Aileen: Queen of the Serial Killers, a provocative Netflix documentary directed by Emily Turner and co-written with Jinx Godfrey, delves into the complex narrative of Aileen Wuornos—a story that has captivated audiences time and again. While the true crime genre often recycles familiar tales, this documentary offers fresh perspectives by examining Wuornos’ confessions, her 1992 trial, and her 2002 execution within the broader context of her tumultuous life, the sexual violence she endured, and the Florida justice system that ultimately dubbed her “The hooker from Hell.”

The Overview: Set in 1997, the documentary reveals Wuornos as she awaits execution on Florida’s death row. Instead of dramatizations, viewers encounter the real Wuornos through candid footage as she meets with filmmaker Jasmine Hurst. Wuornos, seeking redemption and a chance to share her truth before her death, displays a complex blend of charm and vulnerability. With a hint of amusement, she predicts the financial success of her story by whispering to Hurst, “You guys are gonna make millions off this.”

The opening sequences of Aileen: Queen of the Serial Killers compellingly portray Wuornos as a figure both notorious and intriguing. Her admission to killing seven men, her eagerness for execution, and her enjoyment of media attention underscore her multifaceted persona. As Hurst notes, Wuornos stands out in the true crime sphere as she intersects multiple societal taboos: being a gay, female, sex worker who murdered white men.

As Wuornos recounts her difficult past and survival-driven sex work, the documentary juxtaposes her narrative with insights from Steve Binegar, a former captain at the Ocala, Florida Sheriff’s Office who spearheaded the investigation. Binegar shares details of the crime scenes and the emerging profile of Wuornos as a prostitute targeting male clients. Viewers are presented with disturbing crime scene photos and vintage surveillance footage capturing Wuornos’ 1991 arrest at a Central Florida bar called the Last Resort.

The documentary transitions to Wuornos’ confession, motivated by her desire to protect her partner Tyria Moore. This confession sets the stage for an extensive examination of her subsequent legal battles. The trial, marked by the removal of a female judge and the prosecution led by John Tanner, a staunch Christian and anti-porn advocate, is scrutinized for its biases. Testimonies from ousted judge Gayle Graziano, Wuornos’ childhood friend Dawn Botkins, and her adoptive mother Arlene Pralle suggest that the judicial process was skewed against Wuornos, portrayed as a morally corrupt “wild, boozing lesbian” who killed white men. The documentary questions whether the trial overlooked significant aspects of Wuornos’ background and the potentially violent histories of her victims, which might have altered public perception and the legal outcome.

What Movies Will It Remind You Of? While Charlize Theron won an Academy Award for her portrayal of Aileen Wuornos in Monster, versions of Wuornos have also appeared. Like Peyton List playing Wuornos in American Boogeywoman, which revels in Lifetime Movie-style speculation about her story. Queen of the Serial Killers also doesn’t claim to be the first true crime doc about the case. Notably, Nick Broomfield made two different films about Wuornos, The Selling of a Serial Killer and Life and Death of a Serial Killer, which both questioned how Wuornos’ story was exploited by authorities. Queen also includes footage from and discussion about Overkill: The Aileen Wuornos Story – Jean Smart played Aileen in that one – a 1992 film where producers made a deal with Florida police for details about the case “before she even pled a plea,” according to Jackie Giroux, an interviewee.

Performance Worth Watching: Maybe it’s more like what performance by Aileen Wuornos we are watching. Because Queen includes entire chunks of footage where she speaks about her crimes in the first-person, with different details every time. The death row interview with Hurst, Dateline interviews from the era with correspondent Michele Gillen, even Wuornos’ testimony at trial: they each offer fresh perspective, or are reflective in a different way. 

Memorable Dialogue: Film producer Jackie Giroux says Aileen Wournos liked, even targeted the spotlight. “She ordered everyone around like Faye Dunaway on steroids. Because the news media made her the queen of serial killers, and that was her notoriety. She wanted to be a star.”

Sex and Skin: Queen of the Serial Killers includes graphic imagery from crime scenes, as well as frank descriptions of rape and sexual violence.  

Our Take: Nowadays true crime is so popular and prevalent, and presented in a certain style, that it’s as if the trend emerged fully-formed, direct from the contemporary podcast landscape. But what the archival footage and media reports seen in Queen of the Serial Killers illustrates is how it’s always been with us, just like the attitudes that make it popular. In 1990, Aileen Wuornos became an overnight true crime sensation. The details of her story were just too juicy. That it was a lesbian woman murdering white men was too intoxicating. And that this was happening in Florida, where jury selection was hampered by people declaring God had spoken to them on the matter, and the lead prosecutor had a Christian cheering section outside the courthouse, completed its ascendence to true crime legend. The title of the doc is derived from a direct quote. But it stands up. While Wuornos is certainly unique among serial killers, watching this film, we began to consider her as the queen of true crime itself.

Because where in the course of her actions did Wuornos herself realize this? She describes the moments after a violent sexual assault and her shooting of the man – her client – who attacked her, and how she could best characterize the circumstances to the cops. In no way did she premeditate her attack, or her response. But once the murders began, and in all of her interviews and correspondence post-arrest, the story built and built until her decisions and role within it link to larger modes in society: sexism, social conservatism, religious fervor, and old-fashioned spectacle. By the time of her sentencing to death row, Wuornos realized her story had become fodder for something much larger. She had become True Crime. “I’ve been framed. I’ve been set up. I’m ready to die and get out of your evil.”  

Our Call: Stream It. Aileen: Queen of the Serial Killers is a worthy reassessment of a story that on its own is an all-timer for the true crime form. With incredible access to relevant footage – and numerous interviews with Aileen Wuornos herself – Queen gives fair consideration to every angle on her story. The punitive, The public, and in the end, the most personal.

Johnny Loftus (@johnnyloftus.bsky.social) is a Chicago-based writer. A veteran of the alternative weekly trenches, his work has also appeared in Entertainment Weekly, Pitchfork, The All Music Guide, and The Village Voice.