If you’ve been binge‑watching true‑crime series and feel the genre’s themes are beginning to echo each other, it’s time to broaden your documentary horizons. The top 10 documentaries below shine a light on off‑beat topics that range from quirky hobbies to downright strange subcultures, proving there’s plenty of fascinating material beyond serial killers and courtroom drama.
Top 10 Documentaries to Watch Now
10 Bathtubs Over Broadway (2018)
Dava Whisenant’s indie gem Bathtubs Over Broadway lifts the curtain on the forgotten realm of industrial musicals—lavish, Broadway‑style productions commissioned by corporations during the 1960s and ’70s to hype everything from dog food to bathroom fixtures. One standout number, “The Bathrooms Are Coming!” (1969), even boasts the tongue‑in‑cheek lyric, “my bathroom is much more than it may seem, where I wash and where I cream.”
The film trails Steve Young, a comedy writer for David Letterman, who unearthed these bizarre LPs while hunting material for his “Dave’s Record Collection” segment. While the documentary revels in the sheer oddness of these over‑the‑top songs, it also guides viewers to appreciate the craftsmanship behind this niche genre. Its heartfelt tone earned it a perfect 100% Rotten Tomatoes rating, cementing its status as a critical darling.
9 The Speed Cubers (2020)
Clocking in at a breezy 40 minutes, The Speed Cubers zooms into the high‑octane world of Rubik’s Cube speed‑solving, spotlighting two prodigies: Max Park and Feliks Zemdegs. At first glance, a documentary about a puzzle many abandon after a few frantic twists might seem dry, but the film’s kinetic energy quickly flips that notion.
Speed‑cubers routinely crack the cube in under ten seconds, their fingers a blur of motion. Feliks, once the world’s record‑holder with a 4.22‑second solve (now eclipsed by Yusheng Du’s 3.47 seconds), is introduced as the reigning king. Max, who lives with autism, is rapidly climbing the ranks. Rather than a cut‑throat rivalry, the film showcases a warm, supportive friendship between the two, leaving viewers wishing for a longer, deeper dive into this fascinating sport.
8 Class Action Park (2020)
Action Park, the New Jersey water‑park brainchild of Gene Mulvihill, earned infamy throughout the 1980s and ’90s for its reckless design and lax supervision. The park’s rides—built with little regard for safety and run largely by bored high‑school staff—produced a litany of burns, cuts, broken bones, and even multiple deaths, most notably in the ill‑fated Wave Pool, nicknamed the “Grave Pool.”
While nostalgic anecdotes celebrate the park’s adrenaline‑fueled chaos, the documentary’s latter half turns somber, focusing on the tragic story of teenager George Larsson Jr., who died from a head injury on the Alpine Slide. Mulvihill’s subsequent cover‑up is laid bare through interviews with Larsson’s grieving family, revealing a stark portrait of corporate greed and negligence. In many ways, Action Park feels like a dark true‑crime counterpart to Disneyland.
7 Three Identical Strangers (2018)
Approach Three Identical Strangers with your curiosity intact, because the less you know beforehand, the more mind‑blowing the experience. Directed by Tim Wardle, the film premiered at Sundance 2018 and weaves together interviews, archival footage, and dramatic reenactments to tell the story of three identical twins—Edward Galland, David Kellman, and Robert Shafran—who discovered each other at age 19.
The documentary earned the U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Storytelling at Sundance and is currently being adapted into a feature film. Its layered narrative, which unspools a secretive adoption study, is best consumed blind, ensuring the audience experiences the same shocking twists as the twins themselves.
6 You Cannot Kill David Arquette (2020)
Actor David Arquette, forever linked to his role as Sheriff Dewey in the Scream franchise, spends two years in You Cannot Kill David Arquette attempting a comeback in professional wrestling. After co‑starring in the 2000 wrestling comedy Ready to Rumble, Arquette briefly captured the WCW Heavyweight title—a 12‑day reign that was widely panned and, Arquette believes, tarnished his acting reputation.
The documentary follows his grueling training in Mexico, backyard bouts, and more serious matches, highlighting the tension between his family’s bewilderment and his unwavering passion. Though Arquette has maintained a steady acting career, his wrestling endeavors have labeled him a cautionary tale within the sport, making his earnest quest both endearing and poignant.
5 Marwencol (2010)
Jeff Malmberg’s Marwencol chronicles the extraordinary healing journey of Mark Hogancamp, who survived a brutal assault that left him with brain damage and amnesia. Unable to afford conventional therapy, Hogancamp constructed a miniature, World‑War‑II‑era Belgian town in his backyard, dubbing it “Marwencol,” and populated it with action‑figure stand‑ins for the people in his life.
The film sensitively captures Hogancamp’s self‑exploration and the emergence of his art, which has since been exhibited in New York galleries. Garnering numerous awards, the documentary also inspired Robert Zemeckis’s feature Welcome to Marwen (2018), starring Steve Carell, though the latter failed to capture the original’s intimate spirit.
4 Grizzly Man (2005)
Werner Herzog’s Grizzly Man delves into the life and tragic death of Timothy Treadwell, a self‑styled bear enthusiast who, alongside his partner Amie Huguenard, was ultimately killed by a grizzly in Alaska. The film blends Treadwell’s own footage of his close encounters with brown bears, interviews with acquaintances, and commentary from bear experts.
Treadwell believed humans could peacefully coexist with wildlife, spending thirteen Alaskan summers living among the bears he affectionately named—like “Mr. Chocolate.” While his approach sparked both admiration and criticism, Herzog’s narrative paints a complex portrait of a man whose fervor bordered on delusion, yet also inspired a deep, if contentious, reverence for nature.
3 Behind the Curve (2018)
Despite millennia of scientific consensus confirming Earth’s spherical shape, a fervent community still champions a flat‑Earth model. Daniel J. Clark’s Behind the Curve centers on two prominent flat‑Earthers—Mark Sargent and Patricia Steere—while juxtaposing their beliefs with interviews from skeptical scientists.
Clark approaches his subjects with empathy rather than mockery, illustrating that shaming rarely changes convictions. The documentary captures both the earnest attempts of its protagonists to prove their theory through experiments (which inevitably fail) and the humorous absurdity that ensues, resulting in a kind, thought‑provoking viewing experience.
2 The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (2007)
Seth Gordon’s film follows the fierce rivalry between Steve Wiebe, an out‑of‑work engineer, and Billy Mitchell, a restaurateur, as they vie for the Donkey Kong high‑score record. Mitchell, the incumbent champion, adopts a cinematic villain persona, while Wiebe emerges as a relatable family man, making the competition feel both nostalgic and exhilarating.
Mitchell’s scores later came under scrutiny due to his use of a Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator (MAME) rather than authentic hardware, raising concerns about cheating. Both Twin Galaxies and Guinness initially stripped Mitchell of his records, though the latter eventually reinstated them, adding another twist to the high‑score saga.
1 Best Worst Movie (2009)
Before diving into Best Worst Movie, you’ll need to watch the infamous 1990 horror‑comedy Troll 2, originally titled Goblins. The film follows a family vacationing in the town of Nilbog—Goblin spelled backward—where vegetarian goblins aim to turn humans into plants for consumption, complete with a baffling popcorn‑related sex scene.
Directed by Michael Stephenson, the child star of Troll 2, the documentary explores how the film’s creator, once embarrassed by his role, later embraced its cult status. Interviews with cast and crew detail the movie’s chaotic production and its unexpected rise to beloved cult classic, offering a good‑natured look at cinematic failure turned triumph.