Documentaries help us gain insider knowledge and more depth in certain important social issues. They also provide new conversation fodder in our day-to-day lives. When we see scandal, corruption, evil, and injustice play out on our screens at home, we begin to feel personally involved.

The key figures in the following shocking documentaries have all been exposed in such a way that their reputations and careers have never fully recovered. On these occasions, the camera was able to capture more than the subject ever intended.

10 Blackfish (2013)

Blackfish centers around an orca named Tilikum as well as the death of a SeaWorld killer whale trainer named Dawn Brancheau, who was dragged underwater by Tilikum. This was not the first violent incident involving Tilikum, who had previously dragged a trainer underwater. Luckily, that trainer survived. In 1999, a man named Daniel P. Dukes was found dead in Tilikum’s tank under suspicious circumstances.

Blackfish claimed that Tilikum and the other killer whales held in captivity were victims of cruel circumstances. These social animals were separated from their families and placed in tanks the size of only two lengths of their bodies. The ill effects of their captivity are indicated by their drooping dorsal fins—something seen in only one percent of wild killer whales.

There was widespread anger after the documentary was released, and SeaWorld suffered a $15.9 million loss due to low audience attendance. In 2018, SeaWorld and its former CEO were also ordered to pay $5 million in fines “to settle fraud charges for misleading investors about the impact the documentary film Blackfish had on the company’s reputation and business.”^[1]

9 Living With Michael Jackson (2003)

Journalist Martin Bashir had unprecedented access to Michael Jackson’s life for his fly-on-the-wall documentary Living with Michael Jackson, released in 2003. The documentary focuses on life at the Neverland Ranch, where the singer reveals that disadvantaged children are invited to sleep in his bed while he sleeps on the bedroom floor.

Bashir intended to focus on the King of Pop’s career but portrayed a very uncomfortable side to the musician instead. In one controversial scene, Jackson was seen holding hands with a 13-year-old boy on camera. Jackson made an official complaint to the independent television commission, stating he had been “unfairly treated.” He said, “Martin Bashir persuaded me to trust him. [ . . . ] Today I feel more betrayed than perhaps ever before.” He added, “Everyone who knows me will know the truth [ . . . ] that I would never harm any child.”^[2]

In 2019, a new documentary titled Leaving Neverland focused on two men, Wade Robson and James Safechuck, who alleged they were sexually abused by Jackson as children. Following its release, many radio stations decided to boycott the singer’s hit songs.

8 Going Clear: Scientology And The Prison Of Belief (2015)

Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief is a controversial commentary on the Church of Scientology and its founder, L. Ron Hubbard. Director Alex Gibney claims the church draws in followers for money while subjecting them to physical and psychological degradation. Also highlighted is the war between the IRS and the church, which is exempt from paying any taxes on the basis of religion.

According to a former church spokesman, Tom Cruise’s ex-wife Nicole Kidman was deemed a “potential trouble source” because her father was a psychologist—a profession that Scientology is against. The documentary alleges that Kidman’s phone was tapped, and Cruise had to report daily on his relationship status. Actor John Travolta was also labeled as a key figure for the brainwashing cult in the stunning expose.

Lawrence Wright, who wrote the book that led to the film, said, “[The church] always wanted celebrities who could sell Scientology. [ . . . ] We hold people like Tom Cruise and John Travolta and others responsible for not demanding change inside that church.”^[3]

7 Surviving R. Kelly (2019)

The docuseries Surviving R. Kelly caused such public outcry that record label RCA, which is owned by Sony Music, cut all ties with R. Kelly. They removed his name from their website following an online petition which gained more than 110,000 signatures.

The singer-songwriter, real name Robert Kelly, reportedly married singer Aaliyah in 1994 and falsified the records to make her appear 18 years old when she was just 15 at the time. The brief marriage was later annulled. Kelly’s former personal assistant revealed, “I had papers forged for them when Aaliyah was underage. It was just a quick little ceremony. She didn’t have on a white dress. He didn’t have on a tux. Just everyday wear. She looked worried and scared.”^[4]

According to his former victims and their families, Kelly abused and manipulated dozens of young women and girls over the years. His former backing singer, Jovante Cunningham, stated, “He destroyed a lot of people. I can’t stress to you enough how people are still suffering behind things that went on 20 years ago.”

