An American Murder: A review of Netflix’s newest chilling murder documentary

If you keep up with crime and mystery in today’s society, I’m sure you’ve heard the name Christopher Watts, aka the ultimate family annihilator. The latest addition to Netflix’s original documentaries, An American Murder: The Family Next Door, is about the details of Watts’ jaw-dropping saga and was released on Sept. 30. 

While some people would rather watch a humorous romcom or witty comedy on their Sunday night in, I was beyond excited to curl up on my couch and get sucked into all that was this harrowing tragedy — and it did not disappoint. My eyes were glued to the TV for the entire hour-and-a-half-long ordeal of this chilling documentary. 

To encapsulate the events that unfolded in this case — circa 2018 — Chris and Shanann Watts lived a normal, quaint life in the Colorado suburbs with their two young daughters, Bella and Cici. They truly were the epitome of a typical “family next door” — or so everyone thought.

I can easily get sucked into a hole of information when it comes to true crime, but this documentary had me hooked from the moment the police were stationed to the eerily quiet house of the Watts family. 

The film starts by leading up to the last night Shanann Watts was seen alive. That next morning, both her and her daughters were missing from their home in Frederick, Colorado. 

That same morning, viewers are given a glimpse of Chris Watts in a state of distress over his missing family members — questioning friends and police as to why they would ever feel the need to leave or whether they had been taken somewhere by force — although Watts’ act didn’t have me fooled one bit. 

In an interview with a news reporter shortly after their disappearance, Watts continually repeats with a blank stare and emotionless body language that he “just wants them back.”

At this time, Chris Watts was seen as a desperate husband missing his family members and pleading to the public for information on their disappearance — which was all the more disturbing and eerie once the truth about him comes to fruition. 

We then see camera footage of Chris Watts getting questioned by the police about his family’s convoluted disappearance. Whenever he was questioned, Watts had one and only one intention when he was asked if he knew anything about their mysterious disappearance — deny, deny, deny. 

Major spoiler alert: it wasn’t until he took an official lie detector test — and miserably failed — that the police knew they had their killer sitting right in front of them. Chris eventually confessed to both the murder of his wife, Shanann Watts, and his two young daughters.

It wasn’t only the thought of Chris Watts killing his family that was frightening, but also the manner in which he disposed of their bodies. He buried his wife in a deserted location, while his method of killing his daughters was even more brutal and unimaginable. He strangled them before hauling their bodies into an oil tank — I know, dark.

After learning about his ruthless, cold-blooded feats, it’s almost impossible to watch back the tapes of him acting clueless about their disappearance. 

What sets this watching experience apart from most documentaries is that a majority of the clips in the film are provided from either police body camera footage, the family’s social media posts or Watts’ live confession footage — leaving the audience with a creepy feeling as the events unfolded. This unique aspect gives the documentary a more personal and in-depth viewpoint on the story. 

Shanann’s array of Facebook posts and videos that were spotlighted in the documentary displayed emotional family moments Chris and their daughters shared. All the while we see her husband forming a relationship with a mistress — the true motive for his family’s murder. 

It’s rightful to say that I was entranced by all of the details that this film provided. There was just the right amount of showcasing Chris’s monstrous tendencies leading up to the murders, while still providing the personal insight into their family dynamic through different lenses.

While it’s hard to wrap your head around why anybody would do this to another human, let alone his own family, this is a must watch for any crime junkies like myself who are looking for the perfect documentary that’s sure to keep you on the edge of your seat.