10 Documentaries That Will Terrify You More Than Any Horror Movie
Documentaries are an incredible medium to tell stories and examine issues that would otherwise be too difficult to capture in other ways. That’s why it should come as no surprise that they can also be way more terrifying than horror movies, especially if the issue being documented has taken place within your lifetime or close to you geographically. If you’re looking for something to watch over Halloween weekend that will terrify you like no fictional horror movie ever could, look no further than these 10 documentaries you should watch that are scarier than horror movies.
1) Blackfish
Many movies can be classified as horror, but what about documentaries? Sure there are a lot of bad horror movies out there, but do they really scare you more than these documentaries? Although these documentaries may not make you jump in your seat with fright or make you scream like a girl, they will give you the heebie-jeebies and make your stomach churn. You may want to bring a barf bag with you when watching some of these…
2) The Act of Killing
The Act of Killing is a difficult documentary to watch because it explores some pretty heavy themes. It follows a group of Indonesian death squad leaders, who admit they enjoyed killing innocent people and even sometimes ate their victims. The horrific tales that these men recount as proudly as if they were reliving a favorite movie makes this film one of the most disturbing and eye-opening documentaries ever made.
3) Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead
Most people are familiar with the term Food Inc. through documentaries or from books and articles. This documentary takes a deeper look at how the food system impacts not only consumers but also our whole world. We also learn more about obesity and a drug used to help reduce fat called Lorcaserin that works as an appetite suppressant. The third part of this documentary is about type 2 diabetes and its causes, side effects, and various treatment options available.
4) The Green Prince
One of the most terrifying documentaries is The Green Prince. The film follows Mosab Hassan Yousef, the son of one of the founders of Hamas. After his father was sentenced to life in prison, Yousef became an informant for Shin Bet, Israel’s Security Agency. He successfully smuggled secrets and led Shin Bet to a cache of missiles in 1996. He eventually went on to become an Israeli citizen and a political activist for peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
5) The True Cost
Whether it be raising cattle or factory farming, no one has escaped the Western world’s obsession with cheap clothing. However, they come at a terrible cost to human health and the environment. The True Cost is an Academy Award-nominated documentary that dives deep into this dark side of the fashion industry. If you’re looking for a dose of reality in your Halloween movie night, here are 10 documentaries that will terrify you more than any horror movie.
6) Cartel Land
Some documentaries will leave you with nightmares that last long after the credits roll. Here are 10 documentaries that will terrify you more than any horror movie, and they’re all streaming on Netflix.
7) Into the Abyss: A Tale of Death, A Tale of Life
There are plenty of documentaries out there that will make you want to sleep with the lights on, and Into the Abyss is no exception. Director Werner Herzog takes you through some of the most brutal crimes in America’s history, all in graphic detail. You’ll want to look away, but that’s what makes it so haunting.
8) Dear Zachary
Dear Zachary is a documentary directed by Kurt Kuenne. This documentary follows Dr. Andrew Bagby’s two best friends as they document their experience while pursuing the truth about Dr. Bagby’s death from cancer. This story feels like it could have been taken from a horror movie and shows the effects of not just one but two murders on those left behind. The first thing that comes to mind when watching this film is how hard it is to believe that anyone would try to make someone else pay for another person’s crime, never mind such a heinous one.
9) An Inconvenient Truth
Some documentaries really hold the power to terrify you more than any horror movie ever could. These powerful films are more grounded in the reality of the world we live in, with the power to deeply affect those who watch them. Here are ten documentary films that are scarier than any horror movie!
10) Winter on Fire
Some of the scariest movies are made with actors and it is easy to brush off the content as fictional. What you see in documentaries is not acted out. People’s lives are being affected or lost every day for these causes. The idea that this could happen to anyone becomes much more realistic than thinking that a movie character might die because they are fictitious.