6 Making A Murderer (2015)

Former district attorney Ken Kratz was one of the central figures in the Netflix docuseries Making A Murderer, which premiered in December 2015. Kratz prosecuted Steven Avery and Branden Dassey for the murder of Teresa Halbach in 2005. Dassey was just 16 years old when he was convicted; he had learning difficulties and a below-average IQ.

Following the release of the documentary, Kratz became Public Enemy Number One when his own crimes were brought into the spotlight. In 2010, the Associated Press reported Kratz had sent “repeated text messages trying to spark an affair with a domestic abuse victim while he was prosecuting her ex-boyfriend.” According to police reports, two more women came forward claiming they had resigned from his office due to sexual harassment.

In 2014, the Wisconsin Supreme Court suspended Kratz for four months, stating, “This was exploitative behavior, harassing behavior, and a crass placement of his personal interests above those of his client, the State of Wisconsin.” Kratz was ordered to pay the costs of disciplinary proceedings—an amount that bankrupted him.^[5]

5 The Case Of: JonBenet Ramsey (2016)

On December 26, 1996, six-year-old JonBenet Ramsey was found dead in the basement of her family home in Boulder, Colorado. Her father found her body eight hours after she was reported missing. There was also a handwritten ransom note discovered in the house, demanding $118,000 for the safe return of JonBenet.

In 2016, CBS aired the docuseries The Case of: JonBenet Ramsey to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the child’s death. Former investigators of the original case and forensic experts came together to reexamine the murder. They built a new theory that suggested JonBenet’s brother Burke, who was nine years old at the time of the crime, bludgeoned his sister to death, and the parents covered for him.

Burke Ramsey then sued CBS for $750 million. His lawyers stated, “The accusation that Burke Ramsey killed his sister was based on a compilation of lies, half-truths, manufactured information, and the intentional omission and avoidance of truthful information about the murder of JonBenet Ramsey.” The lawsuit was settled privately, and the case of JonBenet Ramsey is still unsolved.^[6]

4 Nanook Of The North (1922)

Nanook of the North, released in 1922, focused on the life of great Inuit hunter Nanook. The documentary showed Nanook and his family surviving the powerful elements of Northern Canada. Director Robert Flaherty explained, “What I want to show is the former majesty and character of these people, while it is still possible—before the white man has destroyed not only their character but the people as well.”^[7]

Flaherty was criticized for heavily staging the “real-life” events depicted in the film. Nanook can be seen harpooning a walrus and dragging it out of the Arctic waters, although the Inuit had stopped walrus-hunting a long time prior. Nanook’s igloo was proven to be a film set with a missing wall because filming inside a real igloo was too dark.

Another staged moment was when Nanook was introduced to a gramophone for the first time, and he attempted to eat the vinyl, yet Nanook knew what vinyl was long before this film. It was also revealed that Flaherty had created Nanook’s “family” much like a casting call.

3 Icarus (2017)

Filmmaker Bryan Fogel uncovered the dark truth about doping in sports for his 2017 documentary Icarus. The documentary focuses on an alleged doping program overseen by the Russian Sports Ministry which involved coaches, officials, and politicians. Whistle-blower Grigory Rodchenkov, former director of the Moscow anti-doping laboratory, fled to the US, where he went into hiding and is now protected by US authorities.

Speaking on a panel at the Sundance Film Festival, banned Olympian Lance Armstrong agreed with the level of corruption in sports. He said, “My situation five years ago, when [my doping use] came out, the organizations—USADA (The United States Anti-Doping Agency), WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) [ . . . ] the declarations [they made] were pretty strong: ‘He’s biggest fraud in the history of sport’; ‘The most sophisticated doping program that ever existed’. We don’t need to debate whether or not those statements are true, but those are strong statements. But underneath all of that you have a system that really doesn’t work that well.”^[8]

2 The Panama Papers (2018)

In 2018, The Panama Papers detailed how more than 300 reporters from 80 different countries came together to investigate offshore accounts. More than 11.5 million documents, dubbed the “Panama Papers,” were leaked by an anonymous source. The documents detailed such things as corporations that were used for illegal purposes, including fraud and tax evasion. Offshore accounts originally exploited by criminal kingpins are now tax havens for the wealthy. The financial information of many prominent public figures was exposed.

