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This article contains references to real cases with disturbing themes including child abuse, sexual assault, violence and murder.
When it comes to seeking inspiration for storylines, TV shows likeLaw and Order: SVUandCriminal Mindshave mastered the art of reworking real-life cases into fictional storylines. For audiences, knowing that beneath the acting and scripts, a real person lived these events makes their viewing experience that much more troubling, and often leads to hours scouring Wikipedia.
Related:Best Fictional Films & Shows Based on Real-Life Crimes
Many films based on real events are heavily billed as such and receive much scrutiny for their creative takes. These movies, however, rest quietly in dusty horror collections. Perhaps it was that lack of notoriety that allowed them to bring such dark stories to the screen. As the greatSir Arthur Conan Doyleonce wrote, “life is infinitely stranger than anything which the mind of man could invent.”
Updated on December 4th, 2022, by Hannah Saab:
Recent releases likeThe Good Nurseunderscore the enduring interest in true crime movies. When done right, these films can depict the horrors humans are capable of in thought-provoking and often frightening ways. Fans looking for overlooked true crime movies have several hidden gems to choose from.
‘The Girl Next Door’ (2007) & ‘An American Crime’ (2007)
Available to stream on Tubi TV (The Girl Next Door) and Peacock (An American Crime).
Two movies based onSylvia Likensreleased in 2007 took her harrowing story to the screen. The 16-year-old daughter of traveling carnival workers was left in the care of a school friend’s mother in 1965. In exchange for $20 a week,Gertrude Baniszewskipromised to room and feed the girl. What ultimately occurred was one of the most disturbing cases of pack mentality torture and murder ever recorded.
StarringElliot Pageas Sylvia,An American Crimeis the Sylvia Likens movie that fared better with critics overall. An earlier attempt to bring the story to screen in the 1980s was vehemently opposed by Sylvia’s surviving sister,Jenny Likens. This was following the publication ofJack Ketchum’s horror novelThe Girl Next Door.Upon her death in 2004, interest in the crime was reignited, and both projects were greenlit.
‘Devil’s Knot’ (2013)
Available to stream on Hoopla.
Mosttrue-crimefans will be familiar with the West Memphis Three thanks toHBO’s pioneeringParadise Lostdocumentaries, but for those who missed it, these events took place in the heart of the Bible Belt during the infamous Satanic Panic of the late 80s and 90s. Three 8-year-old boys were found murdered by a local creek and local law enforcement surmised, incorrectly, that three local misfit teens were responsible.
Based on the bookDevil’s Knot: The True Story of the West Memphis ThreebyMara Leveritt, the film features big-name actorsReese WitherspoonandColin Firth. Unfortunately, the distributor underestimated the movie’s potential for commercial success and only gave it a limited release. This resulted in dismal turnout and a significant financial loss, but that really doesn’t speak for the quality of the product. Leveritt’s book and the movie breathe life into the often-pigeonholed story, and it’s a worthy tribute to the many lives devastated by this still-unsolved crime.
‘Karla’ (2006)
Available to rent on Amazon Video.
Labeled the “Ken and Barbie Killers,” Canadian coupleKarla HomolkaandPaul Bernardosadistically raped and murdered three schoolgirls in Ontario between 1990 and 1992. Their crimes are among Canada’s most notorious, as is Homolka’s untimely release.
Much controversy surrounded the film, with many Canadians still reeling from the events and firmly protesting its release. That being said,Laura PreponandMisha Collins' performances are masterful. While some viewers resented the film from Homolka’s perspective as it seemed to humanize a monster, others praise its loyalty to court transcripts and facts about the case. There’s no denying Bernardo abused Homolka, but at what point does gifting your little sister to a serial rapist become redeemable? Some versions of the film ends with a statement that Homolka’s IQ is 132, confirming her as a highly intelligent individual.
‘Monster’ (2003)
Available to stream on Netflix.
Many of us were too young to catchCharlize Theron’s Academy Award-winning performanceas “America’s First Female Serial Killer"Aileen Wuornosupon its release. Her transformation into the markedly disenfranchised sex worker is often heralded by critics, along with the humanity she brought to the part. As for the real Wuornos, she was put to death on July 06, 2025, after giving directorPatty Jenkinshundreds of personal letters to help her gain more insight.
Similar to the public response afterMonster’s release, since the documentaryAileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killerpremiered onNetflixmany viewers have gained sympathy for Wuornos' incomprehensibly difficult life. Unlike other female murderers, Wuornos maintained that she only killed in self-defense after each of her victims raped or assaulted her. As long as sex work is criminalized, unfortunately, women in this profession will continue to be at risk. According to the prosecutors in this case self-defense was not justifiable.
‘Lost Girls’ (2020)
Based on the bookLost Girls: An Unsolved American MysterybyRobert Kolker,Mari Gilbert’s life was turned upset down when her 24-year-old daughter Shannon went missing in 2010. Feeling the police weren’t taking her case seriously as she was a sex worker at the time of her disappearance, Gilbert dedicated her life to activism and advocating for murder victims.AsLost Girlsshows, the search for Shannan led to the discovery of 10 bodies and the establishment of the existence of the Long Island serial killer.
