Made For Television Movies Based On True Crime Cases
Yes, I admit that I love cheesy Lifetime movies about infamous true crime cases, as well as other made-for-television true crime films from the 70s, 80s, 90s, and 00s. There is just something about the low-budget quality that adds to the flavor, and dare I say, charm of these films. All of the movies in this list are based on real cases. One important criterion for a film to make this list is that each must be mostly accurate in the details and facts of the case. If you know of a movie that meets the standards of this list that you feel should be included here, please let me know. Thank you and enjoy!
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- DirectorSteve GethersStarsRichard CrennaDennis FarinaBilly ZaneThe true chilling story of the "two of a kind", killin' cousins Angelo Buono and Kenneth Bianchi, better known as the Hillside Stranglers, is told in this TV drama. The movie concentrates on the killers story, as well as on the life of Officer Bob Grogan, who investigated their case. Look for the real Bob Grogan as the Washington cop who arrests Kenneth Bianchi!
- DirectorBruce Seth GreenStarsRichard JordanA MartinezJulie CarmenBased on the true story of Richard "The Night Stalker" Ramirez who terrorized California in 1985 and the two Los Angeles police detectives who try to track him down.
- StarsBrian DennehyMichael RileyMargot KidderGood friend and neighbour John Wayne Gacy entertained children and ran a business. However, he hid a dark secret as a violent serial killer who raped and murdered over 30 young boys.
- DirectorChris GerolmoStarsStephen ReaDonald SutherlandMax von SydowDuring the 1980s, Soviet authorities hunt for a serial killer who picks his victims in railway stations and commuter trains and lures them into the woods.
- StarsMark HarmonFrederic ForrestGeorge GrizzardThe story of serial killer, Ted Bundy.
- StarsAlun ArmstrongRichard RidingsJames LaurensonTwo part ITV drama based on the long police investigation and hunt for serial killer the Yorkshire Ripper, in late 1970s Northern England. It shows the effect that it had on the health and career of ACC George Oldfield who led the enquiry.
- DirectorDick LowryStarsMeredith BaxterStephen CollinsMichelle JohnsonBetty torments her husband with childish vandalism and verbal threats after he leaves her for another woman, but nobody anticipates what ends up happening as the games escalate.
- DirectorLarry ElikannStarsEdward James OlmosBeverly D'AngeloDamian ChapaInvestigation based upon the true story of the Mendendez Brothers and the murder of their parents.
- DirectorJoyce ChopraStarsHelen HuntChad AllenLarry DrakePamela Smart knows exactly what she wants and is willing to do anything to get it. She is fed up with teaching, and her marriage offers little excitement. Looking for a way out she applies for a job at a local TV station. When her dreams of fame are dashed by rejection, she seduces 15-year-old Billy, one of her students. Pam challenges Billy to prove his love for her by getting rid of her husband. The stakes heat up with a huge insurance policy on her husband's life.
- DirectorMichael SwitzerStarsRichard ThomasBrooke ShieldsViveka DavisA beautiful young computer technician starting off her career in Silicon Valley during the 1980s is stalked and harassed by a deranged colleague with a twisted obsession.
- DirectorRoger YoungStarsDean CainSarah Joy BrownG.W. BaileyAs the police search for a missing pregnant woman, new evidence emerges that throws suspicion on her seemingly devoted husband.
- DirectorTim HunterStarsAngie HarmonJamey SheridanDale MidkiffAfter becoming a victim of video voyeurism, a Louisiana woman fights for justice.
- DirectorWilliam A. GrahamStarsKellie MartinTori SpellingJames AveryWho could have stabbed popular, beautiful cheerleader Stacy to death? It could have been antisocial Goth girl Monica, it could've been angst-ridden Jill--or maybe it was the plain girl nobody suspected.
- StarsGeorge DiCenzoSteve RailsbackNancy WolfeThe investigation and trial of the horrific Tate-LaBianca mass murders orchestrated by the psychotic pseudo-hippie cult leader, Charles Manson.
- DirectorAllan KroekerStarsRena SoferVictor GarberMaria RicossaKerry Ellison is sexually harassed at work. No matter how much she complains, the problem, Jack Gilcrest, is unstoppable. Kerry's only left option is court. Will she win?
- DirectorRobert GreenwaldStarsFarrah FawcettPaul Le MatRichard MasurAn abused battered wife has had enough of her husband beating up on her. Everywhere she turns for help, there's not much anyone will do. After he rapes her one night, she sets the bed on fire with him in it asleep.
- StarsKarl MaldenEva Marie SaintBarry NewmanA retiree spends nine years relentlessly seeking to prove that his son-in-law, a former Green Beret Army doctor, murdered his pregnant wife and two daughters.
- StarsKris KristoffersonMarg HelgenbergerRonny CoxAbout the infamous murder of six year old child beauty pageant contestant JonBenét Ramsey and the hysterical media coverage that made the investigation even more difficult.
- DirectorGuy FerlandStarsAlly SheedyHeather MatarazzoSara BotsfordA seasoned police detective returns to her local hometown to investigate the shocking case of the rape of a mentally disabled girl. The town wants to hush up the incident, and is hostile to the investigation.
- StarsJudd NelsonFredric LehneBrian McNamaraWealthy businessman Ron Levin vanishes. A "recipe for murder" is found in his home, implicating Joe Hunt. Levin assembled elite former classmates for a lucrative but shady venture his partners claim ignorance of.
- DirectorDick LowryStarsDaniel J. TravantiWilliam DanielsJoe MortonThree black men run into trouble when their car breaks down in a middle-class area of New York and they seek refuge in a small local restaurant. The events and courtroom drama which followed reverberated throughout America.
- DirectorRoger SpottiswoodeStarsStockard ChanningShane Thomas MeierWendy CrewsonOpenly gay college student Matthew Shepard (Shane Meier) was murdered in an act of a hate crime with a senseless violence and such cruelty that attracted global attention. His death has changed the whole world forever.
- StarsMartin ClunesClaudie BlakleyMatthew GravelleDetective Chief Inspector Colin Sutton tracks down a serial killer.
