Documentary+’s Stranger Than Fiction Halloween 2021 Collection

Not to be confused with discovery+, which is an entirely different streamer, Documentary+ has also curated a collection of disturbing and thrilling stories to stream this Halloween. The 16 documentaries and docuseries cover a range of subjects from supernatural phenomena (The Nightmare) to true crime (Southwest of Salem, The Imposter) to cosplay (Confessions of a Superhero, Ghostheads).

Unlike discovery+, which is a paid streaming service, Documentary+ is free on all streaming platforms including Apple TV, Amazon and Roku, mobile devices, www.docplus.com, as well as on smart TV channels, including XUMO, VIZIO WatchFree+, and LG Channel Plus.

Let’s check out the Stranger Than Fiction offerings.

Documentary+ Halloween 2021 Lineup

The Nightmare

A documentary-horror film exploring the phenomenon of ‘Sleep Paralysis’ through the eyes of eight very different people who find themselves trapped between worlds.

Cropsey

Realizing the urban legend of their youth has actually come true, two filmmakers delve into the mystery surrounding five missing children in New York City and the real-life boogeyman linked to their disappearances.

Southwest of Salem

A modern version of the Salem witchcraft trials, this Emmy-nominated, Peabody-winning documentary follows the story of four Latina lesbians wrongfully convicted of gang-raping two little girls in San Antonio, Texas. Director Deborah S. Esquenazi transcends her role as a filmmaker, becoming an investigator alongside attorneys at The Innocence Project.

Unseen: Victims and Survivors of the Cleveland Strangler

After a two-year period during which numerous women were reported missing in Cleveland, a reported rape leads police to a grisly discovery: a serial killer, operating virtually in plain sight.

Cruel & Unusual

Robert King, Herman Wallace and Albert Woodfox spent longer in solitary confinement than any other prisoners in the US after the murder of a prison guard in 1972. They were convicted by bribed witnesses and with no physical evidence. This film examines their struggle against an absolute miscarriage of justice.

Unknown Male Number 1

A murder, a body and a single piece of unknown DNA, so begins the gripping story of one of the most ambitious forensic investigations ever undertaken in pursuit of the identity of the killer of a 13-year old near her home in northern Italy in 2010. This riveting four-part documentary series follows the 7-year saga of a tenacious and emotionally invested lead prosecutor in her case as she seeks justice.

The Source Family

Hollywood. Veganism. Murder. A charismatic leader and suspected bank robber starts a cult — and a restaurant empire in 70’s Los Angeles — based on organic food and psychedelic rock. The outlandish lifestyle made the group the darlings of Hollywood, but their outsider ideals and murder controversy attracted the attention of the authorities. Many still think Father Yod is God.

The Imposter

When a grieving family’s son returns after three years, they’re elated and immediately take him back in. But not all is as it seems as Nicholas Barclays’ story becomes more and more inaccurate. Winner of the BAFTA for Best Documentary, from the producers of Three Identical Strangers.

Finders Keepers

A stranger-than-fiction tale about amputee John Wood who accidentally sold off his mummified limb and his quest to regain custody of his body part from the person that paid to acquire it. But beyond the surface of this tabloid fodder is a story of addiction, redemption, and two strangers with brow-raising synchronicities.

In The Shadow of the Hill

The residents of Rio de Janeiro’s largest slum seek justice for a local man they believe has been murdered by the police.

Being Evel

Academy Award-winning filmmaker Daniel Junge and producer Johnny Knoxville examine the life, career, and legacy of Evel Knievel, the man from Montana who stared death in the face to become a legendary daredevil and heroic icon.

Almost Holy

From Executive Producer Terrence Malick, Almost Holy is an unflinching portrait of a Ukrainian pastor who runs a safe haven for drug addicted and abused youth. His tough love approach to recovery and vigilante methods of saving kids are controversial, giving the documentary a powerful narrative arc enhanced by the score from Oscar winner Atticus Ross (The Social Network).

Kung Fu Elliot

The film tells the bizarre story of Elliot ‘White Lightning’ Scott, who plans on becoming Canada’s first kung fu action hero with his low-budget karate epic, Blood Fight.

Confessions of a Superhero

Three mortal men and one mortal woman make their living working as superhero characters on Hollywood Boulevard in this documentary portrait by director Matt Ogens. This deeply personal view into their daily routines reveals their hardships and triumphs as they pursue and achieve their own kind of fame.

Fursonas

A journey into the world of furries — a network of people united by a love of cartoon animals, often embodying them with costumes. A larger indictment of the frayed relationship between furries and the media, the world is full of gossipers, dreamers, followers, whistleblowers, and the one guy who wants to rule them all.

Ghostheads

A look at the intense fandom that developed around the movie/cultural phenomenon Ghostbusters.

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Check-In

Which of the Stranger Than Fiction Documentary+ content would you watch? Or maybe you already have?

Cropsey is one I’ve already seen, but The Nightmare, Unseen, and Ghostheads also piqued my interest.

Which raises another question: I knew there were Ghostbusters groups that gathered and dressed up and went to events and such, but I never knew they were called Ghostheads. (Better than Busters I guess?) What about you? Did you know that’s what such mega-fans were called?