Between 1989 and 1990, Aileen Wuornos killed seven men across central Florida. The investigation quickly drew added attention because the female perpetrator didn’t fit the typical serial-killer profile. Wuornos was eventually convicted and, after years on Florida’s death row, executed in 2002. In the years since, the case has continued to reverberate in the culture, most notably through Charlize Theron’s Oscar‑winning portrayal of Wuornos in 2003’s Monster. More recently, Aileen, played by Sarah Paulson, is woven into the newest installment of Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan’s “Monster” anthology series, Monster: Lizzie Borden.
Now streaming on Netflix, the documentary Aileen: Queen of the Serial Killers, directed by Emily Turner, reexamines Wuornos’ life and crimes nearly 40 years after they occurred. Produced by the BBC Studios Documentary Unit in collaboration with NBC News Studios, the documentary features powerful audio interviews with those who knew her best, along with archival footage from former Dateline correspondent Michele Gillen. It also includes prison interviews with Wuornos herself, offering new insights into her crimes.
Aileen: Queen of the Serial Killers revisits the complex story of Aileen Wuornos. Through interviews, archival material, and Wuornos’ own words, the film explores the circumstances that shaped her life and crimes, and examines the broader questions surrounding her motivations and the judicial system’s response.
The documentary film premiered on Netflix on Oct. 30. Stream it now.
Born in Michigan in 1956, Wuornos experienced a tumultuous childhood marked by abandonment and abuse. She drifted through a series of foster homes and spent much of her life on the margins of society, eventually hitchhiking to Florida in her early twenties. There, Wuornos supported herself through sex work and petty crime before she was arrested for a series of murders. Her troubled background and transient lifestyle have continued to fuel debate about the events that led to her crimes and the media’s portrayal of her life.
“It’s so much easier to write off someone who's done such heinous acts as a coldblooded murderer [rather than] a deeply damaged human,” Turner tells Tudum. “Actually, she was made, and that's chilling.” Hear more from the director in our deep dive into Wuornos’ life and crimes, including her perspective on why the case merits a fresh look now.
Yes, Aileen Wuornos was apprehended in January 1991 after a multi-state investigation. She was ultimately convicted of multiple murders and sentenced to death, spending six years on death row before her execution by lethal injection in 2002.
Aileen: Queen of the Serial Killers is now streaming on Netflix.
A chilling, investigative deep dive, Aileen: Queen of the Serial Killers unpacks an infamous case through archival footage, police tapes, courtroom video, and first-person audio. Fans of clear-eyed, procedurally driven true-crime stories may find the film captivating, grim, and disturbing while appreciating its fact-first counter to the sensationalism that surrounded the case.
