While we're getting closer and closer to Halloween, it makes sense that people want to be scared. There's nothing scarier than true crime, in my opinion. Sure, it doesn't have the flashiness or the supernatural elements that more standard horror movies have, but it's somehow even scarier hearing about things that happened in real life, like the murders behind the documentary American Murder: The Family Next Door.
'American Murder: The Family Next Door' Is Netflix's Best Performing Documentary Ever
*American Murder: The Family Next Door* was expected to do well on Netflix.
Netflix users have proven that they love true crime documentaries like Unsolved Mysteries and The Ted Bundy Tapes, so the documentary about the real life murder of the Watts family by husband and father Chris Watts was a perfect fit for the platform.
The documentary shares the heartbreaking story of what happened the morning Chris Watts murdered his pregnant wife, Shanann, and their daughters, Celeste and Bella.
The documentary largely told the story simply through the use of police footage and content from Shanann’s Facebook page.
Viewers get a firsthand look at the police bodycam footage the moment Shanann’s best friend reported her as missing — something that was out of character for the mother of three.
As the doc goes on, we see what really happened to Shanann begin to unravel, along with a web of lies Chris had told to cover his tracks.
It looks like the documentary is going to be a huge hit for Netflix.
According to Deadline, the true crime doc is on track to be viewed by 52 million subscribers in its first month, which would make it Netflix's most-watched documentary ever.
That's an insane number of viewers, but I can't say that I'm surprised!
People who have seen the doc are flooding to Twitter to share their thoughts on it.
Naturally, an overwhelming number of people are saddened by the senseless tragedy.
Others are reading further into Chris' crimes.
There seems to be a lot that the documentary didn't dive into, which is leaving a lot of people asking questions.
While there's no possible follow-up in the works, Netflix watchers LOVE true crime, and if the success of *American Murder* is any indication, they're going to get a lot more in the future.
Unsplash | Mollie Sivaram
What do you think? Are you a true crime fan, or do you wish there was slightly less murder on Netflix when you're browsing? Have you tuned in to American Murder: The Family Next Door and, if so, what did you think? Let us know in the comments!
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