10 Best True Crime Documentaries Of 2021 (So Far)
1. Night Stalker
Like 'The Vanishing At The Cecil Hotel', some reviewers bemoaned the sensationalistic approach to retelling Richard Ramirez' story in 'Night Stalker'. That's fair enough, but it must be hard to talk about these subjects without succumbing to a little drama here and there.
It kinda' comes with the territory, and it's why so many people are interested in the first place.
Fresh knowledge from detectives Gil Carrillo and Frank Salerno makes 'Night Stalker' an essential watch regardless. Four parts also seems to be the sweet spot for Netflix, and they absolute nail the pacing here. Ramirez is introduced gently, the officers come across as well-meaning citizens and there's a particularly tense moment at a dental surgery in episode three that'll get your heart racing.
Is it exhaustive? Probably not, but this is one of the most watchable serial killer docu-series you're likely to see. It successfully puts across the idea that Ramirez terrorised an entire city as well as his unfortunate victims.
Which 2021 true crime documentary is your favourite so far? For more crime content, check out 10 Things We Learned From VICE’s Dark Side Of The Ring: New Jack and 10 Things Netflix’s Ted Bundy Documentary Left Out!