Four true-crime documentaries to finish within a weekend
Netflix’s true-crime inventory seems to have gone cold in the past few weeks. But don’t worry! November promises to take care of that.
That said, if you’re still planning to warm up with a true-crime deep dive this weekend before November kicks off, we’ve got you covered.
This watchlist will push you to your limits, take you into the darkest territories, and make you say stranger than fiction out loud. But that’s the entire point.
So, if you’re ready to step into the dark side, here are four true-crime documentaries to finish within a weekend.
Five true-crime documentaries to watch on Netflix this weekend
Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel (Joe Berlinger, 2021)
Directed by Joe Berlinger, whose Netflix credits include Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes and Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel is a four-part documentary, serving as the debut season of the Crime Scene series. The Netflix limited series recounts the mysterious disappearance and death of 21-year-old Canadian college-goer Elisa Sam in 2013.
In January 2013, Sam checked into the notorious Cecil Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles, infamous for housing terrifying figures like the Night Stalker. Within days, her parents could no longer establish a connection with her, triggering the LAPD to launch a search. Security footage from the hotel shows her entering the elevator and frantically pressing multiple floor buttons before stepping out and appearing to hide or talk to an unseen presence. Crime Scene: The Vanishing at Cecil Hotel sheds light on the wild theories that followed and the police investigation that revealed the unthinkable.
Curry & Cyanide – The Jolly Joseph Case (Christo Tomy, 2023)
Curry & Cyanide – The Jolly Joseph Case chronicles a real-life true crime that’s bound to send chills down the spine. Directed by Christo Tomy, the documentary details the shocking, real-life Koodathayi cyanide killings that took place in Koodathayi, Kerala, India, between 2002 and 2016. It opens with the investigation of six mysterious deaths within the same family, which were initially suspected to be natural or heart attacks.
Suspicion only rose years later, resulting in the exhumation of the bodies in 2019 following complaints by family members. The prime suspect turned out to be Jolly Joseph, who was accused of serving food laced with cyanide to six family members. Curry & Cyanide – The Jolly Joseph Case dives deep into the almost-forgotten case, shedding light on Jolly’s double life and uncovering the hidden motives behind the mass murder.
Can I Tell You a Secret? (Liza Williams, 2024)
Netflix’s true-crime catalogue serves as a cautionary warning, and Can I Tell You a Secret? is proof. The true-crime documentary details the real-life story of Matthew Hardy, an infamous cyberstalker from Northwich, Cheshire, in the United Kingdom, who ruthlessly targeted hundreds of women digitally from 2011 to 2022 by hacking their social media accounts.
Hardy notoriously impersonated them or their friends and family to start a conversation with an even more sinister opening line, “Can I tell you a secret?” before going all out by wrecking interpersonal relationships, digging and sending out intimate photos, and issuing threats that psychologically distressed victims. Can I Tell You a Secret? details the years of systemic police dismissal surrounding Hardy, followed by the eventual investigation, arrest, and conviction.
Murder in Monaco (Hodges Usry, 2025)
The last entry on our weekend watchlist is Hodges Usry’s Murder in Monaco, which explores the 1999 death of billionaire banker Edmond Safra. The true-crime documentary takes viewers back in time to December 3rd, 1999, when a fire broke out inside the multi-million-dollar Monaco penthouse of the 67-year-old Lebanese-Brazilian billionaire, despite top-notch security.
Safra and his nurse, Vivian Torrente, died after excessive smoke inhalation after reportedly locking themselves inside a spa-like safe room to safeguard themselves from what they believed was a home invasion. Murder in Monaco sheds light on the rumour mill and alternative theories surrounding the case that followed in the aftermath, ultimately zeroing in on the culprit and his conviction.