As we approach the 20th anniversary of JonBenét Ramsey's death, CBS is getting ready to premiere their new docu-series, The Case of: JonBenét Ramsey . The new series is just the most recent in a growing line of true life crime stories making their way to the big and small screens. But, before you get sucked into your next tv obsession, here are 13 movies to watch before The Case of: JonBenét Ramsey kicks off on Sept. 18.
Don't expect The Case of: JonBenét Ramsey to be anything like FX's American Crime Story: The People vs. OJ Simpson. The Case of is more of a documentary than a series, and it will follow a team of the Ramsey case's original investigators as well as a few new additions, as they re-examine the case and attempt to solve JonBenét Ramsey's murder. The case of JonBenét Ramsey is one that has fascinated and puzzled Americans for almost two decades. In 1996, 6-year-old Ramsey was found dead in her family home in Boulder, Colorado, just seven hours after her mother had reported her missing to the police. The mysterious circumstances of her death, as well as Ramsey's past as a child pageant star, led to her story being talked about across the nation. It was one of those cases that, for lack of a better term, went viral.
The case remains unsolved, and is one of the most famous unsolved murders in the country. Before The Case Of: JonBenét Ramsey attempts to solve the mystery, here are 13 movies to watch to get you in the crime-solving mood.
1. Perfect Murder, Perfect Town: JonBenét and the City of Boulder
Watch Gilmore Girls' Max Medina (Scott Cohen) attempt to put the pieces together in this 2000 CBS special on JonBenét, Perfect Murder, Perfect Town.
2. Getting Away with Murder: The JonBenet Ramsey Mystery
Another made-for-tv movie about the Ramsey case, Getting Away with Murder aired on Fox.
3. Living Dolls: The Making of a Child Beauty Queen
This HBO documentary on the dramatic, and somewhat controversial, world of child beauty pageants for the under-5 set gives a glimpse into the competitive world of JonBenét Ramsey's child pageant days.
4. Little Miss Sunshine
On the lighter side of child pageants, get into the family mood with Little Miss Sunshine. It won't prepare you for the doom and gloom of real unsolved murders, but maybe you should enjoy it while you can.
5. Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father
Back to the doom and gloom: Dear Zachary is a heartbreaking documentary about a man whose ex-girlfriend announces she's pregnant with his baby right after he is murdered.
6. The Thin Blue Line
If you're looking for a true crime documentary to get you in an investigative mood, look no further than The Thin Blue Line. The documentary is a stylized investigation into a supposedly solved murder case, with a twist ending you won't want to miss.
7. Spotlight
The investigative journalism dramatized in Spotlight is just about as riviting and intriguing as anything you're likely to find in The Case of: JonBenét Ramsey.
8. Matt Shepard Is a Friend of Mine
A documentary on Matthew Shepard, a young gay man who was brutally assaulted and murdered when he was just 21, and what happened to his grieving family and friends.
9. The Elizabeth Smart Story
Based on the true story of Elizabeth Smart, a girl who was kidnapped in 2002 at 14 and rescued nine months later, The Elizabeth Smart Story was a made-for-tv movie released soon after her rescue.
10. Cleveland Abduction
Another made-for-tv movie based on real life atrocities, Cleveland Abduction tells the story of the victims of Ariel Castro, a man who, just a few years ago, was arrested for kidnapping three women, abusing them and keeping them hostage for years — some for over a decade.
11. The Imposter
This documentary follows how a young man inserted himself into a Texas family by claiming to be their missing son.
12. Man on Fire
Denzel Washington stars in this movie about a tough bodyguard, who goes to great lengths to save the little girl (Dakota Fanning) under his protection. It's not quite JonBenét Ramsey-esque, but, if you want to ease yourself into true stories about kidnapped and murdered children, Man on Fire might be a good way to do it.
13. Mystic River
Sometimes what's so heartbreaking about stories about child murders is the reactions of the families left to wonder what happened. Mystic River, from director Clint Eastwood, explores this idea, albeit in a slightly over-dramatic way.
If those movies don't get you in the mood for The Case Of: JonBenét Ramsey, then there's always Netflix's Making a Murderer, or any number of JonBenét Ramsey television investigation specials sure to prepare you for CBS' new investigation.
Images: CBS; Giphy
