Crime Scene Berlin: Nightlife Killer is a German a three-episode docuseries on Netflix directed by Caroline Schaper and Jan Zabeil. It is written by Caroline Schaper and Inga Turczyn.
In May 2012, in the Friedrichshain neighborhood of Berlin, a body showing signs of asphyxiation was discovered—his name was Nicky, a 32-year-old man associated with the Berlin nightlife, where drugs were in use.
This case sparked an investigation that led us to a serial killer in Berlin.
About the documentary
“Crime Scene Berlin: Nightlife Killer” is a unique true crime docuseries; this time its cinematic elements are quite refined and the creators take their time to capture the night atmosphere and the vibe of the city, spending ample time explaining and narrating the events in great detail.
“Crime Scene Berlin: Nightlife Killer” heavily involves reenactment of the incidents. Interviewees, investigators, forensics, and victims’ relatives engage eagerly in the storytelling, allowing filming during their car rides or at various locations. It’s not just a series that satisfies the narrative aspect, but it also has aesthetic value in its photography, capturing not only the neon ambiance of the Berlin nightlife but also the city’s overall tone.
This docuseries pushes boundaries, narrated like a movie and with more reenactments than typical documentaries of its type.
“Crime Scene Berlin: Nightlife Killer” places a particular emphasis on police work, detailing forensic processes, victim identification, and police procedures as if it were an episode of Crime Scene Investigation or a similar show.
During interviews, the focus isn’t only on the interviewee. Each interview scene is colored and well-lit to highlight the somber tone of the situation, sometimes playing up the red hues in the victims’ cases or creating colder settings when interviewing the investigators.
This is a documentary filled with intent and style that, as always, sparks reflections on this type of documentary that we, having seen so many, consider surpassed: the public loves them and consumes them by the dozens, and every week multiple new ones premiere on one streaming platform or another, and that’s for a reason.
“Crime Scene Berlin: Nightlife Killer” is an excellent documentary of its type, offering a full atmospheric experience and, of course, a dose of morbid intrigue.
Welcome to the world of serial killers, this time in Berlin.
