New Delhi: Whether real life is inspired by reel or reel is inspired by real life is more or less like a chicken and egg situation. The recent Shraddha Walker murder case, which has shocked the entire nation, is also an example. Aftab Ameen Poonawala, who allegedly killed his live-in girlfriend Shraddha in Delhi, was said to be ‘inspired’ by the American crime show 'Dexter'. And on the other hand, there are many shows that are based on real-life stories and crimes.
These shows based on real-life stories at times shake you to the core and compel you to think about the eccentricities of the human mind and what it is capable of. Here are a few docuseries and shows that prove that truth is indeed stranger than fiction.
Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story
Based on the life of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, the show reached the number-one spot on Netflix in the first week of its release and also became Netflix's second most-watched English-language series of all time within 28 days. Dahmer was an American serial killer who committed the murder and dismemberment of seventeen men and boys between 1978 and 1991. After he was caught, a detailed search of his apartment was conducted and the police found four severed heads, seven skulls—some painted, some bleached, two human hearts and a portion of arm muscle, each wrapped inside plastic bags upon the shelves. Police also found an entire torso, a bag of human organs and flesh inside his refrigerator.
House of Secrets: The Burari Deaths
When an entire family of 11 was found dead in their house in Burari, Delhi in 2018, the entire nation was shocked and wanted to know what really happened inside the house. Ten of the family members were found hanging while the oldest member of the family was strangulated. ‘House of Secrets: The Burari Deaths’, recounts the incident using real footage and shades light on the bizarre case.
Sins Of Our Mother
A Netflix docuseries, Sins Of Our Mother, is a true story about a woman who transformed from a doting mother to the alleged murderer of her kids. Lori Vallow Daybell and her husband Chad Daybell are currently facing trial for allegedly killing her two youngest children and Chad’s wife. The series shows how her strange religious beliefs and surety of an apocalypse led her to Chad Daybell. She then started believing her children are ‘zombies’ - a term they used to describe people who were possessed by evil spirits.
Indian Predator: The Diary of a Serial Killer
Again a Netflix docu-series, The Diary of a Serial Killer is a second installement in the Indian Predator series. The story chronicles the way Raja Kolander was held by the police for the investigation of a missing journalist. Further interrogation and a search of his farmhouse led to a diary that revealed a list of people’s names, and police accused Raja of being a cannibal and killing 15 people. The series also has an on-camera interview of Raja Kolander from the jail he is currently lodged in.
Monsters Inside: 24 faces of Billy Milligan
The docuseries is based on the life of Billy Milligan – a person who supposedly had multiple personality disorder and had 24 personalities within him. Billy was arrested in 1977 for a series of robberies, kidnappings, and rapes of three women. Milligan had no memories of committing these crimes and showed changing personality traits. He was then diagnosed with a dissociative identity disorder. Milligan was acquitted on the count of insanity and spent the next decade in mental hospitals. Various psychiatrists had diagnosed a total of 24 personalities within him. To this date, people are divided on their opinion while some believe he was faking it all others think he actually had the disorder.
Our Father
The documentary shows fertility fraud by American doctor fertility doctor Donald Cline. He used his own sperm to impregnate dozens of patients without their knowledge. 94 people in the USA's Indiana state got to know that Donald Cline was their biological father. The documentary features interviews with the parents and their children and reenactments of situations.
Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes
This four-episode documentary is sourced from interviews and archival footage of serial killer Ted Bundy and interviews of his family, friends, and surviving victims. Ted Bundy was an American serial killer who kidnapped, raped, and murdered young women and girls during the 1970s. Though he confessed to 30 murders, the actual number of his victim is unknown and is much higher.
Girl In The Picture
The Netflix docuseries starts with the death of a 20-year-old woman in a suspicious hit-and-run. The further investigation throws light to the unfortunate life of Suzanne Sevakis – who throughout her life lived under many aliases –Sharon Marshall being one of them. She was abducted by Franklin Floyd when she was a kid and he raised her as his daughter but sexually abused her for years and then made her his wife in order to not get caught. Suzanne Sevakis’ story is depressing and shocking.
I Just Killed My Dad
The docuseries is about 17-year-old Anthony Templet who shot his father and then called 911 and waited for the police. A Series of investigations reveal that Anthony’s father Burt was an abuser. He kept Anthony under constant surveillance and kept him away from school, children, and almost everyone. Anthony didn't even know his birth of date. He had installed a tracker on his son’s phone. Burt had abused Anthony’s mother for years and then took his custody illegally and kept him under strict monitoring for years.
Don't F**k with Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer
It is a docuseries that follows a group of amateur internet sleuths who launched a manhunt for Luka Magnotta after he became infamous in 2010 for sharing a graphic video online of himself killing two kittens. Magnotta was later convicted of murdering Chinese international student Jun Lin in 2012. The series is the best example of the darkness of the human mind.