# Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer (2003)

> An unsparing documentary portrait revisits Aileen Wuornos on death row, probing the contested boundary between self-defense, trauma, mental illness, and criminal responsibility.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/movie/23132

## Facts

- Runtime: 89 min
- Genres: Documentary, Crime
- Director: Nick Broomfield, Joan Churchill
- Cast: Aileen Wuornos, Nick Broomfield, Diane Wuornos, Arlene Pralle, Tyria Moore, Dawn Botkins, Michelle Chauvin, Dick Mills
- TMDB rating: 6.7/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0364930/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: moderate
- Mood: harrowing, confrontational, melancholic, true crime viewing, documentary night

## Synopsis

A chilling exploration of a woman's descent into violence and the complexities of her psyche.

## Movies like Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer

- [Beware the Slenderman (2016)](https://ember.film/movie/246779)
- [Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer (1992)](https://ember.film/movie/66628)
- [Aileen: Queen of the Serial Killers (2025)](https://ember.film/movie/7498092)
- [No Man of God (2021)](https://ember.film/movie/506626)
- [The Perfect Neighbor (2025)](https://ember.film/movie/7388338)
- [Girl in the Picture (2022)](https://ember.film/movie/919629)
- [Mouth of the Wolf: Amanda Knox Returns to Italy (2026)](https://ember.film/movie/7549996)
- [Ted Bundy (2002)](https://ember.film/movie/21319)
- [Charlie Says (2019)](https://ember.film/movie/322590)
- [Mommy Dead and Dearest (2017)](https://ember.film/movie/296359)

---

Site overview: https://ember.film/llms.txt