After a few days of its release, Netflix’s latest true-crime documentary has been called hard to watch by fans.
The doc, titled American Murder: The Family Next Door, has riled viewers since its addition to the streaming service last week.
It tells the story of Chris Watts, the man who murdered his pregnant wife and their two daughters, aged three and four in 2018.
“This documentary examines the disappearance of Shan’ann Watts and her children, and the terrible events that followed,” reads Netflix’s synopsis of the show.
When Shanann Watts and her kids went missing, all eyes turned to her husband Chris.
American Murder: The Family Next Door brings this shocking crime to life through the text messages Shannan sent before she was murdered. pic.twitter.com/NNiT3UylQz
— Netflix (@netflix) September 30, 2020
American Murder has been praised for “using raw, firsthand footage” including bodycam footage of police’s visits to the family home in the wake of Shan’ann’s disappearance.
However, this footage has led to many viewers feeling disturbed, with one going so far as to say the film left them “broken”.
“God almighty, that was so disturbing,” one Netflix subscriber wrote, with another adding: “American Murder is the hardest thing I’ve ever watched. Feel physically sick.”
Others had the following to say:
American Murder: The Family Next Door (Netflix) is the best true crime documentary I’ve seen since The Jinx. It’s Cinéma vérité style features no narration, no interviews, no scripted drama. Just real footage, texts and recordings assembled to tell the horrifying tale. Loved it.
— N O S ⋊ Ɔ I ᴚ ᴚ Ǝ ᗡ ⊥ ⊥ O Ɔ S (@scottderrickson) October 6, 2020
That american murder story docu is CRAZY because i still do not even get the purpose of him KILLING his family. He coulda just gotten a divorce. Like what made him say “damn i got a gf lemme kill my family”
— WNBA YOUNGGIRL (@rsweeezy) October 7, 2020
See if you haven’t watch that American murder family next door then don’t. Honestly the most horrific thing Iv ever watched in my life. See anyone that can hurt children they don’t deserve human rights, they deserved to be tortured to death.
— Darren (@dmuz_) October 7, 2020
