Dark Documentaries
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- DirectorTodd NilssenStarsPeter ArnoldLiz ArnoldAlec CanarriThe Elan School was the last stop. Set deep in the woods of Maine, Elan delivered controversial therapy to troubled teens. It was a meat grinder of raw emotion and harsh discipline. Some say it sold hope, others say it sold Hell.
- DirectorTony KayeStarsNoam ChomskyBill BairdFlip BenhamA graphic documentary on both sides of the abortion debate.
- DirectorCassie JayeStarsFari XAmy Catherine FlynnCassie JayeThe Purity Ball symbolizes a father's protection over his daughter's virginity, but how does this reflect in the choices she makes, understanding her sexuality, and knowing her worth as a woman? This documentary examines the effects of Abstinence-Only Programs versus Comprehensive Sex Education in schools and what society can do to help lower teen pregnancies, abortions, and STDS, as well as poverty and sexual abuse.
- DirectorJoe BerlingerBruce SinofskyStarsTony BrooksDiana DavisTerry WoodA horrific triple child murder leads to an indictment and trial of three nonconformist boys based on questionable evidence.
- DirectorAndrew JareckiStarsArnold FriedmanJesse FriedmanDavid FriedmanDocumentary on the Friedmans, a seemingly typical, upper-middle-class Jewish family whose world is instantly transformed when the father and his youngest son are arrested and charged with shocking and horrible crimes.
- DirectorLiz GarbusStarsJesse TempleBrad KatinasDiane SchulerThis documentary explores the depth behind the case of a woman whose vehicle collision killed numerous people, including herself. Was she really the reckless drunk, or the perfect suburban mother?
- DirectorJoe BerlingerBruce SinofskyStarsDamien Wayne EcholsMelissa ByersNorris DeajonThe case of the West Memphis Three, its questionable circumstances and the parties involved are followed up years later.
- DirectorBart LaytonStarsAdam O'BrianNicholas BarclayCarey GibsonA documentary centered on a young man in Spain who claims to a grieving Texas family that he is their 16-year-old son who has been missing for 3 years.
- DirectorKurt KuenneStarsKurt KuenneAndrew BagbyDavid BagbyA filmmaker decides to memorialize a murdered friend when his friend's ex-girlfriend announces she is expecting his son.
- DirectorGabriela CowperthwaiteStarsTilikumDave DuffusSamantha BergA documentary following the controversial captivity of killer whales, and its dangers for both humans and whales.
- DirectorLouie PsihoyosStarsRichard O'BarryLouie PsihoyosHardy JonesUsing state-of-the-art equipment, a group of activists, led by renowned dolphin trainer Ric O'Barry, infiltrate a cove near Taijii, Japan to expose both a shocking instance of animal abuse and a serious threat to human health.
- DirectorEric SteelStarsEric GeleynseChris BrownSusan GinwallaFilmmakers use hidden cameras to capture the various suicide attempts at the Golden Gate Bridge - the world's most popular suicide destination. Interviews with the victims' loved ones describe their lives and mental health.
- DirectorErin Lee CarrStarsJessica ThomasJim ArnottDavid BlanchardIn this documentary, the murder of Deedee Blanchard by her daughter Gypsy Rose is explored, as well as the circumstances leading up to the event.
- DirectorSkye BorgmanStarsJan BrobergBob BrobergMary Ann BrobergThe twisting, turning, stranger-than-fiction true story of the Brobergs, a naive, church-going Idaho family that fell under the spell of a sociopathic neighbor with designs on their twelve-year-old daughter.
- DirectorJedd WiderTodd WiderStarsKevin CarboneMatthew NelsonWayne DiGeronimoThrough diary entries, this documentary follows the life and death of homeless woman Linda Bishop and her struggles with starvation, sanity and God.
- DirectorAdi SidemanStarsBarbara AdlerMimi TurnerBill AndrietteMembers of the controversial group NAMBLA (North American Man/Boy Love Association) discuss why their organization supports "boys and men who have or desire engagements in sexual or emotional relationships."
- DirectorChris BellStarsAmari AveryFrom the director of Bigger Stronger Faster comes an intense look at overbearing parents in sports. The film asks the question "Do we want what's best for our children? Or do we just want them to be the best?" Parts of this film were used in the premier of Peter Berg's HBO series State of Play.
- DirectorWerner HerzogStarsTimothy TreadwellAmie HuguenardWerner HerzogA devastating and heart-rending take on grizzly bear activists Timothy Treadwell and Amie Huguenard, who were killed in October of 2003 while living among grizzly bears in Alaska.
- DirectorSusan LambertStefan MooreStarsPam BurnsBryan AkitaCathy GoeggelThis is the gripping and emotionally charged story of Tyke, a circus elephant that went on a rampage in Honolulu in 1994, killed her trainer in front of thousands of spectators and died in a hail of gunfire. Her break for freedom - filmed from start to tragic end - traumatised a city and ignited a global battle over the use of animals in the entertainment industry. Looking at what made Tyke snap, the film goes back to meet the people who knew her and were affected by her death - former trainers and handlers, circus industry insiders, witnesses to her rampage, and animal rights activists for whom Tyke became a global rallying cry. Like the classic animal rebellion film King Kong, Tyke is the central protagonist in a tragic but redemptive drama that combines trauma, outrage, insight and compassion. Ultimately, this moving documentary raises fundamental questions about our deep and mysterious connection to other species.
