Manson Speaks: Inside the Mind of a Madman

Rating: 🔥

This two-part History Channel documentary takes a closer look at one of America’s most notorious serial killers, Charles Manson. Any true crime fans know that there is no shortage of movies and shows about Charles Manson and the Manson family, but the challenge is in finding one that is bringing new information to the table. But Manson Speaks takes a unique angle. Retired cold case detective Cliff Shepherd sets out on a quest to solve two cold cases, the murder of a 19-year-old girl and a suspicious suicide, that he believes may be tied to the Manson family.

To solve these cases Shepherd turns to some new evidence. Marlin Marynick began writing letters to Manson while Manson was in prison and the two formed a unique relationship. Manson eventually allowed Marynick to record 26 hours of interviews that Marynick used to write the book Charles Manson Now. Shepherd begins listening to these interviews to discover any clues that may help him solve the cold case murders. He also interviews a former employee of Spahn Ranch, the homeowner where the suspicious suicide took place, and other people connected to the victims and to the Manson family to see if they can tie the Manson family to these murders.

This new angle provided the platform for a very interesting documentary. Rather than watching the same footage that has been tirelessly worked into countless other documentaries, we are instead introduced to new characters and information. The strength of this documentary lies in the expertise of Marynick and Shepherd. The information presented is thought-provoking and allows your mind to start spinning trying to come to a conclusion about who committed the murders. The more technical aspects of the documentary, like the cinematography and editing, are adequate to tell the story but are not particularly noteworthy. Manson Speaks is now available to stream on Prime Video.

Review written by Zianna Weston

Out of Thin Air

Directed by Dylan Howitt

rating: 🔥

In 1976, two men in Iceland mysteriously went missing. At the time the city of Reykjavik was a quaint town with low crime rates. Murder and violent crimes that plagued countries like the US didn’t happen very often in Iceland. But when the bodies of the two men could not be located, paranoia and media speculation ran wild and the people began to demand answers from the police. As a result, six young adults who were member of Iceland’s counterculture were brought into the police station. The answers produced during these interrogations changed the course of history, but were they really guilty of murder? Or were they falsely accused?

This documentary, first and foremost, is visually stunning. From gorgeous panoramas of the island known for fire and ice, to gritty original footage, to well-crafted re-enactments, the story flows seamlessly. The production value was high. There are no low-grade reenactments, instead they are equally as informative as they are artistic.

The documentary poses a lot of interesting questions about the reliability of human memory, especially under extremely stressful circumstances. How far is too far when it comes to interrogation methods? How does stress affect what you remember? Why and how do people fabricate false memories when they are interrogated over long periods of time? This documentary shines light on one of the most interesting cases that you have probably never heard of.

Review written by Zianna Weston

The Preppy Murder

Rating: 🔥

The Preppy Murder. It’s Gossip Girl meets true crime. A young woman’s body is found in Central Park early in the morning by a woman out for her morning bike ride. Was her body dumped in the park by a psychotic stranger? Or was someone in her elite prep school circle responsible for her murder?

This case is FASCINATING! It’s got slut shaming and victim blaming, social climbing, drugs, sex, socialites, and controversy from the Catholic Church. The documentary combines staged reenactments, interviews with family members and friends, and original footage from media coverage to tell Jennifer Levin’s story. This 5-part mini-series is now available to stream on demand. If you can’t get enough, there’s also a podcast edition of the story available from Crime Junkie Podcast.

Review written by Zianna Weston

Evil Genius: The True Story of America’s Most Diabolical Bank Heist

Rating: 🔥

This four-episode mini-series on Netflix looks into one of the strangest bank heists in history, the “pizza bomber heist”. In 2003, pizza delivery man Brian Wells walked into a bank in Erie, PA with a bomb strapped to his chest. What transpired was strange to say the least and it included a bank robbery, police standoff, treasure hunt, and murder. Did Brian Wells conspire with Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong, Bill Rothstein and Kenneth Barnes to rob the PNC Bank? Or was he a victim of a much larger scheme?

This mini-series is wildly fascinating. *No spoilers* but even the most well-versed and hardened true crime fans will find themselves scratching their heads in wonder at this one. The twists and turns are wild, the unsavory characters involved in the crime are like something out of a novel, and the whole time you’re wondering WHO KILLED BRIAN WELLS?? The documentary offers a more unique perspective than your average true crime documentary from which you’re expecting to see interviews, old news footage, and reenactments of events. Director Trey Borzillieri was unemployed at the time of the pizza bomber heist, so he caught a train to Erie to shoot original footage that he eventually used in this mini-series. He also has been corresponding with Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong for years and has boxes full of letters from her. This personal connection and original content led to a higher production value than is often found in true crime mini-series.

Review written by Zianna Weston

Secrets of Scotland Yard

Rating: 👌🏼

This PBS documentary shines a light on the world-famous Scotland Yard police force, and how they paved the way for modern-day investigative police work and pioneered forensic technology. This True Crime Tuesday pick is a little different because rather than focusing on one crime or one criminal, we are looking at the people who investigate these crimes and seek justice.

This documentary was very interesting as it focuses on the inception and the evolution of modern policing. It takes a look into 19th century crime-filled, industrialized London which bred a necessity for Scotland Yard. It takes a look at famous criminals, most notably Jack the Ripper, and shows how Scotland Yard attempted to catch the world’s most notorious serial killer. It also shows Scotland Yard now and how they continue to dispense justice, and sometimes corruption, in one of the world’s most famous cities. The knowledge presented in this film is rich and well-researched, but the production value is what you would expect from a low-budget PBS production. To add suspense, they were a big fan of the zoom feature. If you can get past the low-quality graphics you are sure to learn a lot from this documentary. Secrets of Scotland Yard is now streaming on Netflix.

Review written by Zianna Weston

Amanda Knox

Written by Matthew Hamachek and brian mcginn

directed by rod blackhurst and brian mcginn

rating: 🔥

In 2007 Amanda Knox, a student at the University of Washington, decided to study abroad in Italy. When her British roommate was murdered, Amanda Knox became the number one suspect. She was eventually convicted for the murder and put in jail. But was Amanda really responsible for the death of Meredith Kercher? Or is her killer still at large?

This documentary is wild. If you’re like me and you aren’t super familiar with the details of this case I won’t spoil it for you, but it is twisty. The documentary does a good job of providing a variety of firsthand accounts, which I appreciated. It gives everyone the opportunity to defend themselves, and to pose their own theories as to what may have happened. Amanda Knox is now streaming on @netflix.