Dive into the world of true crime with our countdown of the most historically accurate serial killer series. From "Mindhunter" to "Dahmer," we explore how these shows meticulously recreate chilling real-life stories, bringing the dark depths of criminal minds to the screen with remarkable precision.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00The only way I could have those girls was to kill them, and it worked."
00:05Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for series or miniseries commended
00:09for their accuracy in depicting various serial killers and or the time and place in which
00:14their crimes occurred.
00:15Beware of spoilers.
00:16I'm telling the truth.
00:20Number 10.
00:21Doctor Death
00:22Afraid of hospitals?
00:23This harrowing tale might just make it worse.
00:25Based on Wondery's 2018 podcast, this chilling miniseries unpacks the story of Christopher
00:29Dunch, a neurosurgeon whose botched surgeries left many patients injured, paralyzed, or
00:34even dead.
00:35Could it have been human error?
00:36Sure.
00:37Yeah, why not?
00:38But after that case in January, Dunch had a bunch more, which were all, shall we say,
00:42less than successful.
00:43But two of them were borderline monstrous.
00:46Drawing from extensive research and court documents, this Peacock original gets most
00:50of the facts correct, though it takes some creative liberties.
00:53Some changes include condensed legal proceedings, altering patients' names, and embellishing
00:57Dunch's backstory.
00:58They're living in the past, and I am the future.
01:02A key figure, Jennifer Miller, is notably omitted from the series.
01:05However, real-life heroes like Robert Henderson and Randall Kirby, and their efforts to expose
01:10Doctor Death, take center stage.
01:12X-rays are bullshit.
01:13Get me the cage!
01:14Even the trial episode, which is condensed, closely follows the real-life 2017 verdict
01:19that finally saw Dunch convicted.
01:21Number 9.
01:22Appropriate adult
01:23You were arrested earlier today by my colleague here in relation to the murder of your daughter,
01:27Heather.
01:28Could you tell me in your own words what you know about that?
01:30Right, what happened was…
01:32Between the late 60s and 80s, Gloucester's serial killer couple Fred and Rosemary West
01:36murdered at least 12 women.
01:37After Fred's arrest, social worker Janet Leach became his appropriate adult, compelled to
01:41listen to his disturbing confessions that left her deeply traumatized.
01:45I was scared.
01:46So I was going to put her in the Wendy house, and then I thought I'd put her in the dustbin.
01:52But I couldn't get her in there.
01:53So I get this ice saw, you know, with the two prongs at the top and the serrated edges
02:00that you use for cutting blocks of ice, and I cut her legs off.
02:06This ITV show draws from that true story, with Emily Watson playing real-life Leach,
02:10whose role is somewhat exaggerated but essentially accurate.
02:13Rooted in extensive research, the series effectively recounts Fred's confessions, his initial
02:18denial of Rosemary's involvement, and his death in prison.
02:21Crude reality buried evidence of their crimes was later unearthed, and Rosemary was sentenced
02:25to life in prison.
02:26The portrayal of the Wests was praised for being too convincing.
02:29The actors, including Watson, received awards for their gripping performances.
02:33You're my only friend.
02:34I'm not your friend.
02:35You are.
02:36We're going on a journey together, Janet.
02:37Neither of us knows where it's going to end, but we're on it together.
02:518.
02:52The Serpent
02:53Perhaps it's true.
02:54After all, I cannot now face trial anywhere in the world.
02:59In the mid-70s, backpacking along South Asia's hippie trail was anything but safe, thanks
03:04to the notorious fraudster and serial killer Charles Sobhraj.
03:08This eight-part drama tells his story, with Tahar Rahim embodying this manipulative killer.
03:12In staying true to real events, part of the series was filmed in Thailand, a key location
03:17in Charles' infamous life, as depicted, he evaded capture for years, earning him the
03:20nickname The Serpent.
03:21I felt free.
03:22Free from judgment.
03:23Mine.
03:24God's.
03:25It was all entirely without tragedy.
03:39His relationship with his ex-wife, depiction of his girlfriend, Marie-Andrée Leclerc,
03:44and right-hand man, Adjaye Choudhury, as his accomplices, were predominantly accurate.
03:48Even his sinister methods of tricking and poisoning his victims were spot-on, so the
04:06series is not only compelling but also impressively true to real life, with some creative changes,
04:11of course.
04:127.
04:13Jack the Ripper's reign of terror
04:14If gritty historical dramas are your thing, you've probably heard of this BBC period mystery.
04:20Set in the aftermath of Jack the Ripper's reign of terror, it begins with a team of
04:23detectives' relentless but failed efforts to catch him.
04:26Folks might ask, what's to be gained from slurring the reputation of a man such as Mr.
04:32Reid?
04:33And that slur hides the truth.
04:36Whose?
04:37Yours, Inspector.
04:38Your activities in this division.
04:41Wilson?
04:43You are a disgrace to badge and uniform.
04:46With authentic sets and historically accurate locations and costumes, the series recreates
04:51the harsh reality of Victorian-era London.
04:53In doing so, it succeeds in immersing viewers in real-life Whitechapel, where the Ripper
04:57murders occurred.
04:58The show also weaves in real historical elements like the London Match Girl Strike, Chinese
05:02immigration and Joseph Merrick, the Elephant Man.
