Movies and series come and go as time flies past us. However, there are only a handful of titles that truly baffle audiences with their brilliant storytelling antics, captivating cinematography, and strong performances. On top of this, true crime is a genre that seems to appeal to a majority of cinematic-adrenaline-junkies. For them (and everybody else), this list summarizes the best true-crime titles, released in the first half of 2024, to stream on OTT!
1. Griselda – Netflix – Spanish
Starring Sofia Vergara as the lethal leading lady, the show chronicles the life of Griselda Blanco, the woman who singlehandedly created one of the most profitable cartels in history. A devoted mother, Blanco’s lethal blend of charm and unsuspecting savagery helped her expertly traverse the planes between family and business, leading her to become widely known as the ‘Black Widow’.
2. Manhunt – Apple TV+ – English
Part historical fiction and part conspiracy thriller, the series delves into the aftermath of the first American presidential assassination— and the fight to preserve and protect the ideals that were the foundation of Abraham Lincoln’s Reconstruction plans. Based on the New York Times bestseller ‘Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer’, the show follows the frantic search for John Wilkes Booth, after he assassinated the sixteenth U.S. president.
3. Baby Reindeer – Netflix – English
Starring Richard Gadd as a fictionalized version of himself, the show revolves around a struggling comedian who shows one act of kindness to a vulnerable woman. The act, albeit innocent in nature, unfortunately sparks a suffocating obsession that threatens to wreck both their lives.
4. Under the Bridge – Disney+ Hotstar – English
Based on Rebecca Godfrey’s book of the same name, the Lily Gladstone and Riley Keough starrer show chronicles the death of Reena Virk—a fourteen-year-old girl who was attacked by her friends in 1997. It follows Godfrey, a writer who takes an interest in Reena’s story and works with a local detective to understand what had transpired.
5. Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story – Netflix – English
The second installment of the Monster anthology series by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, the series tackles the story of two brothers who killed their parents in 1989 and the events surrounding the brutal slayings. During their trials, the brothers cited years of abuse as the reason for murdering their parents. However, prosecutors argued that their motive was to get their hands on the family fortune.
6. Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult – Netflix – English
After TikTok dancers join a management company and its associated church, unsettling details about the founder and their dark realities come to light. Several former members speak out against 7M Films owner and Shekinah Church pastor Robert Shinn.
7. What Jennifer Did – Netflix – English
The intriguing film follows Jennifer Pan when she calls 911 to report that her parents have been shot. Surprisingly, she becomes the primary focus of a captivating criminal case. Pan was found to have orchestrated a home invasion and in 2015, she was sentenced to death for hiring hitmen to kill her estranged parents.
8. Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies & Scandal – Netflix – English
AshleyMadison.com started as a Canadian online dating site for married adults to cheat on their partners in 2001. Things went well until the website was hacked and private information about its 35M users was leaked. This affected innumerable lives and ruined families across the country. While the incident explored the horrors of infringement of privacy and the leak of sensitive information, it also highlighted the gross social issue of marital problems.
9. Buried Truth: The Indrani Mukerjea Story – Netflix – Hindi
The show sheds light on the Sheena Bora murder case that took place in 2015. The documentary focuses on the disappearance of 25-year-old Sheena Bora through various interviews and documents, and talks about how Indrani Mukerjea’s life took a drastic turn when she was suspected of murdering her own daughter.
10. Bhakshak – Netflix – Hindi
The Bhumi Pednekar and Aditya Shrivastava starrer film documents the chilling investigation that ultimately uncovers the harrowing cases of abuse being covered up at a shelter for young girls. Pednekar stars as Vaishali Singh, the struggling local journalist who begins a dogged investigation into the issue and eventually, leads it to fruition as the accused are arrested and charged guilty.
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