Quartile rating: 6/10 · 1 rating
Serial killer Dennis Nilsen narrates his life and horrific crimes via a series of chilling audiotapes recorded from his jail cell.
This Netflix documentary about Dennis Nilsen uses the killer's own audiotapes as its central hook, giving it a distinctive and unsettling first-person framing that elevates it above typical true crime fare. However, the production is fairly conventional in execution — standard talking heads, archival footage, and reconstructions — which limits its cinematographic and formal ambition. The narrative structure is serviceable but uneven, and the ending feels abrupt without offering much psychological insight or resolution. The audiotape conceit is genuinely novel but the surrounding filmmaking doesn't fully capitalize on it. Acting (interviewees, participants) is unremarkable. Overall it sits slightly above average for the genre thanks to its primary source material but falls short of being a truly distinguished documentary.