True crime has quietly become one of the most gripping genres on Netflix in 2026, pulling viewers into unsettling real-life stories through titles like The Investigation of Lucy Letby, Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart, and Miracle: The Boy Who Survived. And if anything, the appetite for such stories is only growing stronger, with the platform continuing to expand its slate with even darker, more thought-provoking releases.

So, before Netflix rolls out its next wave of chilling titles, here are seven true crime documentaries you might want to watch.

Premiering on February 17, 2025, American Murder: Gabby Petito is a three-part docuseries on Netflix, directed by Julia Willoughby Nason and Michael Gasparro. The series unpacks the 2021 disappearance of Gabby Petito, turning an “Insta-perfect” van-life journey into a chilling timeline of abuse, tension, and tragedy, built through real footage, police bodycams, and digital clues.

At its core are intimate interviews with Gabby’s family and close friends, layered with investigative insights from law enforcement and FBI officials. Combined with haunting archival footage, the documentary delivers a deeply unsettling look at a story that unfolded in plain sight. And, Iif this story unsettled you, the next one goes a step further, sending a chill straight down your spine.

Released on June 24, 2020, Athlete A is a feature-length documentary on Netflix, directed by Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk. The film exposes the deeply disturbing culture of abuse within USA Gymnastics, centring on former team doctor Larry Nassar, while following the investigative journalists who uncovered how the system protected its reputation over its athletes. At the heart of it lies “Athlete A,” Maggie Nichols, whose early report of abuse became a turning point in the case.

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Driven by powerful testimonies, the documentary features survivors like Maggie Nichols and Rachael Denhollander, alongside the Indianapolis Star reporters who brought the truth to light. Blending personal courage with institutional failure, Athlete A stands as a chilling reminder of how silence can be sustained, and how breaking it can change everything.  However, another documentary you might not want to miss is Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing.

Taking audiences into the unsettling world of child influencers, Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing premiered on April 9, 2025, on Netflix. Directed by Jenna Rosher and Kief Davidson, the three-part docuseries pulls back the curtain on the rise of YouTube star Piper Rockelle and her “Squad,” exposing allegations of manipulation, exploitation, and the dark reality behind a seemingly glamorous digital empire controlled by her “momager,” Tiffany Smith.

Through interviews with former Squad members, their families, and industry experts, the series unravels a world where content, control, and childhood collide. Backed by disturbing testimonies and archival footage, the documentary builds a chilling narrative, revealing the uncomfortable truths of digital child stardom. 

Meanwhile, if you’re already hooked into these chilling real-life stories, here’s another one that resurfaced in 2024, and continues to raise more questions than answers.

Taking audiences back into one of the most haunting unsolved mysteries, Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey premiered on November 25, 2024, on Netflix. Directed by Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Joe Berlinger, the three-part docuseries revisits the 1996 murder of six-year-old JonBenét Ramsey, shifting focus toward how early investigative missteps and media pressure may have derailed the search for the truth.

Through interviews with the Ramsey family, investigators, and journalists, the series re-examines long-standing theories while introducing new perspectives. Blending archival footage with fresh insights, it builds a chilling narrative where suspicion, silence, and unanswered questions continue to linger decades later.

And just when you think it couldn’t get darker, here’s one that proves the internet can be just as terrifying as the crime itself.

A single disturbing video is all it takes to pull viewers into a relentless online hunt, as Don’t F**k with Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer traces how internet users refused to look away and instead chose to track the person behind it. Released on December 18, 2019, on Netflix and directed by Mark Lewis, the series unfolds into a chilling digital manhunt that quickly spirals beyond control.

At the centre are Deanna Thompson (known online as “Baudi Moovan”) and John Green, whose online investigation slowly pulls in law enforcement figures like Detective Sergeant Claudette Hamlin and Antonio Paradiso. As Luka Magnotta emerges through disturbing footage, with appearances from his mother Anna Yourkin adding another layer, the story tightens into something far more unsettling, where the line between watching and participating begins to disappear.

And if you thought the cruelty you just witnessed was unsettling, the next takes a far more disturbing turn, one that does not involve just one victim, possibly thousands of lives entangled in silence.

Diving into a case that feels almost too shocking to comprehend, The Man with 1000 Kids premiered on July 3, 2024, on Netflix. Directed by Josh Allott, the three-part docuseries unravels the story of a Dutch donor who quietly bypassed regulations, building a hidden network of children across countries through deception and false promises.

As families begin to uncover the truth, what emerges is not just shock, but a quiet dread, voices of affected parents from across countries piecing together a reality they were never meant to share. Alongside activists like Eve Wiley and experts in the fertility field, the scale of the deception begins to feel almost impossible to contain. Interwoven with archival glimpses of Meijer and fragments of his past, the story slowly tightens, revealing a world where identities blur, boundaries collapse, and the consequences stretch into lives that may unknowingly remain connected forever.

Stepping into a case where nothing is as it seems, What Jennifer Did premiered on April 9, 2024, on Netflix. Directed by Jenny Popplewell, the documentary revisits a chilling home invasion in Canada that left a family shattered, only for the investigation to slowly circle back to someone no one expected, their own daughter.

Built around real interrogation footage and first-hand accounts from lead investigators Alan Cooke and Bill Courtice, the film gradually dismantles Jennifer Pan’s version of events. Alongside testimonies from her surviving father Huei Hann Pan and those who knew her closely, the narrative unfolds through police records and case files, bringing in key figures tied to the crime. As each layer is pulled back, what emerges is not just a case, but a carefully constructed web of lies, one that unravels slowly, and leaves behind a silence far more unsettling than the truth itself.

Meanwhile, as Netflix gears up for its 2026 slate, these documentaries offer a chilling glimpse into real stories that are as unsettling as they are unforgettable, pulling you into a world that feels almost too real to believe

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Which of these 7 true crime documentaries are you planning to watch? Let us know in the comments.