6 true crime documentaries that go beyond the headlines

Hollie Ann Noble is a watchlist curator specialising in true crime and thrillers. She shares her recommendations on TikTok and Instagram, from new releases to hidden gems and old favourites.

In this guest article, Hollie shares six true crime documentaries that have kept her up at night, explaining what makes each one stand out - from centring victims’ stories to offering fresh perspectives on familiar cases.

For me, the best true crime documentaries are the ones that make me question everything I thought I knew about a case. The ones that keep me up until 3am, Googling myself into a rabbit hole of crime scene photos and Reddit threads. These are the documentaries I want to talk to you about today, the ones that go beyond the headlines, albeit in very different ways. From documentaries that are victim-focused, to ones that shed new light on evidence or tell you parts of the story you never knew existed. If, like me, you're a true crime obsessive, grab a brew and let's get into it.

Ted Bundy has always been somewhat of a true crime obsession for me because he is one of my mum’s, so I’ve been aware of him for as long as I can remember. This made him, for me, somewhat of a boogeyman-type character. The story that stops me walking home alone at night, the evil hiding in plain sight, the charming mask hiding the terrifying devil.

This documentary is incredible because this is not about Bundy. This is about the women whose lives he took, the women whose lives he affected and the women who ultimately helped to bring him to justice. It includes interviews with Liz, who was his partner at the time, and her daughter, and it is truly moving.

I of course knew the basics of this case going in, but not much in any real depth, and this was such an eye-opener. The documentary leans heavily on interview footage with Aileen Wuornos from prison, while also looking at what happened to her before the first murder ever occurred. It gives you an insight into who Aileen was and what led her down this path, while never brushing aside the severity of the crimes or the victims. It also introduces a part of the story surrounding her first murder that I had never been aware of.

This entire case is incredibly sad from all angles, and this one really does provide fresh insights that somehow make everything even sadder. So, check the trigger warnings and get ready to be dead upset.

Due to my true crime obsession, I've been aware of the Lizzie Borden case and the mystery surrounding it for a long time, and me and Lizzie have been down many a rabbit hole together. The case has been part of the US consciousness for well over a century, becoming one of America's most notorious murder trials and even inspiring a nursery rhyme. But lots of people in the UK may still know very little about the actual case, and if you want to know the story beyond the folklore, start here.

This documentary looks at the case from all angles, including reconstructions of Lizzie's testimony using her actual words. It looks at other people who may have been suspicious, as well as evidence that was withheld from the jury at her trial that I think could have changed the outcome. Most interestingly, it takes a look at society at the time and how difficult it was for an all male jury to believe that a woman could be capable of such a violent act.

I'm actually not convinced that Lizzie did it, or at the very least, I'm not convinced that she acted alone, which might be my most controversial true crime opinion.

I know what you're thinking. What can possibly be behind the headlines with this story? She shot her lover in the street, there were witnesses and she never denied it... well, that's what I thought too.

This is a very in-depth look at the Ruth Ellis case. If you don't know much about Ruth, she was the last woman to be hanged in Britain for murdering her lover, David Blakely. Without giving too much away, because this one really blew my mind, it takes a look at Ruth's life, her relationship with David and the strange involvement of other people who were never really looked at in the case. It also explores the tragic life of her son after her death and looks at how changes to the law after Ruth's execution could have led to a very different outcome for her.

I think about Ruth at least once a week.

We know a lot about O.J. Simpson, and we know about Nicole Brown Simpson in the context of O.J., which feels very wrong when you realise that her life has essentially been boiled down to her incredibly tragic end.

This documentary looks at Nicole's life and tells her story through the friends and family who knew her, showing us who she was outside of this tragedy. It also looks at her relationship with O.J. from the point of view of the people closest to her.

Very powerfully, one of Nicole's sisters says that she doesn't even want to say O.J.'s name, and I think that really sets the tone for this documentary. This is about decentering him and telling her story. And about time too.

The White House Farm murders and Jeremy Bamber’s conviction are incredibly polarising. He has die hard defenders who firmly believe he is innocent, and those who believe he did it. I am firmly in the latter camp, but this documentary does a really good job of laying out both sides.

It’s very balanced, especially compared with other Bamber documentaries, which seem to fall pretty hard on one side or the other. If you don’t know much about this case, then I highly recommend starting here for the full picture.

Before watching this documentary, I genuinely couldn’t understand why anyone thought Bamber was innocent. After watching it, I can see the argument. I’m still convinced they have the right person behind bars. I am a fact monster though. I want to know every angle and every point of view, and that’s probably why this case is my most Googled case of all time.

So if you have a week or two to kill and you want to lose some serious sleep, look at crime scene photos you can't unsee and launch a full investigation from the comfort of your own duvet, then these documentaries are a great place to start. But when you're wide awake at 3am, don't say I didn't warn you.