18 Freakishly Creepy Documentaries That’ll Keep You Up At Nights

A majority of these documentaries contain disturbing subject matter.

1. There’s Something Wrong with Aunt Diane, 2011

"It's the perfect mix of creepy and sad. It's not as creepy as something about a serial killer, of course, but it's still a little oddity that'll stick in your mind after watching it."– Leila Marie Bloom, Facebook

HBO / Via hbo.com

“It’s the perfect mix of creepy and sad. It’s not as creepy as something about a serial killer, of course, but it’s still a little oddity that’ll stick in your mind after watching it.”

 

2. The Cannibal That Walked Free, 2007

"It's about Issei Sagawa, a Japanese man who was caught murdering and eating a young woman, but the police couldn't hold him since his crime was committed outside of his home country. Scary part? He's still out there walking the streets, and he doesn't hide how much he still craves human meat."– Lena Liu, Facebook

Channel Five

“It’s about Issei Sagawa, a Japanese man who was caught murdering and eating a young woman, but the police couldn’t hold him since his crime was committed outside of his home country. Scary part? He’s still out there walking the streets, and he doesn’t hide how much he still craves human meat.”

 

3. Countdown to Zero, 2010

"I've watched it several times over the years. It's chilling to know just how many close calls there have been to a nuclear attack over the years."– Marie Suzanne Todd, Facebook

Participant Media

“I’ve watched it several times over the years. It’s chilling to know just how many close calls there have been to a nuclear attack over the years.”

 

4. The Bridge, 2006

"It horrified me, creeped me out, devastated me, and gave me a few sleepless nights as well."– Michelle Gazzard, Facebook

IFC Films

“It horrified me, creeped me out, devastated me, and gave me a few sleepless nights as well.”

 

5. Dreams of a Life, 2011

Documentaries

Dogwoof Pictures

“It’s not so much creepy as it is desperately sad. It’s about Joyce Vincent, a woman who died alone in her flat and wasn’t found for three years. She died of an unknown cause, with the TV on, surrounded by half-wrapped Christmas presents.”

 

6. Tickled, 2016

Tickled follows the story of a New Zealand journalist who delves deep into the strange yet compelling world of competitive endurance tickling. What starts as a quirky news piece slowly turns into something much darker.– Suggested by elizabethm4a45b1b93

Magnolia Pictures

Tickled follows the story of a New Zealand journalist who delves deep into the strange yet compelling world of competitive endurance tickling. What starts as a quirky news piece slowly turns into something much darker.

 

7. Just, Melvin: Just Evil, 2000

"It's so disturbing! It's about incest, child abuse, and molestation in a family by one man who is truly evil. Plus, the abuser's grandson is the one who made and narrated the documentary. It's heartbreaking."– Sarah Rebecca Anastasia Andrews, Facebook

HBO

“It’s so disturbing! It’s about incest, child abuse, and molestation in a family by one man who is truly evil. Plus, the abuser’s grandson is the one who made and narrated the documentary. It’s heartbreaking.”

 

8. The Nightmare, 2015

"It's a phenomenal documentary, but it's also horrifying. It's about sleep paralysis and I was so scared to go to sleep after watching it."– korinewton13

Zipper Bros Films

“It’s a phenomenal documentary, but it’s also horrifying. It’s about sleep paralysis and I was so scared to go to sleep after watching it.”

 

9. Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About his Father, 2008

"It's about a guy that dates an older woman who is possessive and abusive. He dumps her so she murders him. When she goes to jail his poor parents have to stay in contact with her as they have custody of their grandchild. The woman's behaviour is just so disturbing."– Kj1998

MSNBC Films

“It’s about a guy that dates an older woman who is possessive and abusive. He dumps her so she murders him. When she goes to jail his poor parents have to stay in contact with her as they have custody of their grandchild. The woman’s behaviour is just so disturbing.”

 

10. Child of Rage, 1992

"It's about a little girl who was abused so severely when she was young that she had no conscience, and enjoyed seeing things suffer. It was so off-putting to see such a soft-spoken, sweet looking girl admit to killing multiple pets and wanting to see her parents dead."– rasbwrry

CBS

“It’s about a little girl who was abused so severely when she was young that she had no conscience, and enjoyed seeing things suffer. It was so off-putting to see such a soft-spoken, sweet looking girl admit to killing multiple pets and wanting to see her parents dead.”

