(Credits: Netflix)

You know how October already feels a little different? It’s probably the knock of Halloween season on your doorstep that makes even the most normal streets feel like they’re hiding something. And you know something else that can give you the same feeling while you stay indoors… Netflix.

That’s exactly what Netflix is serving this month. Instead of ghosts, you’re getting Ed Gein, the man who inspired half of Hollywood’s horror icons. Instead of fake blood, you’re getting a daughter telling the world that her dad was BTK. And just when you think it can’t get worse, there’s a neighbour who smiled over the fence by day and hid secrets at night.

And do you know what the wild part is? These documentaries aren’t just history lessons. They’re retold with the voices of people who lived them. You have got daughters, detectives and survivors, and that makes the fear feel fresh all over again. Just through the trailers, you can feel how terrifying it must have been.

So, here is a love letter for all the true-crime documentary lovers: we have curated the list of five such documentaries that are coming out in October on Netflix. Make sure you add them to your watchlist.

Five true-crime series coming to Netflix

Monster: The Ed Gein Story – October 3

Starting with one of the most anticipated shows of Netflix this year: Monster: The Ed Gein Story. But it would be too basic to call Ed Gein a serial killer, as he is practically a horror franchise by himself. Psycho’s Norman Bates, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’s Leatherface, and even Silence of the Lambs’ Buffalo Bill – all roads trace back to him. Monster: The Ed Gein Story will take you to Wisconsin, where police uncovered a farmhouse of horrors in the 1950s that changed crime history forever.

But if you are thinking that his doc just lists his crimes, then you are mistaken. This will dive deeper into who Gein really was and why his case hit such a cultural nerve. Historians, criminologists, and locals paint the picture of a quiet, isolated man who became one of America’s most infamous killers. Is it grisly? Yes. But it is also about how his legacy warped into legend and reshaped horror as we know it.

My Father, the BTK Killer – October 10

Now imagine this: you are living a normal life, and suddenly the man who tucked you in at night is unmasked as a serial killer. If you think this is a made-up story, then My Father, the BTK Killer is going to be an eye-opener for you. Because that’s exactly what happened to Kerri Rawson when her father, Dennis Rader, better known as the BTK Killer, was arrested in 2005.

This documentary centres on the voice of Kerri. It mixes her personal reflections with the prison interviews of her father, crime scene evidence, and detectives who chased BTK for decades. What makes it stand out is the emotional core: Kerri trying to reconcile the father she loved with the murderer the world feared. This doc is not just about the crimes but about the wreckage that got left behind when her father’s mask came off.

The Perfect Neighbor – October 17

You have probably waved at your neighbour this week, maybe even borrowed sugar. Now imagine finding out that the person was capable of murder. The Perfect Neighbor is all about one such story of a community that got betrayed by someone hiding in plain sight. This doc is a perfect reminder that killers don’t always look like shadows in alleys. Sometimes they’re mowing the lawn next door.

Through interviews with law enforcement and stunned residents, the doc shows how charm and trust can be weapons in disguise. It’s the kind of story that makes you side-eye the house across the street and wonder how much you actually know about the people around you.

The Monster of Florence – October 22

This documentary is from across the ocean. It’s about how Italy’s most haunting unsolved case still casts a shadow. From 1968 to 1985, couples were attacked and murdered while parked in rural spots around Florence. The killer, who was nicknamed “The Monster of Florence”, was never definitively identified, despite decades of investigation.

This documentary reopens the case with access to police files and fresh interviews, including journalists and detectives who have obsessed over it for years. The ripple effects were massive. In the end, you are left with botched leads, a media circus, and a city forever marked by fear. It is both a crime story and a portrait of obsession, showing how the need to solve a mystery can consume lives long after the violence ends.

Aileen: Queen of the Serial Killers – October 30

Finally, closing out the month on October 30th is the one and only Aileen Wuornos. Between 1989 and 1990, she killed seven men in Florida, claiming self-defence against assault. Her story became infamous thanks to Charlize Theron’s Oscar-winning performance in Monster, but this documentary digs beyond Hollywood.

Queen of the Serial Killers pulls from prison interviews, rare audiotapes, and voices of people who actually knew Aileen. The film doesn’t try to hand you a neat answer to the questions, like, was she a victim pushed too far or a calculating killer? Instead, it lets the contradictions speak for themselves. Ending the month with Aileen feels fitting: a story that’s raw, divisive, and impossible to look away from.