- DirectorJames Ronald WhitneyStarsJames Ronald WhitneyMelvin JustDenise BensonAn in-depth look at the director James Ronald Whitney's family history of incest spanning at least three generations and the devastating consequences that include drug abuse and alcoholism.
- DirectorKatie GreenCarlye RubinStarsElla BennettCharity LeeKyla BennettIn The Family I Had, a mother recalls how her brilliant teenage son came to shatter their idyllic family through one horribly violent and shocking act.
- DirectorBonni CohenJon ShenkStarsMaggie NicholsGina NicholsJohn NicholsFollow the Indianapolis Star reporters that broke the story about USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar's abuse and hear from gymnasts like Maggie Nichols.
- DirectorEva OrnerStarsLarissa AndersonFrancesca AsumahSarah BaughnTracing from his rise in the 1970s to his disgrace in accusations of rape and sexual harassment in more recent years.
- StarsMa Anand SheelaPhilip ToelkesJane StorkWhen Osho, the world's most controversial guru, builds an Utopian city deep in the Oregon country, conflict with the locals escalates into a national scandal.
- DirectorAngelo J. Guglielmo Jr.StarsTania HeadElia ZedenoGerry BogaczA psychological thriller that goes inside the mind of history's most infamous 9/11 "survivor."
- DirectorIrene TaylorStarsMorgan GeyserAnissa WeierAngie GeyserTells the story of two 12-year old girls, who attempted to murder one of their friends in an attempt to appease Slenderman, a fictional monster from a horror website.
- StarsYoram SheftelEli GabayMichael ShakedA Cleveland grandfather is brought to trial in Israel, accused of being the infamous German death camp guard known as Ivan the Terrible.
- DirectorEd PerkinsStarsAndrew CaleyAlex LewisMarcus LewisAfter losing his memory in an accident, Alex Lewis trusts his twin brother, Marcus, to tell him about his past only to discover that he's hiding a dark secret about their childhood.
- StarsMia FarrowFletcher PrevinDylan O'Sullivan FarrowA look behind the years of sensational headlines to reveal the private story of the accusation of sexual abuse against Woody Allen involving his 7-year-old daughter with Mia Farrow.
- StarsAndrea KellyTarana BurkeTouréA six-part series about the controversial R&B star R. Kelly which features several women making allegations of abuse by him.
- StarsNatasha PavlovichGlen WingerdCarey WingerdFollows the Remnant Fellowship Church, exploring the fame and power of its leader Gwen Shambling Lara as a diet guru and church leader, and the truth behind her carefully-curated image, detailing the church's controversial practices.
- StarsJanja LalichRobert BalchBenjamin ZellerA comprehensive analysis of the UFO cult. The disappearance of 20 people, and the largest suicide on U.S. soil. Forever changing the face of modern era religion.
- DirectorEllen HovdeAlbert MayslesDavid MayslesStarsEdith Bouvier BealeEdith 'Little Edie' Bouvier BealeBrooks HyersMeet a mother and daughter, high-society dropouts, reclusive cousins of Jackie O., managing to thrive together amid the decay and disorder of their East Hampton, NY, mansion, making for an eerily ramshackle echo of the American Camelot.
- DirectorRoger Ross WilliamsAn account of the American Evangelicals' attempts to indoctrinate their Christian Right beliefs in Uganda.
- DirectorHeidi EwingRachel GradyStarsMike PapantonioLou EngleBecky FischerA documentary on kids who attend a summer camp hoping to become the next Billy Graham.
- DirectorLiz GarbusStarsTony BelizCreigh DeedsThomas InselDocumentary following three families each coping with a child affected by serious emotional or mental illness. The families explore treatment opportunities and grapple with the struggle of living with their child's condition.
- DirectorPaul SoletStarsMarvin HeemeyerPatrick BrowerGlenn Trainor Jr.Pushed to his breaking point, a master welder in a small town at the foot of the Rocky Mountains quietly fortifies a bulldozer with 30 tons of concrete and steel and seeks to destroy those he believes have wronged him.
- DirectorSasha Joseph NeulingerStarsSasha Joseph NeulingerHenry NevisonHoward NevisonDigging through the vast collection of his father's home videos, a young man reconstructs the unthinkable story of his boyhood and exposes vile abuse passed through generations.
- DirectorMichael Beach NicholsChristopher K. WalkerStarsRyan SchockHeather CookLee CookWhen a noted white supremacist moves into their town, the residents of Leith, North Dakota do what they can to prevent him from taking control of the municipality.
- DirectorPaige Goldberg TolmachStarsStuart ColemanCherry DanielEddie FischerPaige Goldberg Tolmach investigates a string of suicides from a 1979 high school graduating class.
- DirectorDaniel AlexanderStarsBernard BaranJohn G. SwomleyHarvey A. SilverglateThe heroic battle to free an innocent man. A family waiting 20 years for his return. A small town's dirty little secret.
- StarsElissa WallMike WatkissRebecca MusserExamines the rise of Warren Jeffs in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and his shocking criminal case.
- DirectorAmanda McBaineJesse MossStarsPam ArlundDan DavisLevi Davis26-year-old American missionary John Chau was killed as he attempted to make contact with an Indigenous group off the coast of India, one of the last communities on the planet still living in isolation.