If you love crime documentaries, clear your weekend schedule.
One of the best qualities of Mindhunter is that it delves into the psyche of serial killers while observing the public’s macabre fascination with these heinous people.
In the show, we’re often told that certain killers are consistently motivated and driven by the infamy and notoriety that their savage acts induce. Netflix’s latest five-part true crime series, The Confession Killer, examines the case of Henry Lee Lucas, who said he killed as many as 600 women.
It turns out the real story is far more complicated than his confession. Why would a man confess to crimes he didn’t commit?
Once regarded as ‘America’s most prolific serial killer’, Lucas is now held up as one of its greatest frauds and, as the series attests, one that law enforcement perpetrated upon itself.
The official synopsis states: “During the early ’80s, Henry Lee Lucas confessed to hundreds of murders, bringing closure to unsolved cases and grieving families. Even with no direct evidence linking Lucas to the crime scenes, he stunned authorities with his ability to sketch victims’ portraits while citing brutal details of each attack.
“Yet journalists and attorneys found impossibilities in Lucas’ timeline and DNA testing started to contradict his internationally-reported claims. The five-part docuseries will explore how the man once called America’s most prolific serial killer was really a complex figure entangled with a flawed justice system.”
Essentially, this is the story of a man intent on mythologising himself — and, perhaps more importantly, about the desire of media and law enforcement to mythologise him too.
The documentary contains plenty of interviews with the major players in the saga, interspersed with archival footage of Lucas.
Directed by Oscar nominee Robert Kenner and Taki Oldham, The Confession Killer is now available to watch on Netflix.
Take a look at what’s in store.
Clip via Netflix
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