While Shannan’s remains were found seven months later, she was not linked to the other victims and was initially believed to have accidentally drowned. Gilbert sought an independent autopsy which found she may have died from strangulation. The identity of the Long Island serial killer remains unknown. Heartbreakingly, Mari Gilbert was violently murdered in 2016 by one of her surviving daughters, Sarra.
‘Party Monster’ (2003)
Available to stream on Peacock.
The New York club scene of the 80s and 90s is synonymous with outrageous style, loud all-nighters, and every drug under the sun. Party organizer and celebrity of the timeMichael Aligwas one of a few elite Club Kids, who were paid insane amounts of money to turn up to events and, well, party! Based on the bookDisco Bloodbathby fellow Club Kid alumniJames St. James, Alig’s ultimate downfall began when he boasted about murdering his drug dealer and roommateAndre’Angel' Melendezwhile on a talk show, no less.
Rolling Stoneconducted an interesting interview with Aligshortly following his 17-year stint in prison in 2014. There’s little he contends with regarding the content of the film. Both Alig and St. James confirmed that much of the drug use was actually toned down compared to how much they were actually using back then, to keep it more believable for audiences. Following an unsuccessful return to the spotlight and 2017 arrest for methamphetamine possession, Michael Alig died of an accidental heroin overdose on Christmas Eve in 2020.
‘Boys Don’t Cry’ (1999)
Available to rent on Apple TV.
Hilary Swank’s Academy Award-winning performance should be mandatory viewing for all adults,LGBTQIA+or otherwise. The fact that transphobia is still so prevalent over two decades after the release ofBoys Don’t Cryshows we still have so much to learn. The true story of trans manBrandon Teenatakes place in small-town Nebraska and is equally disturbing and infuriating. Viewers will carry this one with them forever, especially those of us who grew up in the brutal intolerance of the 90s.
The film was included in Premiere’s"25 Most Dangerous Movieslist,” described as, “Films that rearrange your head, that challenge your bedrock ideas about life and love and the big sleep. Consciousness-expanders, in other words, but rarely in a pleasant way.” While the casting of cisgender female Swank may garner frustration from younger viewers, it’s important to remember that this film came at a time when being transgender was considered a mental illness, andtrans people were specifically excluded from theADA(1990). Imperfect as it is, this representation humanized the most vulnerable in our community and fueled support for the Hate Crimes Prevention Act (2009).
‘Can You Ever Forgive Me?’ (2018)
Departing from her comedic path,Melissa McCarthytook on the role of infamous fraudsterLee Israelin thisAcademy Award-winning biopicthat fell mostly under the radar for regular audiences. Israel, struggling under the burden of financial strain, her beloved cat’s medical needs, and her failing writing career, discovers the booming market of celebrity memorabilia. What followed was a stroke of morally bankrupt evil genius.
The real Lee Israel released a confessional memoir titledCan You Ever Forgive Me?: Memoirs of a Literary Forgerin 2008 which inspired the feature film. One has to wonder how much sympathy the audience should have for those rich enough to collect memorabilia when Israel was unable to feed herself, however, in 1993 she did plead guilty to “conspiracy to transport stolen property.” She served six months under house arrest, with five years of probation. She was then barred by almost all libraries and archives, ending her biographer career. She went on to support herself by copy-editing for Scholastic.
‘Snowtown’ (2011)
Available to stream on AMC+.
Australia has seen its fair share of serial killers (theIvan Milat-inspiredWolf Creeksprings to mind), but one case that often goes missed is South Australia’s very own White-Supremiscist-Masking-As-A-VigilanteJohn Buntingand his band of loyal servants. Between 1992 and 1999, the charismatic Bunting befriended and then murdered 12 victims. While initially painting his crimes as ‘justice’ and accusing his victims of pedophilia, it became quickly apparent that Bunting just liked power and violence.
Told from the perspective of 16-year-oldJamieSpyridon Vlassakis, when his mother’s partner takes indecent photos of him and his brothers, it’s John Bunting who steps in to save the boys from further exploitation. In time, he gains the trust of naive and maltreated Jamie, by dating his mother and protecting him from his abusive old brother. The protector soon shifts when his real motives become clear. By this point, Jamie owes Bunting and if he betrays him, he’ll be next.
‘Bully’ (2001)
This shocking tale of revenge dramatizes the 1993 murder ofBobby Kent. According to those who knew him, Kent took pleasure in the humiliation and pain of his “friends,” and subjected his long-time friendMarty Puccioto physical and emotional abuse. Puccio’s parents said he would often come home bruised and bloody after being with Kent. This further escalated after the two began going to the gym and taking steroids together. When Puccio’s girlfriendLisa Connellyset Kent up with her friendAli Willis, she quickly ended things due to him physically and sexually assaulting her, with Connelly likewise expressing that she was abused by Kent.
Living in fear of Kent’s mounting violence, now-pregnant Connelly recruited Willis and several other friends to eliminate the threat once and for all. The film stays surprisingly close to events as described in the trial, and four of the seven convicted killers have since been released. It is worth noting that screenwriterDavid McKennawas unhappy with the final product and chose to be credited under a pseudonym. DirectorLarry Clarke’s ability to capture the rage and rebellion of middle-class teens is as confronting as ever, but not as gratuitous as some of his other works. Here, at least, the actors are all of age.