In 2017, another leak, dubbed the “Paradise Papers,” occurred. Famous names involved in this shocking expose included singer Shakira for transferring more than £30 million in musical rights to an offshore firm; Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton, who avoided paying taxes on his £16.5 million private jet; pop star Madonna, shown to be a major shareholder in a medical supply company in Bermuda; and the estate of the queen of England, which invested more than £10 million offshore in the Cayman Islands and Bermuda. However, Queen Elizabeth II was not personally involved in the investments.^[9]

1 The Staircase (2004, 2013, 2018)

On December 9, 2001, well-known author Michael Peterson discovered his wife, Kathleen, lying unconscious at the bottom of the stairs in their Forest Hills mansion in North Carolina. He claimed she must have fallen down the stairs after consuming alcohol, but the autopsy report concluded that she had sustained severe head injuries consistent with blows from a blunt object. The report stated Kathleen died from blood loss at least 90 minutes after those injuries occurred.

Peterson decided to take an “Alford plea,” which meant that he did not admit guilt but still plead guilty. In 2012 and 2013, Peterson took part in a follow-up to the docuseries The Staircase (which originally aired in France in 2004) with the intention to prove his innocence. In 2018, The Staircase was made available on Netflix, along with three new episodes providing further updates. However, the docuseries caused a very different reaction from audiences, as theories online all pointed toward Peterson’s guilt.

Director Jean Xavier de-Lestrade admitted, “[A producer] was completely convinced that it was a murder and Michael Peterson did it.” Even Lestrade himself is still unsure, explaining, “After 15 years following the case, and after spending weeks, months, and years with Michael Peterson and his family, I still can’t tell you I am convinced by something.”^[10]

Cheish Merryweather is a true crime fan and an oddities fanatic. Can either be found at house parties telling everyone Charles Manson was only 5’2″ or at home reading true crime magazines.
Twitter: @thecheish

In the past few years, true crime documentaries have skyrocketed in popularity, and it feels like once a week, a new docuseries about a serial killer or family-man-turned-murderer drops on a streaming service. As macabre and interesting as these documentaries are, sometimes the material they cover can start to feel a bit repetitive. If you’ve already attempted to remedy this by burning through Louis Theroux’s back catalog, and you’re now looking to expand your search, then this is the list for you.

Below you’ll find an eclectic mixture of documentaries about unusual subjects. There are a couple that count as true crime, but they aren’t about serial killers, and the other items on the list cover a variety of subjects, from interesting hobbies to strange subcultures.

Related: 10 Amazing Videos That Reveal The Lives Of Incredibly Unique Individuals

10 Bathtubs Over Broadway (2018)

Dava Whisenant’s indie documentary Bathtubs Over Broadway provides a window into the lost world of industrial musicals. Most popular during the ’60s and ’70s, these Broadway-level productions were created for corporations to boost company morale and sales. They staged elaborate but absurd musical numbers about products such as dog food and bathroom utilities. The Bathrooms Are Coming! (1969) is a particular delight, featuring a song with the line “my bathroom is much more than it may seem, where I wash and where I cream.”

The documentary follows Steve Young, a comedy writer for David Letterman, who stumbled upon these musicals when searching for comical LPs for the Dave’s Record Collection segment. Bathtubs Over Broadway is more than just a look into an odd world of unintentionally funny songs, though. While still retaining a feeling of weirdness, it quickly brings the viewer round to understanding the artistry of this subgenre. Surprisingly heartfelt, it was a critical hit, scoring 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.^[1]

9 The Speed Cubers (2020)

Clocking in at just 40 minutes, The Speed Cubers is about Max Park and Feliks Zemdegs, who are Rubik’s Cube-solving champions in the world of competitive speedcubing. From that premise, you might think you wouldn’t care about a niche story that centers on a puzzle cube that most people give up on within 5 minutes, but trust me, watch it, and you will.

