There are so many true crime stories out there that it’s getting harder to tell which ones are truly worth watching. Some documentaries pull you in immediately, while others feel either too flat or too sensationalised.
Aileen: Queen of Serial Killers tries to strike a balance exploring the life and crimes of Aileen Wuornos, one of the most infamous female serial killers in American history.
The film traces Wuornos’s harrowing childhood, her years of instability, and the sequence of events that led to seven murders in Florida between 1989 and 1990. Wuornos claimed she acted in self-defence after being sexually assaulted by her clients, though the courts ultimately rejected that defence. The documentary doesn’t offer a neat resolution instead, it leaves viewers uneasy, torn between empathy and horror.
While the story itself is fascinating, the film sometimes wavers in tone. It aims to humanize Wuornos but occasionally leans too heavily on sensational imagery. The archival footage and interviews are powerful, yet certain scenes linger longer than necessary, more for emotional impact than insight. Still, the director deserves credit for refusing to portray Wuornos as either pure monster or misunderstood victim. She emerges as both fragile and furious a deeply damaged woman whose life spiralled beyond her control.
By the end, what lingers isn’t just the violence, but the unsettling realization of how easily her story became entertainment.
Aileen: Queen of Serial Killers forces us to confront not only her crimes, but our own obsession with them.