16 Chilling Documentaries About Serial Killers You Absolutely Need To Watch

*makes sure my front door is locked*

We asked the BuzzFeed Community to tell us their favorite documentaries about serial killers. Here are the incredibly scary results.

🚨 Warning: Some of this content is disturbing and graphic. 🚨

1. BTK: A Killer Among Us (2019)

Cream Productions / youtube.com

What it's about: "For 31 years, Dennis Rader (the BTK Killer) was able to live a double life. This documentary chronicles comprehensive interviews with law enforcement, his victims's family members, reporters, and his daughter, Kerri Rawson."

Where you can watch it: Amazon Prime Video.

—barbarathornhill

2. Monster in My Family: Happy Face Killer (2015)

ABC / youtube.com, Clark County Sheriff's Deptartment

What's it's about: Have you ever wondered what it's like to be the child of a serial killer? This documentary follows Melissa Moore, daughter of Keith Hunter Jesperson (otherwise known as the Happy Face Killer), on her path of self-discovery as she reveals what it was actually like to learn that her father was a murderer.

Where you can watch it: YouTube.

—l4bbb4efe7

3. Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes (2019)

Netflix

What it's about: Most people already know the story of Ted Bundy, but this four-part documentary series takes you inside the mind of America's most infamous serial killer. It also features interviews with him on death row, which are especially chilling.

Where you can watch it: Netflix.

—nkrjj95736

4. Cropsey (2009)

Breaking Glass Pictures

What it's about: People who live on Staten Island grew up learning about the urban legend of Cropsey, a boogeyman-like murderer. This myth started to become a reality because of Andre Rand. Rand is a convicted child kidnapper and suspected serial killer. This documentary uses interviews and old footage and follows two people as they search for the five children who Rand is suspected of killing.

Where you can watch it: Amazon Prime Video.

—katim4fa532b02

5. Manson (1973)

State of California, San Quentin Prison, Tobann International Films

What it's about: This documentary does a deep dive into Charles Manson and his "family." It includes interviews with some of the cult members (like Squeaky Fromme and Sandra Good) and old, real-life footage of everyone at their hideouts. The movie was even nominated for Best Documentary at the Academy Awards.

Where you can watch it: YouTube.

—pawseyhailey

6. The Pig Farm (2011)

CTV Television Network

What it's about: "It's an award-winning investigation into the crimes of Robert Pickton. This documentary explores why it took so many years to capture and convict Canada's most prolific serial killer, including troubling revelations about who knew what, and when."

Where you can watch it: iTunes.

—mel03

7. Serial Killers: John Wayne Gacy (1999)

Des Plaines Police Department / en.wikipedia.org / Creative Commons

What it's about: John Wayne Gacy, also known as "The Killer Clown," was convicted of 33 counts of murder in 1980. He raped, tortured, and killed his victims – all of whom were teenage boys – within a six-year period in the '70s. This documentary explores Gacy's double life, including interviews with Gacy and the people who worked on convicting him.

Where you can watch it: YouTube.

—leslieann23

8. Albert Fish: In Sin He Found Salvation (2007)

Facets Video

What it's about: "This documentary tells the horrific and true story of Albert Fish, an elderly cannibal, sadomasochist, and serial killer who lured children to their deaths in Depression-era New York City. Distorting biblical tales, Fish takes the themes of pain, torture, atonement, and suffering literally as he preys on victims to torture and sacrifice."

Where you can watch it: Amazon Prime Video.

—elsceneinc

9. Carl Panzram: The Spirit of Hatred and Vengeance (2011)

Wikipedia / Public Domain / en.wikipedia.org, Waterfront Productions

What it's about: This documentary tells the story of Carl Panzram, who confessed in prison and wrote in his autobiography that he murdered 22 different people in the 1920s. He also sodomized over 1,000 boys and men. He was a lifelong criminal, escaped jail several times, and was hanged in 1930.

Where you can watch it: Amazon Prime Video.

—adamk52

10. Serial Killers: Andrei Romanovich Chikatilo (1995)

youtube.com

What it's about: Andrei Romanovich Chikatilo, aka The Butcher of Rostov, confessed to 56 different murders between 1978 and 1990. This documentary follows the man who was found guilty of sexually assaulting, murdering, and mutilating at least 52 women and children, ultimately ending with his execution in 1994.

Where you can watch it: YouTube.

—maricelat3

11. Born to Kill? Richard Trenton Chase: The Vampire of Sacramento (2010)

Wasnoe County Sheriff's Department

What it's about: Richard Chase killed six people within a single month in the late 1970s. One of his victims was a pregnant woman who he killed during a home break-in, and then he had sex with her corpse. When police searched Chase's apartment, they found that "the walls, floor, ceiling, refrigerator, and all of Chase's eating and drinking utensils were soaked in blood." This documentary retells those events and includes interviews with the people who worked the case.

Where you can watch it: Dailymotion.

—emmathatsruddymysterioust

12. The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst (2015)

HBO

What it's about: "Robert Durst, scion of New York's billionaire real-estate family, has been accused of three murders over the past 30 years, but never convicted. Brilliant and reclusive, he has not spoken publicly--until now. This six-part series exposes long-buried information of a case that has baffled authorities."

Where you can watch it: HBO Go.

—gabsterwabster17

13. This Is the Zodiac Speaking (2008)

Dreamlogic Pictures

What it's about: The Zodiac Killer is one of the most famous serial killers in the world, and it's also probably the scariest to think about, since we still don't know who committed the crimes. This chilling documentary examines the Zodiac investigation and interviews people who actually worked on the case, as well as the two victims who survived his attacks.

Where you can watch it: YouTube.

—morganm46bf64fe2

14. Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer (2003)

Lafayette Films

What it's about: This documentary follows the filmmaker as he attempts to interview Aileen Wuornos, who was dubbed the world's first woman serial killer. Wuornos murdered seven men between the years 1989 and 1990, and this film was even used by the defense in her trial in 2001.

Where you can watch it: YouTube.

—ashleyo43058f0de

15. Ed Gein: The Real Leatherface (2004)

Wikipedia / Fair Use / en.wikipedia.org, Bryanston Distributing Company

What it's about: Ed Gein, also known as The Butcher of Plainfield, was the inspiration for Leatherface, the terrifying villain in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Gein killed two women (which means he technically isn't a serial killer, but his story is too unsettling to not feature here) and dismembered their bodies, as well as several bodies he exhumed from graveyards. He used their skin and bones to furnish his house, including a wastebasket made from human skin, bowls made from skulls, and a belt made of human nipples.

Where you can watch it: YouTube.

—Jenny Mantini, Facebook

16. And The Jeffrey Dahmer Files (2012)

Wikipedia / Fair Use / en.wikipedia.org, IFC Films

What it's about: Jeffrey Dahmer is infamous for committing rape, murder and dismembering over a dozen boys and men. This documentary focuses on the summer of Dahmer's arrest in 1991, and it includes interviews with the lead detective on the case, the medical examiner, and Dahmer's next door neighbor.

Where you can watch it: Amazon Prime Video.

—ivyt43a466c4c