Speedcubing is impressive to watch, with competitors usually solving the cubes in less than 10 seconds, their fingers moving so fast that they become a blur. Feliks is introduced as the king of the cubers, once holding the record for solving a classic 3x3x3 cube in the fastest time. It took him just 4.22 seconds, although that has now been beaten by Yusheng Du’s 3.47 seconds. The other speedcuber in the documentary is Max, who has autism and is quickly climbing the ranks. That sounds like the setup for a competitive and bitter rivalry, but instead, the two develop a supportive and sincere friendship. This incredibly wholesome documentary deserves to be feature-length, though, as it feels like it only skims the surface of the speedcubing world.^[2]

8 Class Action Park (2020)

Action Park, located in New Jersey and created by Gene Mulvihill, was largely operative during the ’80s and ’90s. The park became known for being dangerous, stemming from a wealth of accidents, hence the name “Class Action Park.” The documentary tells stories about the various rides and waterslides, which were built without proper attention to safety, as well as the lack of supervision due to the majority of staff being high school students who didn’t care. Burns, cuts, and broken bones were common, and after multiple people died in the Wave Pool, it was nicknamed the Grave Pool.

Although many of the anecdotes about recklessness in the park are told with nostalgic relish, the final section of the documentary takes a much darker tone as it focuses on the story of George Larsson Jr. The teenager died from a head injury after coming off of the Alpine Slide. Mulvihill covered up the death, and interviews with the bereaved family underscore how cruel, greedy, and irresponsible he truly was. Despite the injuries and deaths, improving safety standards was not a priority. Action Park was like a dark true crime version of Disneyland.^[3]

7 Three Identical Strangers (2018)

If you know nothing about Three Identical Strangers, then try to keep it that way because the less you know before watching it, the better. Directed by Tim Wardle, the documentary premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and is comprised of interviews, archive footage, and dramatic reconstructions. As the title makes clear, it is about the lives of three visually identical strangers, named Edward Galland, David Kellman, and Robert Shafran. They met by chance when they were 19, and from there, a surprising and surreal story unfolds.

Three Identical Strangers was a hit at Sundance and won the U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Storytelling. It is now being adapted into an as-of-yet-unnamed dramatic feature-length film which may push the documentary into spoiler-filled headlines in the near future. This intriguing tale is best experienced completely blind, so watch it before the movie buzz reveals the twists.^[4]

6 You Cannot Kill David Arquette (2020)

You Cannot Kill David Arquette follows the actor, best known for portraying sheriff Dewey in the Scream franchise, for two years as he attempts to return to professional wrestling. In 2000, Arquette co-starred in the wrestling comedy Ready to Rumble. To promote the movie, he featured in a World Championship Wrestling storyline, eventually winning the WCW Heavyweight title (though only for 12 days). Arquette was a fan of wrestling himself, so the cross-promo seemed fitting. But it was universally hated, and he believes it damaged his acting career.

The documentary charts his attempt to do wrestling properly, from training in Mexico to backyard fights to more serious matches. Although he has been steadily acting for years, though often not in A-list movies, his reputation in the world of wrestling never recovered, as he became the poster boy for what was wrong with the sport. Match by match, he attempts to regain the credibility he lost in 2000. Throughout the documentary, his family is often confused about why he cares and is rightfully concerned about his health, but his dedication is endearing.^[5]

5 Marwencol (2010)

Jeff Malmberg’s Marwencol is about the life of Mark Hogancamp, who developed an unusual art project to deal with trauma. Hogancamp was brutally attacked outside a bar, spent nine days in a coma, and was left with brain damage and amnesia. He could not afford therapy, so to attempt to deal with the trauma, he created a miniature World War II-era Belgian town in his backyard. He named the town Marwencol and filled it with action figures which represent people from his real life.

