American Monster

This show is amazing. I watched the first episode and I was hooked. And every episode just gets better. Everything was perfectly done, from the production, to the audio, to the story lines of each episode as it keeps you glued to the TV often not having any idea what the outcome is going to be (it has plenty of twists and turns in each episode) This show takes you deep into the life, and I mean deep of the 'monster" and their family via home videos that are downright chilling at times. When you finish an episode it's almost as if you know these people. If you want to get a scare or a chill down your spine, don't watch a fictional horror movie, watch this show, it's the real deal. When they tell you it's the most terrifying criminals that often hide in plain site, they're not lying, at all. Highly recommend this show, as well as See No Evil. But warning - this thing may give you nightmares because I think it captures evil better than almost anything I've ever seen, and it's real.

I was looking for something to watch after Evil Lives Here, and was so happy to find this amazing show! The home movies and interviews with the families really set this show apart! They take you from the victim and the killer's early lives right up to the moment of the 911 call with every important detail and event, without revealing which is the victim and which is the killer, although it's easy to guess at times. Other times, it's absolutely shocking. Every case is unique, and indeed, a monstrous killer is exposed in each carefully crafted episode. The ambience is perfectly set, from the happy baby/child photos/videos, through the troubled times that build up to the violence, to the cruel act itself. The background music is a heart-breakingly beautiful melody, alternating with ominous sounds and music to make our hearts race. The aftermath reveals the victim's families' and friends' thoughts and feelings, as well as the fate of the murderer. In this series, every case is solved to satisfaction, with no loose ends. Between the velvety narration, families' assistance and law enforcement, by the end of the episode, we come to know everyone involved in the case, almost as if we'd met them personally. This show gave me goosebumps. I was left wishing for more episodes of this addictive show when the series ended. In my humble opinion, this is the cream of the crop of the true crime genre!

I love this series and am glad that it has managed to stay on for a while now. However, this is one of those series where the narrator was the icing on the cake. For me, changing the narrator this past season really negatively impacted the show. It's similar to how I would feel if they changed the narrator on the series Snapped from the Oxygen channel. I'm not sure what the reasons are behind it but if it's possible to get the original narrator back I really wish you would.

One of the best season 1-6, for some reason season 7 is falling flat. Prior years, I was engaged, the story and the telling were riveting. Not sure what has changed, but, change it back.

Overall: I understand the tactic of profiling the family and illustrating what a good father he is, but fully 2/3 of the episodes seem to be about family activities. Who really cares that they had a backyard barbecue, or went on a picnic? They could make these into 30-minute episodes and still cover all the relevant content.