Directed by Emily Turner and written by Turner with Jinx Godfrey, the Netflix documentary Aileen: Queen of the Serial Killers draws on extensive interviews with and footage of Aileen Wuornos herself for a reassessment of her story. Of course, it\u2019s one that\u2019s been told before. And the true crime industry is a beast which always requires fresh sustenance. But Queen of the Serial Killers finds valuable new angles as it considers the serial killer\u2019s confession, 1992 trial, and 2002 execution against the facts of Wuornos\u2019 life, accounts of the sexual violence she experienced, and a Florida court system and larger culture that demanded a conviction of the woman declared \u201cThe hooker from Hell.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Gist: It\u2019s 1997, and Aileen Wuornos is waiting to die on Florida\u2019s death row. This is no true crime reenactment, not a Hollywood actress. This is the real woman we see and hear on video, as she meets with filmmaker Jasmine Hurst and her crew. She wanted to give Hurst the real story of her life and crimes. Wanted to get right with God before the end. But there\u2019s a gleam in Wuornos\u2019 eye, too. She\u2019s gregarious. Loves to be interviewed. Is really good at telling a story. She hugs Hurst, and whispers in her ear. \u201cYou guys are gonna make millions off this.\u201d<\/p>\n
The footage that opens Aileen: Queen of the Serial Killers is fascinating for its combination of everything that makes Wuornos such a powerful subject for true crime. A woman who confessed to killing seven men, who wishes to die for her sins \u2013 and who clearly relishes the spotlight \u2013 but who also stresses the inequities of her prosecution. \u201cShe\u2019s like the trifecta,\u201d Hurst says in an interview for Queen. \u201cGay, female, sex worker, and killing white men.\u201d<\/p>\n
As Wuornos describes her rough upbringing and life on the road as a young woman, engaging in sex work just to survive, Queen of the Serial Killers also interviews former Ocala, Florida Sheriff\u2019s Office captain Steve Binegar, who led the Wuornos investigation. Binegar details evidence found at the crime scenes, and the profile they developed of a female prostitute killing and robbing male clients. There are grisly photos of bullet-riddled bodies. And an incredible grainy time capsule of police surveillance footage which captures live the 1991 arrest of Wuornos outside the Last Resort, a Central Florida dive.<\/p>\n
When Wuornos confessed to police \u2013 Queen also includes this, live from the police interview room \u2013 it was to take heat off Tyria Moore, the woman she loved. But with the arrest and confession comes the next phase of the documentary, which is a lengthy look at the ensuing court dates and murder trial, which Florida state authorities removed a woman judge from hearing and featured a lead prosecutor, John Tanner, who was an avowed Christian and anti-porn crusader. According to the ousted judge, Gayle Graziano, as well as allies of Wuornos like childhood friend Dawn Botkins and adoptive mother Arlene Pralle, the state had no intention of ever giving their confessed killer a fair trial. She was an immoral woman \u2013 \u201ca wild, boozing lesbian\u201d news reports blare \u2013 who murdered white men. Cut and dry, even if there was much more to Wuornos\u2019 own background and the violent histories of some of her victims that could have been admissible at trial, and changed the story as it\u2019s come to be known.<\/p>\n
Photo: Courtesy of Netflix \u00a92025<\/p>\n
What Movies Will It Remind You Of? While Charlize Theron<\/a> won an Academy Award for her portrayal of Aileen Wuornos in Monster<\/a>, versions of Wuornos have also appeared. Like Peyton List <\/a>playing Wuornos in American Boogeywoman<\/a>, which revels in Lifetime Movie-style speculation about her story. Queen of the Serial Killers also doesn\u2019t claim to be the first true crime doc about the case. Notably, Nick Broomfield<\/a> 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\u2019 story was exploited by authorities. Queen also includes footage from and discussion about Overkill: The Aileen Wuornos Story \u2013 Jean Smart<\/a> played Aileen in that one \u2013 a 1992 film where producers made a deal with Florida police for details about the case \u201cbefore she even pled a plea,\u201d according to Jackie Giroux, an interviewee.<\/p>\n