If you don't know anything about the Watts case, this is a great way to become familiarized with it. And that's why I like this documentary because it's a good introduction to the case and it shows what an absolute piece of shit Chris Watts is, which I believe is something everyone on earth should know.
However, I wish it was more in-depth. I do like the fact that they used all this real footage and allowed them, both Shannan and Chris, to present themselves in their own words. But I wish it went beyond that. There's SO MUCH MORE to this case. I've watched so many videos, interviews, and I also read the case file, which is almost 2000 pages, and I wish they would've explored all that more deeply.
This is one of the most heartbreaking, shocking, and disheartening cases you'll ever come across, and this is coming from someone who constantly consumes true crime content. That much is clear from the documentary, so it's a good one. An important watch!
Netflix has truly excelled with their latest true crime documentary film, presenting a gripping narrative that delves into the intricate details of the case with remarkable professionalism and impartiality. The storytelling is conducted in a manner that feels both neutral and meticulously accurate, drawing from a wealth of sources including extensive news coverage. The documentary succeeds in offering viewers a comprehensive understanding of the events while maintaining a high standard of journalistic integrity. It's a testament to Netflix's commitment to delivering compelling and thought-provoking content in the realm of true crime storytelling.
Having seen other documentaries on this case, I found this one to be the most in-depth and insightful. The use of footage from the neighbor's camera and police body cams provided a unique and raw perspective that added to the overall impact of the film. The story itself is truly shocking and heartbreaking, and this documentary does an excellent job of presenting the facts and exploring the complexities of the case.
This is one of the first stories you can understand with all body cam footage, from the first officer to the interrogations and court case. The text messages and photos from Facebook really contextualized the family. This case is one of those that is so shocking, and leaves you baffled. The insanity of the father is unnoticed, since he lives a relatively normal life. The scene with him explaining the death of his daughters is absolutely terrible and sad to hear.
I watched a fantastic video that focused more on the murderer Chris Watts’ abysmal turn in the interrogation. It focuses a lot less on Shanann (which is a good thing because the documentary throwing mean comments towards her did nothing for the story). Check out JCS Criminal Psychology Chris Watts for a better analysis if you are interested in the case.
The truest true crime you'll ever see.
For a found footage slut like me, this film is the Holy Grail. A found footage true crime documentary that has only REAL footage!? Are you kidding me!?
An excellently-produced documentary covering the investigation of the disappearance of pregnant mom-of-two Shanann Watts (34) and her daughters Bella (4) and Celeste (3), and the timeline, documentation and media coverage leading up to the discovery of their triple murder and following on from the killer's arrest.
I most appreciate the way that it uses real text messages, footage recorded prior to their deaths by Shanann and her friends and family, and recordings made by the authorities and everyone else immediately after the fact.
My only quibble with the doc is that it could have been more in-depth than it ended up being, but it does work well as a film, in both length and pacing. I do like that it gives a more in-depth view of the family's lives than most such casefile films could, and better still, it doesn't use them to sensationalise, or to make Shanann look like a bad mother, as has been done with victims who were popular social media figures in many similar situations in the past. Despite the bit showing how horrible people on the internet were about her after she and her girls vanished, and how much that hurt the people who'd loved her. I do wish folk wouldn't do that! .
I don't really feel I should review the actual case in a post like this, on a site like this, or that it's my place, but I do have one final thing to say - or two? Hearing that Watts actually bundled his two little daughters into the backseat of his truck right next to the murdered body of their mom and, as if that alone hadn't been sufficiently horrendous, went on to murder sleepy, tiny, three-year-old CeCe right in front of four-year-old Bella, who was awake, coherent, adored her daddy and had reportedly been questioning what was going on the whole time, was just about old enough to understand how badly he'd hurt them both, and seems to have been pretty protective towards her baby sister ... There isn't much I've heard about this case, or similar ones, that's more carelessly, heartlessly, casually evil than that considered action. On a second watch, the recording where Bella sings that song about her daddy being a hero ... that's even more of a gut punch in hindsight. That poor baby.
I also feel I should say, I completely believe Shanann's dad's idea about how she herself died. There's no way a mom who loved her babies as much as Shanann obviously did would give in to being murdered without a fight, leaving not a single defensive injury on him at all. She probably was sleeping when he killed her, just as her father believes.
