15 Best Scary Documentaries On Netflix
You might want to hold someone's hand.
instagram Why is it so easy to find scary documentaries? Why, when we think of documentaries, do we automatically assume there will more than likely be animal death, grisly murder, massive conspiracy, or alien abduction involved?
So, what makes up for scary now in the documentary world? It's not the kind of horror saved for movie plots; no, when we delve deep into the reality of a topic now, for the sake of documenting it for a film, we scour the known universe for the sickest, most threatening, most shocking material we can find.
You want reality TV at the highest level of horror? Check out just about any documentary on food safety. Netflix documentaries include topics like the processing of animal products, movies that will turn you into a radical vegan warrior. What you'll see will turn you so far off of meat, you'll want to leave the planet to forage for truffles on Venus.
If you're looking for the best Netflix documentaries that will scare the bejesus out of you, just on the truth alone, then pull up a barf bag and prepare for the living nightmares that are easily accessed on this steaming channel. Here are 15 of the best "scary" documentaries on Netflix today.
1. The Dirt
Fluffy doco based on Motley Crue's early rise to fame and fortune, this film is fun, if you are still in that mindset where fun is about watching people overdose on hard drugs while treating women like garbage. It's fun to watch the true life stories of rock stars, but it's a bit sickening to think how much they got away with when it came down to just how little respect they had for all the women that came into their worlds.
This is a truly scary documentary. It shows men at their ugliest, being abusive to women, while making rock and roll.
2. Gaga: Five Foot Two
Painful to watch in the way that if we love our Lady Gaga, then we seriously don't want to know that she's been suffering from fibromyalgia for years and years. Poor thing tries so hard, and this is her behind the scenes story.
She's a power-packed icon with all the talent in the world, and her story is one of ultimate triumph, leaving the audience to wonder if such talent must always pay so high a price. Gaga stands tall at five foot two.
3. Amy
Now this is where the scary really comes in. Amy Winehouse is one of the greatest talents we've come to see the rise and fall of, during this century. She was just a woman, yet she had a horrible love of drugs, booze and self-destruction.
This film will make you cry, whether you are a fan or not. Could we have helped Amy, or was Amy beyond all of our cries? We will never know, but this respectful documentary helps us understand addiction, self-destructive behavior, and what it's like to be as gifted and troubled as this young woman was.
4. Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes
A while back, people were talking about this documentary, saying things about Ted Bundy's good looks and how he was able to utilize them for his dastardly deeds. First of all, that must have been a publicity stunt because Ted Bundy's looks make me want to head for the hills.
Women do NOT find him attractive, so stop it, world! He was a sicko serial killer and a misogynistic piece of crap; let's not make him into some kind of handsome, charismatic svengali. He wasn't. He was a vile human being who became famous for being a vile human being. And scary series is his documentary.
5. Wild Wild Country
Nothing like a good cult to make your skin crawl, especially when that cult makes itself out to be a spiritual movement for the sake of enlightenment. WWC takes place in the "desert" of Oregon, and it's quite easy to see how The Bhagwan — the leader — could seduce his flock and turn them into a raging zombie march.
One minute, you're a meditating hippie, and the next, you're a gun-toting revolutionary on a mission from hell. Guns, girls, and gurus are what make up this ashram of chaos.
6. Making A Murderer: Part 2
So, what makes a murderer, well... a murderer? Part two of this popular miniseries gets into the thick and thin of such a question. We follow one murderous subject throughout the events of his life all the way up until his arrest and everything that comes after.
If you like shows like Lock Down or Prison Break, you'll enjoy the stale bouquet of murderous men being righteous bags of filth and misogyny. It's nteresting how it's always about killing women. Scary? Yes. Good? Umm... no.
7. Seeing Allred
What made me curious about this documentary was the name "Allred" as I, at first, thought it might be some sort of take off on the name game played in the brilliant series, The Handmaid's Tale. I thought maybe Allred was similar to Offred, the name given to the lead character, representing the putrid concept that she was owned by her husband, Fred — she was "of Fred."
Well, Allred is an actual female revolutionary, so it was to my great surprise that not only did I find a documentary on women who fight like hell for their rights, I found this amazing true tale which is one of Gloria Allred, superstar feminist attorney. Scary that we're still doing this, but we will carry on!
8. What the Health
Yes, this is where you stop what you're eating and you simply watch on, in horror. This is the documentary that makes you question everything. Can we reverse chronic disease? Can we cure our ills with food medicine?
