US2 min(s) read
Published 13:24 21 May 2026 GMT
Netflix viewers who were left gripped by The Crash documentary about Mackenzie Shirilla are now being urged to watch another devastating true-crime film immediately afterwards.
The Crash has climbed to the number one spot on Netflix, with audiences becoming obsessed with the shocking story surrounding a fatal car accident involving three young people, resulting in a disturbing murder investigation.
With Shirilla now serving a life sentence for double-murder, the documentary explores the central question that has divided viewers since the case first made headlines: was it a tragic accident, or something far more sinister?
But once viewers finish The Crash, many true-crime fans are recommending American Murder: The Family Next Door as the next must-watch.
The gut-wrenching documentary follows the murders of Shanann Watts and her daughters, Bella and Celeste, after they vanished from their Colorado home in 2018. Suspicion quickly turned toward Shanann’s husband, Chris Watts.
Seven years later, the case still horrifies audiences, particularly because Watts initially presented himself as a devastated husband pleading for help to find his missing family.
In August 2018, Watts murdered his pregnant wife Shanann, who was 15 weeks pregnant, along with their daughters Bella, four, and Celeste, three.
He later admitted to strangling Shanann and smothering the children before hiding their bodies inside oil tanks at the site where he worked.
Now 40 years old, Watts is serving a life sentence at the Dodge Correctional Institution after pleading guilty to the murders.
The documentary also revisits the intense public fascination surrounding the case, including renewed interest in Nichol Kessinger, who was having an affair with Watts around the time of the killings.
Kessinger has largely disappeared from public view in the years since, with online communities continuing to speculate about where she is now.
Despite pleading guilty, Watts has also repeatedly tried to shift blame for the murders over the years.
“The horrific nature of the murders, combined with the father-of-three’s initial portrayal of himself as a desperate husband searching for his missing family, captivated the public,” the documentary notes.
“But in the years since, Watts has attempted to deflect responsibility for the crime, even going so far as to blame others for his actions.”