05:05More than a crime drama, Ripper Street doubles as a history lesson, a testament to the creator's
05:09commitment to delivering a smart, riveting series.
05:11No, that is not the way the universe functions.
05:13There is no... there is no God stood in judgment.
05:17Who mentioned God, sir?
05:18No, I talk of life, and life, Mr. Reid, is offended by you and me.
05:26Number 6.
05:27The Pembrokeshire Murders
05:28And it will always be found by those with the will to find it.
05:33This might feel like fiction, but it's based on a true story.
05:35In 2006, Detective Steve Wilkins reopened unsolved 80s murder cases which led to the
05:40capture of Welsh serial killer John Cooper and his conviction in 2011.
05:44This gripping ITV series closely mirrors the real-life case, with Luke Evans playing Wilkins.
05:48The detective's six-year investigation is squeezed into three episodes, but the show
05:52accurately captures his team's race against time, though not all the officers involved
05:56are featured in detail.
05:57It even touches on the review of a 1989 Bullseye episode which helped identify the killer and
06:02highlights the cutting-edge techniques and rigorous detective work used to put the killer
06:06away.
06:07I'm not a thief.
06:12Much of the series was also filmed in Pembrokeshire, adding to its authenticity.
06:16We reinvestigate and it doesn't go our way.
06:19You could lose everything.
06:22Number 5.
06:23Dez
06:24With this, ITV proved yet again that it's expert at creating finely crafted drama that
06:27delves into the bleak reality of real-life murder cases.
06:30Don't mock me about it.
06:31Where's the rest of the body?
06:33Where's the rest of the body?
06:37In the cupboard.
06:38Dez tells the true story of the Scottish killer Dennis Nielsen, who was arrested after body
06:42remains were found clogging the sewage near his home.
06:45Widely praised, this series presents a well-researched portrayal of the police's struggle to convict
06:50him and the shocking nature of his crimes.
06:53What comes is this flood of self-righteous public condemnation, whilst simultaneously
07:01As Dez casually confesses we're jolted by his twisted mind and monstrous nature, which
07:17is intensified by David Tennant's award-winning uncanny personification.
07:21Despite being a deeply unsettling tale, the creators expertly handle all of its gory details
07:25without ever glorifying the killer.
07:45Ever wondered what it's like to live next door to a serial killer?
07:48This chilling story pulls you right into that terrifying reality.
07:51Set in the 1940s and 1950s, it unravels the dark secrets of 10 Rillington Place, where
07:56John Christie murdered at least eight people, including his wife.
07:59The show also depicts Timothy Evans' wrongful conviction, though not entirely accurately.
08:03Still, it successfully transports viewers into post-war England and Rillington Place's
08:07sinister atmosphere.
08:08Tim Roth's hauntingly accurate performance as Christie, with his accent shifts, adds
08:17to the overwhelming tension.
08:18While some of Christie's darker tendencies are left unexplored, the series truly offers
08:22a detailed dive into this dark chapter in history through three perspectives.
08:48This intense adaptation of James Kean's 2010 novel is a must-see.
08:57Like the book, it tells the true story of Kean, a former football star sentenced to
09:0010 years on drug charges and offered a dangerous deal.
09:03For a reduced sentence, he had to befriend serial killer Larry Hall, whose conviction
09:07was in danger of being overturned.
09:08Kean's mission was to get evidence to keep him in prison.
09:19From Kean's bond with his cop father to his criminal past and uneasy friendship with Hall,
09:23the series accurately nails his journey.
09:25Even the tense moment when he reveals his disgust for the killer is true to life.
09:29In the end, Kean's work helped in keeping Hall behind bars.
09:32Some elements, however, were fictionalized for dramatic effect.
09:372.
09:38Dahmer – Monster, The Jeffrey Dahmer Story
09:49Disturbing doesn't even begin to describe this show.
09:51Created by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, it recounts the story of notorious American serial
09:56killer Jeffrey Dahmer with painstaking accuracy.
09:59It examines everything from Dahmer's personality to the gruesome discoveries in his apartment,
10:03the victim who managed to escape, and the police department's negligence.
10:06However, one notable change is Glenda Cleveland's role.
10:14According to reports, she didn't live in the same building as Dahmer, as the show suggests.
10:18Still, her suspicious and ignored calls to the police are largely accurate.
10:21The show also gives voice to the victims, presenting their families' testimonies near
10:25word for word.
10:26Despite some inaccuracies, this series has been praised for its next-level portrayal
10:30of Dahmer's crimes.
10:31Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified
10:40about our latest videos.
10:42You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them.
10:46If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.
10:511.
10:53Mindhunter
10:54You can't talk about Netflix's finest without mentioning this masterpiece.
10:57David Fincher and team created a brilliant show while staying true to the essence of
11:01its source material.
11:02Although fictional, the series to a large extent accurately explores the origins of
11:09the FBI's criminal profiling program.
11:11The main characters, Holden Ford, Bill Tench, and Wendy Carr, may be fictional, but they're
11:15loosely based on real-life pioneers of the FBI's behavioral science unit.
11:28The series even dives into real-life notorious killers like Charles Manson, the BTK killer,
11:32and Son of Sam, portraying them with remarkable accuracy.
11:48Even their prison dialogues are taken from actual interviews.
11:51No doubt this is a finely constructed show.
11:53What are the most fascinating true crime shows you've ever seen?
11:56Let us know in the comments section.