7 Chilling HBO True Crime Documentaries

HBO was founded in the 1970s and has been producing original documentaries from the very beginning. It’s been over 40 years and since then, HBO has become HBO Max, but the streaming service’s dedication to documentary films and limited series has not changed. This goes for true crime documentaries as well.

HBO Max has been involved in dozens of true crime documentaries. These documentaries cover a wide range of crimes, from fraud to murder. Documentary films used to be the standard on HBO, though recent years have seen more and more limited series documentary programs. Some are mysterious and most are tragic, but every so often HBO Max releases a particularly grim documentary that gets under the skin. These are seven of the most chilling true crime documentaries HBO has produced.

7

‘There’s Something Wrong With Aunt Diane’ (2011)

Liz Garbus, who’d go on to make the Academy Award-nominated What Happened, Miss Simone? in 2015, directed the film There’s Something Wrong With Aunt Diane. This documentary examines the events of July 26, 2009, which occurred on the Taconic State Parkway in Mount Pleasant, New York. 36-year-old Diane Schuler was driving on the wrong side of the parkway and collided with an SUV. Eight people died as a result of the collision, including Schuler, four young children in her care, and the three men in the SUV. The chilling title of the documentary comes from something one of Schuler’s nieces said over the phone before the crash.

The Toxicology Report

A toxicology report showed that there were drugs and alcohol in Schuler’s system, though her husband insisted she would not have been intoxicated with the children in the car. Witnesses who interacted with Schuler that day did not get the impression that she was drunk or disoriented. The documentary explores different theories on what could have happened and what the families experienced in the aftermath. Was Diane Schuler drunk? Was she taking medication that could have confused her? There aren’t always answers in this film, but Garbus does explore every avenue.

6

‘The Cheshire Murders’ (2013)

The Cheshire Murders is a documentary film directed by Kate Davis and David Heilbroner, the directing team behind Say Her Name: The Life and Death of Sandra Bland. On July 23, 2007, two intruders broke into the Petit family home in Cheshire, Connecticut. What started as a burglary became a hostage situation that resulted in the murder of 48-year-old Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her two daughters, 17-year-old Hayley and 11-year-old Michaela.

Content Warning

The film examines the home invasion as well as the backgrounds of the killers, interviewing people who had known them prior to this crime and examining existing criminal records. The film also talks to witnesses who saw Hawke-Petit at the bank withdrawing money while the intruders held her children hostage. All the titles on this list are upsetting, but be warned that this one deals with the sexual assault of children. Viewer discretion is advised.

5

‘The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst’ (2015-2024)

Very few true crime shows get a second season or an update, but this is one of them. Directed by Andrew Jarecki (Capturing the Friedmans), The Jinx is about the life of real-estate heir and convicted murderer, Robert Durst. The first season consisted of six episodes examining the 1982 disappearance of Durst’s wife, Kathie McCormack, as well as the 2000 murder of his friend and writer Susan Berman, plus the death of Durst’s neighbor, Morris Black, in 2001.

The Recorded Confession

The Jinx made headlines when Durst forgot that he had a microphone on him after an interview for the documentary series and proceeded to confess to his crimes thinking he was alone in the bathroom. Nearly a decade after the show aired, Jarecki returned to direct a second season following up on Durst’s arrest and trial for Susan Berman’s murder. The Jinx is certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. Season 1 has a 96% rating from critics and Season 2 has an 85% rating from critics. The series has received nine Primetime Emmy Award nominations, winning Outstanding Picture Editing for Nonfiction Programming and Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series in 2015. In 2016, The Jinx won a Peabody Award.

4

‘Mommy Dead and Dearest’ (2017)

Mommy Dead and Dearest is a documentary film directed by Erin Lee Carr (How to Fix a Drug Scandal). Dee Dee Blanchard was murdered by Nicholas Godejohn in June 2015. The murder was planned by Godejohn and Dee Dee’s 23-year-old daughter, Gypsy-Rose Blanchard. The documentary covers the murder, but it also takes a closer look at events leading up to the murder.

Gypsy Rose’s Childhood

For years, DeeDee lied about Gypsy Rose having medical issues. Gypsy Rose spent much of her childhood in a wheelchair with a feeding tube. Her mother also lied about her age, claiming she was a minor even after her eighteenth birthday. It is believed that this is a case of Factitious Disorder, often referred to as Munchausen Syndrome by proxy, when a caregiver invents health problems for their charge, either through falsified records and/or physical harm. Mommy Dead and Dearest was nominated for the Documentary Feature Grand Jury Award and the Chicken & Egg Award at the SXSW Film Festival. The film has a 100% rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.

3

‘I’ll Be Gone in the Dark’ (2020)

I’ll Be Gone in the Dark is a seven-part documentary series based on Michelle McNamara’s nonfiction book of the same name about investigating the Golden State Killer. The Golden State Killer, also known as the Original Night Stalker and the East Area Rapist, terrorized California from 1979 until 1986. During this time, he murdered at least 13 people, sexually assaulted victims, and committed over 100 burglaries. The killer remained free for decades before being identified through DNA analysis. Joseph James DeAngelo was arrested in 2018, two months after McNamara’s book was released.

McNamara’s Legacy

Michelle McNamara passed away in 2016, two years before the publication of her book. This series covers the Golden State Killer case, but it also delves into McNamara’s own investigation. In bringing McNamara’s passion for solving the case and victim testimonies to the forefront, I’ll Be Gone in the Dark is a uniquely compelling documentary series. I’ll Be Gone in the Dark was nominated for Outstanding Achievement in News and Information at the Television Critics Association Awards. It has a 96% rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. The series was directed by Liz Garbus, Elizabeth Wolff, Myles Kane (Voyeur), and Josh Koury (Voyeur).

2

‘Burden of Proof’ (2023)

In 1987, 15-year-old Jennifer Lynn Pandos went missing from her home in Williamsburg, Virginia. Her parents told everyone that she had run away, but Jennifer has never come forward to confirm this. What really happened that night? Could foul play be involved? Burden of Proof is a four-part documentary series directed by Cynthia Hill (Private Violence).

A Brother’s Journey

The set-up here is out of the ordinary, even for a true crime documentary. The story follows Jennifer’s brother, Stephen Pandos, as he searches for answers over 30 years after the disappearance. Stephen believes that something happened to Jennifer and that their own parents might be implicated in the crime. Family, friends, and investigators are all interviewed and Stephen’s dedication to the case makes for an intimate, harrowing portrait of loss. Burden of Proof was nominated for Best Multi-Part Documentary at the International Documentary Association Awards and Best True Crime Documentary at the Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards.

1

‘The Yogurt Shop Murders’ (2025)

The Yogurt Shop Murders is a four-part documentary series directed by Margaret Brown (Descendant). The fourth and final episode was released on HBO Max last month. This is the first in-depth documentary about the crime, though it is a well-known case in the true crime community. On the evening of December 6, 1991, four teenagers were murdered at a frozen yogurt shop in Austin, Texas. A fire originally alerted first-responders to the scene, where the victims were then discovered. They were identified as 17-year-old Eliza Thomas, 17-year-old Jennifer Harbison, 15-year-old Sarah Harbison, and 13-year-old Amy Ayers.

Memory and Grief

This series looks at the crime and the aftermath. Family, investigators, journalists, a memory specialist, and a judge are all interviewed. Brown focuses on the nature of memory and grief with this series. Great care is taken with family members who lost someone that day. This translates to a moving, heartbreaking examination of what remains to be an unsolved case. The Yogurt Shop Murders premiered at the SXSW Film Festival, where it was nominated for an Audience Award. The series has a 100% rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.