If you’re unfamiliar with what happened to the Watts family, here is a brief explainer: In 2018, 34-year-old Shanann Watts and her two young daughters went missing in Frederick, Colorado.
It soon came to light that her husband, Chris, had murdered all three of them and disposed of the children’s bodies in oil tanks. He buried his wife, who was also pregnant, in a shallow grave at his work site. It’s a horrific series of crimes that made national headlines, partially because the Watts family seemed so picturesque on the surface. Shanann and Chris were young, attractive, and successful. And Chris, to the world, seemed like the perfect man.
“Told entirely through archival footage that includes social media posts, law enforcement recordings, text messages and never-before-seen home videos, director Jenny Popplewell pieces together an immersive and truthful examination of a police investigation and a disintegrating marriage,” an official description for the film reads. “American Murder: The Family Next Door is the first film to give a voice to the victims. ”
True crime fans, get ready: Netflix is releasing a documentary about the infamous Watts family murders. It’s called American Murder: The Family Next Door, and the trailer just dropped.
Take a look at the trailer for yourself, below:
Netflix has become a hub for true crime content. Its stream of popular titles kicked off with Making a Murderer back in 2015, and it’s continued throughout the past five years. Tiger King was Netflix’s last viral true crime series. The eight-episode show was as bizarre and funny as it was shocking. For obvious reasons, American Murder: The Family Next Door will be a much more somber and serious viewing experience. (It’s also a single film, not a series. )