 

11. Rats, 2016

Directed by Morgan Spurlock, Rats chronicles rat infestations around the world and details their success as a species. Be warned though, this does include graphic scenes of rats being killed. – Suggested by Catoya Lundy, Facebook

Discovery Channel

Directed by Morgan Spurlock, Rats chronicles rat infestations around the world and details their success as a species. Be warned though, this does include graphic scenes of rats being killed.

 

12. Albert Fish: In Sin He Found Salvation, 2007

"I am creepily obsessed with serial killers and this was almost too much for me. Albert Fish was a pedophile, cannibal, and serial killer with a masochistic streak. It's super disturbing and super sad as he claimed to have over 100 victims." – murruh

Waterfront Productions

“I am creepily obsessed with serial killers and this was almost too much for me. Albert Fish was a pedophile, cannibal, and serial killer with a masochistic streak. It’s super disturbing and super sad as he claimed to have over 100 victims.”

 

13. Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills, 1996

"It documents the false accusation and eventual incarnation of three teenagers for the murder of three little boys. It's chilling, it's heavy, and it's unbelievable."– leigha404414aa2

HBO

“It documents the false accusation and eventual incarnation of three teenagers for the murder of three little boys. It’s chilling, it’s heavy, and it’s unbelievable.”

 

14. Jesus Camp, 2006

"Jesus Camp is incredibly disturbing. It's about how Evangelical Christianity affects children. The kids seem brainwashed. As a Christian, seeing the effects of Biblical literalism made me scared of where my religion is headed. If you watch it, remember not all Christians are like that; it's not a representation of all of us."– maggiek

Magnolia Pictures

Jesus Camp is incredibly disturbing. It’s about how Evangelical Christianity affects children. The kids seem brainwashed. As a Christian, seeing the effects of Biblical literalism made me scared of where my religion is headed. If you watch it, remember not all Christians are like that; it’s not a representation of all of us.”

 

15. Into Eternity, 2010

"It's about the construction of Onkalo, a nuclear waste storage facility. Sounds bland, but here's the thing: The people involved are still trying to figure out how to tell humans thousands of years in the future not to open it up. If pondering the vastness of time, the concept of your own mortality, and the insignificance of our current cultures and languages in the face of millennia is something that terrifies you as much as it does me, then you'll find this to be a real head-fuck. Enjoy."– TessInSpace

Films Transit International

“It’s about the construction of Onkalo, a nuclear waste storage facility. Sounds bland, but here’s the thing: The people involved are still trying to figure out how to tell humans thousands of years in the future not to open it up. If pondering the vastness of time, the concept of your own mortality, and the insignificance of our current cultures and languages in the face of millennia is something that terrifies you as much as it does me, then you’ll find this to be a real head-fuck. Enjoy.”

 

16. Cropsey, 2009

"I had never heard of the urban legend around Cropsey before I watched this documentary. It's filled with so many eerie twists and turns, it'll be hard to sleep soundly after watching."– Kelsey Loesch, Facebook

Breaking Glass Pictures

“I had never heard of the urban legend around Cropsey before I watched this documentary. It’s filled with so many eerie twists and turns, it’ll be hard to sleep soundly after watching.”

 

17. Room 237, 2012

Ever since Stanley Kubrick's The Shining was released in 1980, people have come up with hundreds of different theories about the messages and meanings hidden in the movie. Room 237 focuses on all of the different interpretations for the iconic horror film. – Suggested by siobhansands

IFC Films

Ever since Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining was released in 1980, people have come up with hundreds of different theories about the messages and meanings hidden in the movie. Room 237 focuses on all of the different interpretations for the iconic horror film.

 

18. Beware the Slenderman, 2016

"It's an HBO documentary about two pre-teens who stabbed their friend to appease the fictional horror character Slenderman. It goes into the lore around Slenderman and the stabbing itself. Most eerily, it explores the muddy differences between fantasy and reality for children, and for people suffering from certain mental illnesses. It will momentarily make you question how strong your connection to reality really is."– christineantoinetter

HBO

“It’s an HBO documentary about two pre-teens who stabbed their friend to appease the fictional horror character Slenderman. It goes into the lore around Slenderman and the stabbing itself. Most eerily, it explores the muddy differences between fantasy and reality for children, and for people suffering from certain mental illnesses. It will momentarily make you question how strong your connection to reality really is.”

 

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