While this isn't on the level of a true "I hate human beings for being so cruel and awful" feature, like that of Earthlings, this still brings up some solid questions. And some liquid ones, too. What the Health brings up the idea that we need to be incredibly proactive in how we approach what we put in our bodies, because what's already in there is scary!
9. The Truth About Alcohol
Could the truth about alcohol be half as scary as the truth about the cult of Alcoholics Anonymous? Actually, yes. It's bad stuff. But we all knew that, right? Don't we all drink five glasses of red wine daily because of previous "healthy" suggestions? We drink while we're pregnant now, isn't that correct?
This film sets us up with some interesting and shocking truths about alcohol and the entire business of alcohol as well. Major investigative reporting and some harsh revelations to come. Scary stuff indeed.
10. Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown
Whenever something with Anthony Bourdain now appears on our screen, there's always an element of sadness and a bit of terror, as well. What scary food will he eat today? A fearsome thought!
Tony traveled the world to make friends and eat local foods. Breaking bread with the locals was his joy — a pastime he not only made a living doing, but one that took him high and low in search of worthy scenarios to share with us.
We never knew he was as troubled as he was, and it's with sadness that we watch his shows now; though it's hard not to love him while we watch him sit with Barack Obama, while eating bugs, slurping up spleen and drinking beer in some far away location.
11. Sustainable
This documentary is one that we should all at least try and see. It deals with the very real reality that we ain't gonna last if we keep up the bad habits we've come to rely upon over the last century. Life has changed; we're running out of food, we're running out of resources. We humans have depleted ourselves out of house and home... almost.
It's a warning. Can we sustain life? Can we reverse time and avoid the doom we've sculpted for ourselves from years of neglect for the planet? Can we take care of the planet, take climate change seriously, and do the right thing for ourselves and our species? Yes, we can, according to Sustainable. A good, positive watch for scary times.
12. Blackfish
This is THE scariest documentary out there, and that is because it's a true story of horrific animal abuse — the kind that will make you want to become a freedom fighter for sea animals. Blackfish is the story of a killer whale, an Orca, and what that Orca went through in its short experience of life at the now infamous and rotten to the core Sea World waterpark.
Oh yes, there's plenty of human death involved, and some of it... justified. Never underestimate a captured wild animal of massive strength and unbridled anger and confusion. Blackfish is an expose that will make you feel both embarrassed to be human, and proud that such a thing finally ended. We hope.
13. Our Planet
Scary because this planet of ours is so beyond our scope of amazing, this is one helluva fantastic place, this earth of ours. When you've finally come off your Game of Thrones high and you need something a little more realistic, yet you still crave major drama and wild scenes that thrill you visually? Get thee to Netflix pronto for viewings of the glorious Our Planet.
And while it's not Morgan Freeman doing the narration, it's that other guy, David Attenborough, who does the 'splainin here. This is a treat for the eyeballs, my friends. We live on one fantastic planet and every inch of it appears to be wonderful.
14. The Secret
If I mention The Secret, trust me, it's because I'm making fun of it. Scary is what happens when you get someone who writes a book, makes a zillion and a half dollars on it, then tries to smash its impossible philosophy down your throat, just in case there's more money to get out of you.
The Secret is what happens when you tell people to use the Law of Attraction without giving them the tools to actually know what they're doing. The Secret is self-help that panders to those desperate to spend money on whatever the "cool" approach to spirituality is that week.
It's an older book and a newer documentary, but the total takeaway from it is that you've been taken once again, and you still don't have that million dollars you affirmed you'd have. That's some secret.
15. Holy Hell
One of my favorite subjects of them all is the idea of religious cults and how they all eventually become exposed for the trash they truly are. Holy Hell explores this variety of garbage in all the baptismal technicolor joy one could expect. Hippies, flowers, glowing eyeballs of seduction... extra tight white shorts on guys.
This documentary is so hilarious, you'd think it was a mockumentary. What is it about cult leaders who have those goo-goo eyes that shine like they've just swallowed all the Snapchat filters there are? If you like making fun of religious idiots, this one's for you.
Ossiana Tepfenhart is a Jack-of-all-trades writer based out of Red Bank, New Jersey. When she's not writing, she's drinking red wine and chilling with some cool cats. You can follow her @bluntandwitty on Twitter.