie is complete with interviews with investigators who helped unmask BTK’s real identity, featuring chilling archival photos, sketches, and interrogation footage.

The Perfect Neighbour (Geeta Gandbhir, 2025)

The Perfect Neighbour is an Oscar-nominated true-crime documentary, currently streaming on Netflix, that spotlights one of the most harrowing murders in history, that of Ajike “AJ” Owens, a mother of four who was raising her children in a tight-knit community in Ocala, Florida. Susan Lorincz, Owens’ neighbour, had fatally shot her over a minor argument involving Owens’ children playing in a field outside Lorincz’s home.

The Perfect Neighbour is primarily told through police body camera footage and audio recordings, which the filmmakers were able to put to use in the documentary thanks to a Freedom of Information Act request made by attorneys for Owens’s family. Not only does the true-crime documentary highlight a completely senseless killing, but it also spreads awareness and visibility to the case that shocked the entire community.

The TikTok Killer (Héctor Muniente, 2026)

Directed by Héctor Muniente, The TikTok Killer is one of the recently released true crime documentaries from Netflix’s Spanish slate of productions. The two-part docu-series follows the terrifying saga that began in August 2023 when Josefa “Pepa” Pérez received a concerning text from her daughter Esther Estepa, who had recently got out of an abusive relationship. Esther informs her mother that she has been living on the streets, which is why she plans to relocate from Spain to Buenos Aires with a friend.

When concerned, Pepa tries to contact Esther, but she finds her daughter’s phone switched off. Then, the hours of waiting turn into days and Esther’s family reports her missing to the police in Alicante, the seaside town where Esther had been residing in a women’s shelter. The TikTok Killer is constructed with an extensive social media archive, primarily used to retrace Esther’s final steps before she went missing.

A Murderer, a Friend (Christian Dyekjær, 2026)

Up next is a Danish true-crime docuseries, also one of Netflix’s recent offerings, A Murderer, a Friend. The three-part documentary, currently streaming on Netflix, recounts the last trauma of a series of terrifying, unresolved crimes that left a tight-knit Danish community gripped by grief, fear, suspicion, and anger over the belief that the perpetrator was still on the loose.

Years later, when the perpetrator was finally identified and arrested, it was relieving for the entire community, at least, the majority of it. However, for three of his former friends, it was the beginning of the unravelling of their worlds. A Murderer, a Friend takes viewers through the near-decade it took to bring the culprit to justice, with telling interviews featuring the killer’s former friends, a local priest, a volunteer, a journalist, and a search coordinator.

Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story (Skye Borgman, 2025)

Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story opens with security camera footage showing a frail little boy asking a neighbour for food and water, urging them to take him to the police. While the request is alarming in itself, it’s not more than the wounds he notices on the boy’s arms and wrists, making him waste no time. When the police arrive, what they discover is a horrifying crime against humanity.

The law enforcement discovered that the boy who had escaped from family counsellor Jodi Hildebrandt was content creator Ruby Franke’s 12-year-old son, the internet influencer famous for her polarising parenting content featuring her then-husband Kevin Franke and their six children. He was being held captive with his 9-year-old daughter for days, and Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story sheds light on the backstory that led up to it.