A new Netflix documentary has left viewers deeply unsettled, with many describing the experience as so chilling that they are unable to sleep.
The documentary has generated significant buzz on Reddit and other platforms, where viewers have shared their visceral reactions to the material.
One outlet reported that specific details about the case are so disturbing that they affect even dedicated true crime fans.
Netflix’s official warning advises viewers to watch out for sensitive topics, including trauma, emotional distress, and graphic descriptions of violence, including disturbing images from crime scenes and the killer’s own archive.
The emotional impact appears to stem from the documentary’s unique perspective, which offers an uncomfortably intimate look at evil hiding in plain sight.
One reviewer noted that, as true crime documentaries go, this one is ‘too close to the point of discomfort.’
Another noted: “I feel sick inside.”
Critics have praised the documentary’s approach and emotional depth.
Heaven of Horror praised the film’s honest portrayal, noting that the documentary delivers a very honest portrayal of a man many came to know as a monster, centered very much on a unique perspective that may not be to everyone’s liking.
While Common Sense Media highlighted how the documentary sustains tension by combining investigator testimonials with personal recollections, adding layers of personal insight and understanding of how trauma passes down through generations.
Another fan praised the pacing, noting there’s ‘not one moment where you will feel like skipping any scenes’ and describing it as a good watch to see ‘the other side of the coin’ in true crime, giving it a score of 8/10.
The documentary explores a chilling case of a family man with a horrifying secret life.
The subject lived an outwardly normal existence – he was a church congregation president, a Cub Scout leader, and a devoted father – while committing unspeakable crimes.
The killer murdered 10 people between 1974 and 1991 in the Wichita, Kansas area, Today reports.
He wrote cryptic letters about his crimes to media outlets, and his constant communications ultimately led to his arrest in 2005 when law enforcement traced a computer disk sent to a TV station back to his church.
What makes the documentary particularly unsettling is its personal perspective.
It centers on Kerri Rawson, the killer’s daughter, who was 26 years old when FBI agents knocked on her door in February 2005 to tell her that her father was the notorious BTK killer, per Time.
Rawson recalls suffering from night terrors, bed-wetting, and a fear of sleeping in the dark as a child, now questioning whether her subconscious was trying to warn her about ‘a bad man’ in the house.
Perhaps most chilling, Rawson found a notebook where her father wrote about a bondage game that included her name, raising deeply troubling questions.
My Father, the BTK Killer comes from director Skye Borgman, who also directed other notable true crime documentaries like Abducted in Plain Sight and Unknown Number.
The film builds on a memoir that Rawson wrote in 2019, featuring interviews with journalists and law enforcement who covered the case.
It explores how Rawson has found a new purpose by helping law enforcement search for potential additional victims.
After not seeing her father for 18 years, Rawson visited him in prison for more than two hours in 2023, asking if there were other victims, a question he refused to answer. The film ends with Rawson vowing never to go near her father again.
Dennis Rader pled guilty to 10 counts of first-degree murder and was sentenced to 10 consecutive life terms without parole – the longest possible sentence the judge could deliver. He is currently serving time at the El Dorado Correctional Facility in Kansas with an earliest possible release date in 2180.
Watch the trailer for My Father, the BTK Killer below…
My Father, the BTK Killer is available to stream now on Netflix.
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