The Most Bizarre Documentaries Truly Stranger than Fiction

Posted on August 16, 2021August 17, 2021 by ngschilling

In the mood for some really bizarre documentaries? Something that proves that the truth is stranger than fiction? Maybe a lost leg, a professional tickling competition gone awry, or a murder that you just can’t believe? These weird documentaries will definitely do the trick.

All of them are true tales of real-life villains, victims, story-tellers, cults and…ummm….well, you just need to see for yourself. (But trust us, they’re definitely the most bizarre documentaries out there!)

So here we go, the weirdest documentaries that you can find (that are worth watching, at least):

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These bizarre documentaries are too weird to not be true. They'll leave you disturbing, shocked, and in awe. There's a weird documentary on this list for everyone!

Mommy Dead and Dearest

Mommy Dead and Dearest is the bizarre, devastating, and disturbing story of Gypsy Rose, a girl robbed of her youth and dignity by her own mother.

Somehow, Dee Dee Blanchard, Gypsy’s mother, is able to deceive everyone into believing that Gypsy is gravely ill…her entire life.

As Gypsy reaches adulthood though, the story takes a devastating turn.

This bizarre true-crime documentary is disturbing and bewildering, but still a must-watch, especially for true-crime lovers.

Tabloid

Not only does Tabloid profile a bizarre true story, but it is partially narrated by the story’s own antagonist…unless, of course, you ask her.

Here’s what’s in store: a beauty queen falls in love with a Mormon. He mysteriously disappears (or hits the road on his own), leaving his beauty queen with only one option: Hire a team of men to find him, kidnap him, and tie him to a bed so she can (hopefully) impregnate herself…and remind him just how much he loves her.

Believe it or not, the story only gets weirder from there (but I’ll let you enjoy that for yourself).

Aside from the weirdest of weird storylines, this bizarre documentary is pretty well-done and enjoyable to watch. It successfully turns a true crime mystery into a bit of a comical production.

It’s weird, but worth watching!

Finders Keepers

Sometimes truly weird circumstances happen to truly weird people. And when this happens through the lens of the media, you have the making for a perfect bizarre documentary.

That is the case for Finders Keepers.

It all starts when John Wood loses his amputated leg. As in – the leg is amputated, given back to him, he mummifies it, and leaves it in a storage facility that accidentally auctions it off when the bill isn’t paid.

But that’s not the weird part.

The leg falls into the hands of Shannon Whisnant, a man determined to find fame and fortune. So, of course, he does what any attention-hungry person would do: fights tooth and nail to retain custody of the leg he thinks is his, despite Wood’s insistence that he deserves his leg back.

Finders Keepers is not only bizarre, it’s also humorous and even heartfelt at times. It does a great job of storytelling, even leaving you with some great lessons in the end.

Welcome to Leith

As far as weird and bizarre documentaries go, Welcome to Leith is in a world of its own.

The premise is terrifying and the fact that this type of situation can occur in our day and age is disturbing.

Here’s the too-crazy-to-be-true storyline: Notorious white supremacist Craig Cobb devises a diabolical plan to take over an unsuspecting North Dakota town and turn it into a haven for fellow white supremacists.

Seriously.

He starts buying up land in an attempt to gain more voting rights in the already extremely small town.

The residents of Leith are rightly terrified and do what they can to fight back and halt the hostile takeover.

You may lose some sleep over this bizarre documentary, but it’s an important one to watch.

Don’t Fk With Cats**

Don’t F**k With Cats is one of those bizarre documentaries that you just can’t believe actually happened. With unique and odd characters around every corner, you will be completely glued to the screen from start to finish.

It all starts with a group of internet-savvy enthusiasts who come across a disturbing video with a mysterious man who is clearly committing crimes that would make anyone’s stomach turn.

Without a clear location, it is virtually impossible for the man to be prosecuted, so the group sets out to find where he is…and help police get what they need.

What starts as a pet project for this group, however, turns into an international manhunt as the mysterious criminal escalates his crimes and becomes more reckless.

This is a truly bizarre documentary that you won’t easily forget, but will also thoroughly enjoy. Definitely add it to your Netflix queue!

Misha and the Wolves

Misha and the Wolves is a special kind of bizarre documentary. It’s one where you aren’t quite sure if it’s crazy right from the very beginning…and then it just keeps getting weirder.

Set in modern-day Massachusetts, it recounts the devastating story of Misha, a little girl whose parents were sent to concentration camps during World War II. In an effort to reunite with them, she runs away from her family and begins a journey that results in years spent living with wolves.

Her story is shocking and heartbreaking, but that is only the beginning of this bizarre documentary. Once you begin, hang on…there’s quite a few twists and turns in this film that you may not see coming.

This is one of Netflix’s most recent additions to their collection of bizarre documentaries, so definitely add it to your list!

Wild Wild Country

If one bizarre documentary won’t relieve your craving for weird material, then it might be time for a bizarre docu-series. And this is a good one!

Wild Wild Country tells the tale of an Indian cult that sets up camp in the Oregonian countryside. The intrigue and oddities of the cult are entertaining on their own, but it’s the rest of the story that gets really bizarre.

For starters, the “camp” they setup is no camp at all – it’s a full-fledged town, including a medical clinic, restaurants, and an airport. And when the Oregon neighbors start rejecting the free-loving ways of the cult, the cult fights back…in pretty bizarre and unsavory ways.

This is definitely a great Netflix docu-series and certainly straight out of the bizarre files! You’ll enjoy it!

Tickled

I don’t even know where to begin with Tickled.

It all starts with producer David Farrier following a tip about a competitive tickling competition.

