Movies Like Sarah Payne: A Mother's Story

If you liked Sarah Payne: A Mother's Story (2017), a tv movie and crime movie, here are 20 movies with a similar feel, based on TMDB's recommendations. Each one links to its cast, trailer and where it's streaming.

1
The Imposter (2012)
★ 7.3/10Also documentary and crime
In 1994, a 13-year-old boy disappeared without a trace from his home in San Antonio, Texas. Three-and-a-half years later, he is found alive in a village in southern Spain with a horrifying story of kidnap and torture…
2
Girl in the Picture (2022)
★ 7.1/10Also crime and documentary
A young mother’s mysterious death and her son’s subsequent kidnapping blow open a decades-long mystery about the woman’s true identity, and the murderous federal fugitive at the center of it all.
3
Aileen: Queen of the Serial Killers (2025)
★ 7/10Also documentary and crime
Aileen Wuornos remains a rarity: a female serial killer. From childhood abuse to death-row revelations, this documentary revisits her life and crimes.
4
Abducted in Plain Sight (2017)
★ 6.6/10Also documentary and crime
A family falls prey to the manipulative charms of a neighbor, who abducts their adolescent daughter. Twice.
5
Mommy Dead and Dearest (2017)
★ 7.4/10Also crime and documentary
Child abuse, mental illness, and forbidden love converge in this mystery involving a mother and daughter who were thought to be living a fairy tale life that turned out to be a living nightmare.
6
Predators (2025)
★ 6.7/10Also documentary and crime
In the mid-aughts, Dateline NBC's To Catch a Predator drew millions of weekly viewers to watch sting operations: men planning to meet minors for sex would instead be confronted by polished host Chris Hansen, then by…
7
Ted Bundy: Mind of a Monster (2019)
★ 7.6/10Also crime and documentary
New exclusive access and never before heard testimony gives a unique insight into the mind of America's most notorious serial killer, Ted Bundy. Breathtaking archive from the time and the voice of Bundy himself…
8
The Crash (2026)
★ 6.8/10Also documentary and crime
A teen slams her car into a building, killing her boyfriend and his friend. What seems like a tragic accident becomes a murder case.
9
Deliver Us from Evil (2006)
★ 7.2/10Also crime and documentary
Documentary filmmaker Amy Berg investigates the life of 30-year pedophile Father Oliver O'Grady and exposes the corruption inside the Catholic Church that allowed him to abuse countless children. Victims' stories and a…
10
Maternal Instinct (2026)
★ 7.2/10Also documentary and crime
Police pull over a woman who claims she just gave birth. But the baby — and the blood — aren't hers. Twisted lies unravel in this true-crime documentary.
11
Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills (1996)
★ 7.6/10Also documentary and crime
A horrific triple child murder leads to an indictment and trial of three nonconformist boys based on questionable evidence.
12
Voyeur (2017)
★ 5.9/10Also documentary and crime
Legendary journalist Gay Talese unmasks a motel owner who spied on his guests for decades. But his bombshell story soon becomes a scandal of its own.
13
Tales of the Grim Sleeper (2014)
★ 6.3/10Also crime and documentary
When Lonnie Franklin Jr. was arrested in South Central Los Angeles in 2010 as the suspected murderer of a string of young black women, police hailed it as the culmination of 20 years of investigations. Four years later…
14
American Murder: The Family Next Door (2020)
★ 7.3/10Also crime and documentary
Using raw, firsthand footage, this documentary examines the disappearance of Shanann Watts and her children, and the terrible events that followed.
15
Stolen: Heist of the Century (2025)
★ 7.2/10Also documentary and crime
Antwerp, 2003. A gang of thieves rob the impenetrable Diamond Center. Who was behind one of the world's biggest heists - and how did they pull it off?
16
The Mystery of D.B. Cooper (2020)
★ 6.3/10Also documentary and crime
This documentary brings to life the stories of four people believed by their family and friends to be “DB Cooper,” a man who hijacked a 727 flying out of Seattle and jumped from the plane over the wilds of Washington…
17
Out of Thin Air (2017)
★ 5.9/10Also documentary and crime
Set within the stark Icelandic landscape, OUT OF THIN AIR examines the 1976 police investigation into the disappearance of two men in the early 1970s.
18
Long Shot (2017)
★ 7.2/10Also crime and documentary
When Juan Catalan is arrested for a murder he insists he didn't commit, he builds his case for innocence around unexpected raw footage.
19
My Father, the BTK Killer (2025)
★ 6.7/10Also crime and documentary
Raised by a man leading a monstrous double life, the daughter of the BTK serial killer shares her chilling story.
20
David Blaine: Real or Magic (2013)
★ 6.8/10Also tv movie and documentary
David Blaine's signature brand of street magic mystifies the most recognisable celebrities in the world, such as Jamie Foxx, Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, Ricky Gervais, Katy Perry, Woody Allen, and Robert DeNiro, to…