Stuck inside? Horror documentaries are the next level of horror for a lot of genre fans. So, while everyone's enjoying some quality time with their couch, it's a great time to settle in with some spine-chilling documentaries. In 2020, all of the biggest streaming services have been releasing new and terrifying offerings from true crime to horror movie history to reality television.
Horror documentaries focus on the macabre with a darker bent than other documentaries, and typically explore true crime, paranormal investigation, horror media, or horror as a genre. While other topics may delve into the horrific or extreme, and not all documentaries covering these topics may feel like horror, these are the most common topics found in the films recommended here.
This list spans the five most popular streaming services: Netflix, Hulu, Shudder, Amazon Prime, and HBO with five recommendations from each platform to compile the best horror documentaries they have available for 2020. With picks from a variety of documentarians and cultural sources, film styles, and genres, there's sure to be something that will please everyone.
Best Horror Documentaries On Netflix
Dark Tourist: From a death-worshipping cult in Mexico to the most extreme haunted house, journalist David Farrier gives you a first-hand look at the weirdest and most macabre tourist attractions.
Tell Me Who I Am: Alex Lewis lost much of his childhood memories due to a motorcycle accident when he was 18. Thankfully, his twin brother Marcus is there to help him reconstruct all the lost memories, but Marcus is hiding a dark family secret.
Haunted: From the producers of The Purge and Lore, Haunted documents peoples’ real-life experiences with horror and the supernatural from a pair of serial killer parents to terrifying visions.
Murder Maps: A combination of reenactments and archival evidence follows the most shocking crimes in British history and how the most infamous killers were brought to justice.
Don’t F*** With Cats: After an anonymous poster shares a graphic video of himself killing two kittens, a group of internet sleuths band together to catch the offender.
Best Horror Documentaries On Hulu
Wrinkles the Clown: When mysterious videos of a dangerous clown who likes to scare misbehaving children in Florida appear online, the character rapidly gains notoriety and starts popping up everywhere, but who is Wrinkles the Clown?
Demon House: This series follows paranormal investigator Zak Bagans as he purchases the infamous house where the infamous Ammons hauntings occurred and then leads a team of paranormal investigators as they document the home.
The Curse of Oak Island: This Canadian reality series follows brothers Marty and Rick Lagina as they search Oak Island for the treasure that’s speculated to be hidden there, while also examining the island’s history, folklore, and previous attempts to find the treasure.
The Most Dangerous Animal of All: Based on the best-selling book of the same name, this four-part documentary series follows one man’s search for his estranged father only to discover the horrifying truth that he may, in fact, be the infamous Zodiac Killer.
Hunt for the Skinwalker: Skinwalker Ranch is one of the most infamous paranormal hotspots, home to innumerable reports of strange happenings. This documentary pieces together previously unreleased interviews and footage to investigate what might really be going on out there in the desert.
Best Horror Documentaries On Shudder
Why Horror?: Horror movie fanatic and journalist Tal Zimmerman explores the psychology of horror around the world with interviews from some of the biggest names in the genre to better understand why people love to be scared.
Horror Noire: Delving into those who shaped horror’s past and future, Horror Noire is a look at the often untold history of black Americans in the film world and their unique connection to the horror genre, specifically.
Eli Roth’s History of Horror: Eli Roth explores the horror genre through hour-long episodes interviewing stars and experts as they discuss horror as a genre, its evolution through the years, how it’s impacted society, and how it maintains its fanbase.
Killer Legends: Two documentary filmmakers, Joshua Zeman and Rachel Mills, delve into local urban legends from their childhoods and the true stories that may have inspired them.
Smoke & Mirrors: The Story of Tom Savini: Starting from his early days in Pittsburg, this film follows the career of special effects titan Tom Savini from humble beginnings to his rise to stardom through never-before-seen interviews with the man himself.
Best Horror Documentaries On Amazon Prime
Hellier: A small crew of paranormal investigators explore a dying coal town to follow up on a series of strange coincidences in the hopes of uncovering the truth about a decades-old mystery.
Room 237: For fans of The Shining, Room 237 explores a variety of fan theories and interpretations of Stanley Kubrick’s biggest movie from the reasonable to the highly bizarre.
The Blackout Experiments: When a group of friends becomes obsessed with Blackout, the pass-out game, their obsession turns darker and begins to gradually take over their lives and blur the lines between the real and the fantastical.
The Evil of Nowhere: When four paranormal enthusiasts travel to a farmhouse in the middle of nowhere, they discover some truly shocking evidence of presences in the house and come face to face with evil.
The Nightmare: In this highly acclaimed exploration of sleep paralysis, documentarian Rodney Ascher interviews eight people who experience sleep paralysis about their experiences and their beliefs on the phenomenon.
Best Horror Documentaries On HBO
Beware the Slenderman: The infamous creepypasta character, Slenderman, has entered the cultural zeitgeist in recent years, but what happens when this character is combined with young teens not quite able to distinguish fantasy from reality?
I Love You, Now Die: The Commonwealth Vs. Michelle Carter: When her boyfriend was found dead of suicide inside his car, Michelle Carter came into the spotlight for actively encouraging him to kill himself. This documentary follows her trials.
Mommy Dead and Dearest: When Dee Dee Blanchard is found dead in her home, killed by her daughter and her boyfriend, Dee Dee’s web of lies starts to unravel as Gypsy Rose Blanchard is finally able to tell her story.
Thought Crimes: The Case Of The Cannibal Cop: A NYPD cop posts about wanting to kidnap and eat women on a cannibal fetish chat board, but should someone be able to be convicted for crimes they have only thought about committing?
The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst: Real estate heir Robert Durst has long been suspected in the disappearance of his wife, the murder of family friend Susan Berman, and the killing of their neighbor Morris Black, but who is Robert Durst, really?