And I promise you, it just gets weirder…and weirder…and weirder.

Soon into his research, he begins receiving threatening phone calls, messages, and visits from around the world, all telling him to stop his research.

This ultimately leaves him with only one option – dig deeper to find out what this tickling competition is actually all about…and more importantly, what it’s hiding.

This documentary is the king of bizarre documentaries! If you’re looking for something weird, you’ve found it.

God Knows Where I Am

God Knows Where I Am tells the story of Linda Bishop, a woman found dead in an abandoned farm house, triggering a sad, devastating, and bizarre story to unfold. Right alongside her are 2 journals that chronicle the final months of her life…months that are hard to believe actually happened.

As her family and friends provide pieces of her life and the events that led to her demise, you get a first-hand account of exactly what was going through her head as she made decision after decision….all of which could have – and should have – been different.

This is definitely a Netflix bizarre documentary that you won’t forget, but also one with a powerful message and story.

Behind the Curve

Everyone loves a good conspiracy theory, but some people realllly love them.

That is the case in Behind the Curve, a truly bizarre documentary featuring Flat Earthers – a growing number of people that believe the Earth is actually flat…and that the government is dead set on making sure none of us find out about it.

In the world of weird documentaries, this one comes with a capital W. But it is also really entertaining and interesting.

And if you’re on the hunt for a weird and bizarre documentary on Netflix, you can find this there! Which is always a great bonus for us Netflix watchers. 😉

The Queen of Versailles

The Queen of Versailles is a classic riches to rags story…if that exists.

Following Jacqueline Siegel and her billionaire husband David, the documentary sets out to watch them build the largest house in the country. The only problem is that as their mega-mansion is under construction, they start to lose all of their money.

This weird documentary is bizarre not only because riches to rags stories are so uncommon, but because the characters themselves are…well, characters.

This documentary is weird, funny, and somehow a bit enlightening. It’s enjoyable and another one to add to your watch list!

The Imposter

The Imposter is the strange story of a disappearance, reappearance, and unbelievable tale of identity theft at its finest.

When 13-year old Nicholas goes missing in Texas, his family begins a devastating journey that is many family’s worst nightmare.

Then the seemingly impossible happens: 3 years later, Nicholas turns up in Spain…alive.

Unfortunately, this happy ending is not what Nicholas’ family hoped for…and instead of joy, one of the most bizarre stories of time begins to unfold.

Told from the perspective of the imposter himself, from the very beginning you will be in complete denial that this act was successfully pulled off.

The Imposter is bizarre, emotional, and bewildering…it’s definitely a documentary you need to see to believe.

In Plain Sight

In Plain Sight is one of Netflix’s newest documentaries and it. is. Bizarre.

It tells the story of Jan Broberg’s abduction by family friend Robert Berchtold. This is not your classic bad guy kidnaps little girl story though.

This one is so weird and bizarre, you won’t believe what this man was able to pull off…or the lengths he goes to get what he wants.

But what’s even more disturbing is how easy it was for him to get away with everything.

If you’re on the hunt for weird Netflix documentaries, add this one to your list! It’s creepy, disturbing, and just gets weirder and weirder as the story continues.

Dark Tourist

Another great hit by David Farrier (from Tickled), Dark Tourist takes you all over the world…to the most bizarre and disturbing destinations that he can find.

From Colombian drug lords to radioactive waste sites, the destinations are both astounding and creepy.

But best of all, David Farrier is the perfect mix of comic relief and investigative journalism, making sure you get to experience the bizarre tourist attraction, while still enjoying yourself.

This is a great bizarre Netflix documentary series for nights that you want your mind blown, but don’t necessarily want to lose sleep over it.

The End of the World Cult

As far as cult documentaries go, The End of the World Cult might be the most bizarre out there – and that’s really saying something!

What is so astonishing about this documentary is not the reassignment of wives or inappropriate sexual behavior (because what good cult doesn’t have that?).

What’s so unbelievably bizarre is the unwavering faith of the Strong City cult to their leader, Michael Travesser.

It’s so strong that you can literally see it in their eyes. I’m telling you, you need to see this to believe it.

And if you find yourself captivated by this documentary, you’ll definitely enjoy the follow-up and documentary sequel: Inside a Cult: Messiah on Trial.

Crazy Love

Crazy Love recounts the true love-gone-wrong story of Burton and Linda Pugach.

This true crime/romance documentary, however, has a twist so bizarre you almost don’t want to believe it.

Basically, after attempting to end their relationship, Linda is blinded (literally) by Burton. But the devastating crime of passion is only the beginning of their story…by the end of it, they’re married.

This tale is definitely one of the most bizarre documentaries (and stories) out there.

Voyeur

Voyeur is the epitome of bizarre. And not just it’s story line – the characters are bizarre too….as is often the case in these kind of documentaries. The truth really is stranger than fiction.

In Voyeur, famed journalist Gay Talese chronicles the bizarre escapades of Gerald Foos – a man who purchased a motel with the express intention of spying on the intimate, private moments of it’s guests.

Even more bizarre is the length Foos goes to in order to make his dream possible – he alters the infrastructure of the motel to make it easy and efficient to spy on his guests.

Through this bizarre Netflix documentary, you also get a glimpse into the life of Talese, who ultimately plans to publish a book revealing Foos’ story. Talese himself is quite a character, so he adds a bit of intrigue to the otherwise creepy film.

So there you’ve got it! I hope you get a chance to watch each and everyone of these weird documentaries. We update this list as often as we can, so be sure to come back and check for new ones. And of course, don’t forget to tell us which bizarre documentary you liked best in the comments!

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