Top 10 Shocking Moments in Documentaries

“Jesus Camp” (2006)
At the Kids on Fire School of Ministry, children were taught to disregard science, and urged to speak in tongues. “Jesus Camp” allowed us to be a fly on the wall in their world - and what a horrifying world it was! One of the documentary’s most intense moments featured the ministry’s leader, whose lecture about sin quickly escalated into a condemnation of her young disciples. She called them “phonies” and “hypocrites,” claiming that they acted differently in school than they did in church. Even something as mundane as reading “Harry Potter” was said to be sinful. It became difficult to watch as she poured water over the hands of the crying youth, telling them that this was their only hope of salvation.

“The Cove” (2009)
Ric O'Barry may not be a household name, but his work capturing and training dolphins in the 1960s made “Flipper” possible. It was through this first-hand experience with the creatures that O’Barry came to realize that the capturing of dolphins was inhumane. He immediately dedicated his life to animal activism. In the late 2000s, these strongly held beliefs would lead him to taking a prominent role in the creation of “The Cove,” a conservationist documentary exposing the realities of the Taiji dolphin drive hunt. One of the film’s most shocking sequences sees the water slowly turn red as the unspeakable happens off-screen. The haunting imagery understandably struck a chord with viewers, and helped earn the film an Academy Award in 2010.

“Tickled” (2016)
Competitive tickling may seem silly, but looks can be deceiving. What started as a lighthearted curiosity project of reporter David Farrier quickly gave way to a complex web of abuse and deceit, headed by a man of many names. Financed by family money, David D’Amato lured desperate young men to his studio, where they’d be filmed being restrained and tickled. Participants in the documentary claimed they didn’t know much about the project until they showed up, and any pushback about the footage’s release incurred D’Amato’s wrath. Near the end of the film, the filmmakers got the chance to confront the infamous D’Amato firsthand. Finally seeing the man behind the myth was as much of a shock to them as it was to us!

“The Staircase” (2004; 2013; 2018)
When Michael Peterson found his wife at the bottom of a staircase, no one could have guessed the media frenzy that would follow. What was initially believed to be a freak accident became suspicious as details were uncovered about the widowed novelist’s secret life. The first topic of conversation was his closeted sexuality. Evidence showed that Peterson was having illicit relations with men, which prosecutors believed must have led to a deadly argument. Surprisingly, this wasn’t even the docuseries’ most incriminating revelation. In its third episode, the series revealed that Peterson’s friend had died in a similar fashion as his wife eighteen years prior. The case’s twists and turns were so compelling that they eventually inspired a fictionalized account in 2022.

“Three Identical Strangers” (2018)
For Robert Shafran, starting college was a life changing event. On his first day, he was mistaken for a young man named Eddy, who he would later learn was his twin brother. This seemingly once in a lifetime occurrence was repeated when a third boy heard the unbelievable news and realized he looked just like the long lost brothers. David, Eddy, and Robert were revealed to be triplets, and delighted in their shared quirks and interests on national television. Unfortunately, the circumstances of the boys’ separation was more nefarious than initially assumed. “Three Identical Strangers” reveals that the boys were used in a “nature vs nurture” experiment, deliberately separated into houses of different incomes and periodically studied.

“Grizzly Man” (2005)
Timothy Treadwell dedicated his life to bears, but that dedication ultimately led to his passing. The environmentalist took regular trips to Katmai National Park to film the animals there, often leaving at the end of the summer. Although he was criticized, this seemed to work for him until 2003, when he extended his stay. Likely in their preparation for hibernation, the park’s bears seemingly became more aggressive, eventually killing both Treadwell and his partner. The attack was recorded on his equipment which, after his death, came into the possession of his ex. A disquieting scene in “Grizzly Man” showed writer-director Werner Herzog listening to the tape for the first time. We didn’t hear the audio as an audience, but Herzog’s demeanor said it all.

“The Imposter” (2012)
When the Barclay family’s son Nicholas seemed to miraculously be found, he spoke with a French accent, and had brown eyes instead of blue. They didn’t question it. Even a court turned a blind eye to the discrepancies, granting the boy US citizenship and welcoming him home. It wasn’t until a private investigator caught wind of the story that the “teen” was revealed to be 23 year old Frédéric Bourdin, a “serial impersonator”. It was then that Bourdin flipped the script once more. While being questioned, the man claimed that the Barclays only claimed him because they were responsible for the real Nicholas’ death. …But can you really believe an imposter?

“The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst” (2015)
In 2001, gruesome evidence of a murder washed up on the shore of Galveston. The ensuing investigation would lead police to the victim’s neighbor, real estate heir Robert Durst. “The Jinx” painted a complex picture of the man, revealing his suspected involvement in the disappearance of his wife in 1982, and the death of writer Susan Berman in 2000. In the docuseries’ final episode, a piece of evidence was found that seemed to finally implicate Durst in the murder of Berman… but before it could be seen in court, Durst made an astonishing accidental admission. Not realizing his mic was on, he confessed.

“The Act of Killing” (2012)
From 1965 to 1966, death squad leader Anwar Congo was said to have killed roughly 1000 people. In “The Act of Killing,” he reenacted many of these murders on camera. The most staggering reenactment of the film was its simplest. At one point, Congo took Oppenheimer to one of the actual locations of the crimes, and demonstrated how many met their “unnatural deaths” at his hands. Still standing at the scene of the crime, Congo claimed he tried to forget the atrocities through music and dance…and then proceeded to dance cheerfully on camera. It’s a chilling display of apathy. Later on though, Congo is shown a reenactment in which he is the victim, and understands the consequences of his actions in a deeper way.

“Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father” (2008)
Devastated doesn’t even begin to express the emotions felt while watching “Dear Zachary.” The incredibly personal true crime documentary was written, directed, produced, and edited by Kurt Kuenne, whose longtime friend Andrew Bagby was thought to have been killed by his volatile ex. Prior to Bagby’s death, the girlfriend, Shirley Turner, had become pregnant. As its title implied, the documentary initially appeared to be a film for the child, Zachary, to learn about his father. Unfortunately, he would never be able to see it. In a shocking twist, it is revealed that Zachary died roughly two years after his dad. The stomach-turning revelation has earned the film a reputation for being one of the most upsetting documentaries ever made.