Not that that makes any of this case any better. I doubt anything could. But it's covered about as well as it could be in a documentary of this length, I believe.
That is one fucked up dude.
What a fkin arsehole how could you do that to your own kids
Talk about over sharing on social media. It’s a sign someone is lonely. May she rest in peace
A heartbreaking story that i didn't know before i watch this.It's so disturbing and makes you angry in every possible way..I have no words..
Very interesting documentary. I had already heard about this story but I was very pleased to be able to see step by step what happened.
I find it really rediculous how he lied from the start without even succeeding and laughed when asked about things.
I don't really know what to do with this one. I want to rate the thing high as I recognize a decent documentary when I see one, but it is a HARD, hard watch this. What impacts me the most is that they used real footage of the family from social media etc. You sit there and watch this beautiful family and...waiting for the inevitable. This is not for everyone...that's for sure.
I ended up rating it how I did because of how well made the documentary was, not how much I enjoyed it because I, sure as hell, had a hard time watching it...
Unimaginable. However, apart from that, the fact how much information can be extracted from social media is also a bit scary...
As with a lot of true crime stuff, it's hard for me to rate them very highly unless they're bringing something new to the table. I've already watched a ridiculous amount of Chris Watts case coverage and this did nothing to add to it. It felt like the case in fast forward. I noticed technically it very nice, as in, a lot of the famous interrogation or body cam footage was extremely cleaned up and HD this time around. But there was no new info at all. It was also rather strange that they presented the mistress as an innocent bystander when there is much, much more to her story than that. Anyways, I think it's a good primer, if nothing else.
THE WACPINE OF ‘AMERICAN MURDER: THE FAMILY NEXT DOOR’
WRITING: 6
ATMOSPHERE: 8
CHARACTERS: 6
PRODUCTION: 8
INTRIGUE: 7
NOVELTY: 7
ENJOYMENT: 8
The Good:
Largely told through CCTV, camcorder and social media footage, this documentary feels grounded in reality by being slightly rough around the edges. There is something oddly satisfying about a true story being told in this way.
Amazingly, despite the structure of the documentary, there is some strand of a plot weaves within the narrative.
The emotional impact of this if hits harder and feels more authentic than with many similar documentaries, mostly thanks to the raw footage shown.
Those interrogation room scenes are pretty freaking intense to watch. The growing realization as to what has happened hits very hard.
The Bad:
The unusual presentation makes the structure kind of messy an incoherent and the pacing is a bit off. The resulting production feels amateurish and unfinished.
The film mostly follows one track and doesn't sprawl out very much, making it feel like a one-sided documentary not intent on sparking a discussion or presenting different theories.
Unlike the best documentaries, this one isn't intent on finding answers and trying to understand why thing happened the way they did. Instead, it focuses on just telling us exactly how the world came to know about what had happened.
You could call this a Wikipedia article in film format. It tells us how and when stiff happens but doesn't give us context or present reasons.
The Ugly:
Christopher's confession.
WACPINE RATING: 7.14 / 10 = 3,5 stars
Review by Dodz GacuyaBlockedParentSpoilers2020-10-05T07:37:57Z— updated 2020-10-06T20:47:16Z
So I watched the new Netflix documentary American Murder: Family Next Door. Halfway of watching it, just wanted to shut it down because I could not bear watching the kids being murdered by their own dad whom they considered as hero. My God. From the start, I knew Chris, the father, is the primary suspect because if Shannan has been abducted along with her kids, some suspect would already have been negotiating for ransom in exchange for their lives.
It was only 10 minutes before the documentary has to end that he started to admit of killing his wife. He denied that he killed his children, that it was Shannan who both killed them. Well, dead man tells no tale as they said. How could Shannan do it, it doesn't make any sense. First, she was not an abusive wife and as a mother of two kids. Second, she loved her family so much. Chris would have called 911 immediately for fucking sake but instead he strangled her to death and his kids were even watching on what happened to their mom. He imediately drove and dug a grave for her wife's body in the vicinity of an oil field while he also disposed his children in an oil drum, treated it as garbage bin for her children's bodies.
All because of a rich fucking mistress, he wanted a fresh life and just murdered his family altogether. He could have settled for divorce instead. But he chose to reveal his true color, his sociopathic life. Criminal like him is a waste of American's taxes.
WARNING: DON'T LET YOUR KIDS WATCH THIS