10 Disturbing HBO Crime Docuseries, Ranked by Shock Factor

I Love You, Now Die: The Commonwealth v. Michelle Carter is a two-part HBO documentary that explores the suicide of 18-year-old Conrad Roy III, who was pressured into taking his own life by his 17-year-old girlfriend, Michelle Carter. The film examines their intense, mostly digital relationship and the disturbing text messages in which Carter urged Roy to follow through with his suicide. The documentary also follows Carter’s trial, where she was ultimately convicted of involuntary manslaughter. As the strange narrative is explored, what surfaces is a tale of isolation, coercion, and the issues surrounding the power of online influence.

If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or dial 988. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.

In a harrowing account told by the survivors who lived it, this HBO docuseries investigates the abuse and manipulation within the international church La Luz del Mundo (LLDM). Former members, many of them young, recount how self-proclaimed “Apostles” exploited their power to groom followers, traffic victims, and steal from the church. The docuseries also reveals how church leadership covered up the actions of local congregations through apostolic rule, turning a blind eye as parishioners suffered under a system driven by greed and control.

If you or someone you know is the victim of human trafficking, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 888-373-7888 or text INFO to 233733. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.

It’s terrifying when children aren’t safe, but even worse when authorities fail to act. Between 1979 and 1981 in Atlanta, at least 30 Black children and young adults were murdered, and the investigation failed on nearly every level. Police ignored patterns, delayed action, and deprioritized the cases due to race and class. The series also examines murderer Wayne Williams, who was blamed but never convicted for those particular child murders and ends with a call to reopen the case using modern forensic tools.

Based on the book by Elon Green, the docuseries examines a string of brutal murders targeting gay men in early ’90s New York, crimes largely ignored by the press and police due to victim shaming and widespread homophobia. Despite public outcry, the investigation was delayed for years. Known as the “Last Call Killer,” Richard Rogers was eventually convicted, but nearly a decade after the killings. The series serves as a stark warning about how systemic indifference can endanger entire communities.

If you or someone you know is the victim of a hate crime, contact the VictimConnect Resource Center by phone or text at 1-855-4-VICTIM. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.

Amy Carlson, a former small-town mother, reinvented herself as “Mother God,” a cult leader who claimed to be a divine being. Her followers believed she was Jesus, communicated with celebrities like Robin Williams and Donald Trump, and possessed healing powers. Their devotion remained unshaken, even as her health declined due to alcoholism and heavy use of colloidal silver, which turned her skin blue. They filmed her final days for posterity, offering a chilling glimpse into mass delusion. After her death, they continued to worship her as a god, including dressing her body and bathing it, decorating it in glitter and jewels, and having their children hug her remains. Authorities found her decomposing weeks later, exposing a disturbing tale of blind devotion.

This two-part documentary about Michael Jackson features detailed and graphic testimony from two of his alleged victims, Wade Robson and James Safechuck, who claim they were sexually abused by the singer when they were children. The nature of their relationship with Jackson and the disturbing level of detail shared in the series made it especially unsettling, particularly given his status as a global icon. The docuseries explores how Jackson allegedly normalized the abuse and used his immense fame and wealth to conceal his actions. Upon release, it sent shockwaves through the entertainment world and permanently altered the public’s perception of the pop star.

If you or someone you know is the victim of sexual assault, contact the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network‘s National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.

Based on the best-selling book by journalist Michelle McNamara, I’ll Be Gone in the Dark chronicles her investigation into uncovering the identity of the Golden State Killer, a serial rapist and murderer who terrorized California throughout the 1970s and 1980s. During his rampage, he would break into homes, tie up couples, and place dishes on the backs of the male victims, threatening to kill both if he heard any movement while he assaulted the woman. As McNamara drew closer to solving the case, the story took a tragic turn when she died suddenly from an accidental overdose. Her work was carried on by her husband, Patton Oswalt, and a team of investigators, ultimately contributing to the identification and arrest of Joseph James DeAngelo as the Golden State Killer.

Following the rise and fall of the cult known as NXIVM, which was marketed to participants as a “self-improvement lifestyle” but in truth subjected its members to human trafficking, abuse, and coercion. Led by its charismatic, volleyball-loving leader Keith Raniere, the group branded female members with his initials, monitored their eating habits, and controlled them through food deprivation and blackmail. The series had two seasons, ending with Raniere’s conviction, for which he received 120 years in prison for sex trafficking and related crimes.

The six-part docuseries examines the bizarre life of real estate heir Robert Durst, who at the time was suspected in the deaths and disappearances of several people close to him, including his wife Kathie Durst, his friend Susan Berman, and his neighbor Morris Black. During the course of the series, Durst gave extended interviews about his role in the disappearances, maintaining his innocence. However, the series is best remembered for its chilling hot mic moment, when Durst, unaware he was still being recorded, muttered to himself off-camera, “What the hell did I do? Killed them all, of course.” That moment, along with the evidence presented in the series, helped lead to his arrest in 2015 and his conviction in 2021. Durst died in prison in 2022.

The story of Lamb Funeral Home is part horrifying account of corpse mistreatment, part chilling expose of a scam that devastated hundreds of families. The docuseries begins and ends with David Sconce, who took over the family-run mortuary in the 1980s and adopted inhumane, cost-cutting practices, including overloading crematoriums, stealing gold fillings, giving the ashes of strangers to bereaved families, and harvesting organs. As the investigation unfolds, it reveals these weren’t new offenses but part of a disturbing family legacy. This three-part series adds a haunting layer to the grief of loss, exposing how the dead and their loved ones were treated with appalling disregard.