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'Chilling' true crime series leaves Netflix viewers horrified
Reach Daily Express | February 16, 2026 1:39 AM CST

A chilling true crime series has left Netflix viewers with their "blood boiling".

Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer, which premiered in 2021, chronicles the pursuit of a nocturnal predator responsible for a series of seemingly unrelated murders and sexual assaults in Los Angeles during the 80s.

The mini-series shadows detective Gil Carrillo and homicide investigator Frank Salerno as they race against time to crack the case.

It centres on the victims of Richard Ramirez, an American serial killer, sex offender, and burglar. From April 1984 to August 1985, he claimed at least 15 lives during various break-ins, earning him the moniker The Night Stalker due to his crimes predominantly occurring under the cover of darkness.

Ramirez was found guilty and sentenced to death in 1989, and passed away whilst awaiting execution in 2013, reports Wales Online.

He was convicted on 13 counts of murder, five attempted murders, eleven sexual assaults, and fourteen burglaries after seemingly evading justice for years.

Decades following his reign of terror, which impacted entire communities and left hundreds living in fear, the case against Ramirez was brought to the screen in Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer.

The synopsis tantalises: "Detectives identify their suspect and a manhunt begins - but it's the public that rises up to stop the Night Stalker's deadly reign of terror."

Viewers have branded it amongst the most disturbing Netflix true crime docuseries, with one individual posting on Reddit: "The Night Stalker one about Richard Ramirez. That guy is so creepy. And his absolute callousness made my blood boil."

Another commented: "I had such a visceral reaction when I watched the documentary. I almost had to turn it off. What he put his victims through is so sickening."

A third person remarked: "Night Stalker was one that genuinely rattled me. The scene where one of the cops describes how he found out who Ramirez finally is was so cinematic."

Another described it as "utterly riveting", whilst one viewer observed: "As a true crime enthusiast I've watched a lot of true crime documentaries and this one blew me away. One of the main concerns in these types of series is that you don't idealize the murderer or minimalist the victims, and they did an amazing job of talking about the victims. You hear from the families and what this case was really about."

A further viewer labelled it "a chilling story that needed to be told," noting: "Netflix is suddenly becoming the place to go for true crime documentaries, and Night Stalker was just another great entry into their library."

They continued: "This Netflix Original is not for the faint of heart, like many true crime stories it is one that needs to be told, so the victims and survivors not be forgotten, and the gore is used for the audience to understand what this serial killer was capable of."

Yet another viewer described it as "one of the best true crime documentaries ever made," whilst it was separately labelled a "must watch" by one viewer, who commented: "The series is well made and informative. To say that I've thoroughly enjoyed it would probably be a bit bizarre bearing in mind the content of the documentaries, however, I do think it is a must watch."

"Netflix does it again," another praised, whilst someone else remarked: "This is tremendous four part documentary series, it tells the story of one of America's most notorious and sadistic serial killers. You see the case from the point of view of The Detectives, the victims, and finally the killer himself. I thought this was a terrific series, it was gripping, it was gritty, it was done in a way that was meant to shock, and meant to show you just what a beast Ramirez was."

Another agreed: "Really well made documentary. The last episode I was sitting on the edge of my couch. An absolute must watch."

Director Tiller Russell previously discussed the harrowing case becoming a Netflix docuseries, telling Decider: "For me, as the crime guy, I spend all my time immersed in these crime stories. That's my world, that's what I do, and obviously this was an iconic and notorious story that was out there. The name, the headline, the kind of top-line legacy to it. So I was aware of it, but it's always driven by character."

He continued: "Some of the most moving and compelling were those victims and survivors. But at every step of the way it was these riveting characters whose lives - but for the story - would have been completely anonymized and unrelated to each other, but for the deprivation of this killer who was killing and slaying his way across the city. It ended up connecting these dots that otherwise never would have had any interaction with one other."

Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer is available to watch on Netflix


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