15 Devastating Documentaries That Mustn't Be Ignored

2. Paradise Lost (Joe Berlinger & Bruce Sinofsky, 1996-2011)

This entry is a devastating trilogy of documentaries - The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills (1996), Revelations (2000) and Purgatory (2011) - which all follow the unpredictable story of three teenage boys accused and charged with the torture and murder of three pre-teens in the backwoods of West Memphis. The controversial trials that these young men endured spanned two decades and the abuse they suffer at the hands of the media and public still continues today. This one is not for the faint of heart: the fact that the film is so unflinching and the trials are covered in great detail makes this film the hardest watch on the list, but certainly one of the most crucial. The twists in the investigation are so incredible that you'd be hard pressed to find more thrilling fiction, and if you managed to, you'd disregard it as unbelievable. The fact is that sometimes the truth really is more incredible. There is also a follow-up documentary called West of Memphis (2012) that brings the case right up to date and is a poignant full stop at the end of this chilling episode in recent crime history. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QkUJtt61ps