Malmberg sensitively enables Hogancamp to unravel his own story and also captures the beginning of Hogancamp’s journey into the art world. His photographs of Marwencol and its inhabitants have now been exhibited at a number of galleries in New York. The documentary has won numerous awards and also served as the inspiration for the film Welcome to Marwen (2018), directed by Robert Zemeckis and starring Steve Carell in the lead role. However, the film largely failed to capture the spirit of the documentary.^[6]

4 Grizzly Man (2005)

Grizzly Man chronicles the life and death of Timothy Treadwell, a bear enthusiast who, along with his girlfriend, Amie Huguenard, was eventually killed by a bear in Alaska. Werner Herzog’s documentary is made up of Treadwell’s own footage of his interactions with brown bears, along with interviews with people who knew him and bear experts. Although Herzog puts too much of himself into the documentary, the raw story about the eccentric bear-lover is captivating.

Treadwell believed wholeheartedly in humankind’s ability to coexist with nature. He spent thirteen summers in Alaska, living alongside wild grizzly bears (which he had given names like Mr. Chocolate) and treating them like large pets. On the one hand, it was inevitable that such casual interactions with dangerous animals would lead to his death, but on the other, it is astounding that he managed to spend so long living among them. Treadwell is a polarizing figure, being seen as delusional by some and as an idol by others.^[7]

3 Behind the Curve (2018)

Despite over two millennia of scientific research that agrees that the Earth is a sphere, there exists a group of people who believe the Earth is flat. Daniel J. Clark’s Behind the Curve takes these flat-Earthers as its subject, focusing mainly on two prominent members within the community, Mark Sargent and Patricia Steere. The documentary includes interviews with scientists, who easily disprove the flat Earth theory (obviously), but it is the flat-Earthers themselves who are the driving force of the narrative.

Clark approaches Sargent and Steere with empathy rather than condescension, attempting to understand them on their own terms. He explains that “shaming someone doesn’t change the way they feel about something.” The result is a documentary that feels kind rather than exploitative or cruel. Fear not, though, in giving the flat-Earthers space to explain their theory and filming their attempts to prove it through various experiments (which of course fail), there are moments of humorous absurdity.^[8]

2 The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (2007)

Seth Gordon’s documentary chronicles the fierce rivalry between Steve Wiebe, an out-of-work engineer, and Billy Mitchell, a restaurateur, to take the high-score record for the arcade game Donkey Kong. Mitchell is the reigning champ and styles himself as a villain from an action movie, while newcomer Wiebe is a genial family man. It feels silly, nostalgic, and exhilarating all at once. Regardless of whether or not you have fond memories of spending afternoons plugging quarters into arcade machines, The King of Kong will pull you in.

Mitchell’s scores have since come under suspicion because of his use of a Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator (MAME) rather than an actual arcade machine. Emulation software can easily be used to cheat, hence why scores are supposed to be logged on arcade hardware. Both Twin Galaxies, the organization dedicated to tracking high scores in arcade games, and Guinness stripped Mitchell of his records, though the latter has now reinstated them.^[9]

1 Best Worst Movie (2009)

Before seeing Best Worst Movie, it is essential to have seen the movie it is about, the so-bad-it’s-good horror-comedy Troll 2 (1990). Troll 2 was originally called Goblins and has no connection to Troll (1986). The plot follows a family who goes on a holiday to a town called Nilbog (goblin spelled backward), where vegetarian goblins turn people into plants in order to eat them. There is also a very weird sex scene involving popcorn. Best Worst Movie is directed by the movie’s child star, Michael Stephenson, and is about the making of the infamous film and its resurgence in later years.

Stephenson, who was only ten when he starred in Troll 2, spent years feeling “very embarrassed by it.” But as an adult, he realized that people had started “kind of championing” the film, sparking the idea for the documentary. Stephenson interviews many of the cast and crew about their experience of making the unintentionally hilarious movie and also charts its unexpected popularity. Best Worst Movie is a good-natured look at how a cinematic failure became a beloved cult classic.^[10]