Fred and Rose West: A British Horror Story Review: In this harrowing three-part documentary, we learn the shocking true story of serial killer Fred West, who, along with his wife Rose, committed at least 12 murders between 967 and 1987 in Gloucestershire.
Fred and Rose West: A British Horror Story Netflix Director
Dan Dewsbury
The series has 3 episodes, each with a runtime of around 60 minutes.
Fred and Rose West: A British Horror Story Review
In this Netflix true crime documentary series, we are made very, very closely aware of Rose and Fred West’s story, one that is full of horrifying facts and a crime that spans years. The documentary makes us aware of the reality of the Wests’ lives and takes us on a somewhat long journey through their lives.
The series doesn’t dilly-dally too much over unnecessary facts and mostly centres around the victims, how the Wests committed the crimes and the circumstances behind them. There is hardly a moment you won’t feel utterly gutted and every scene feels more horrifying that the last. The series does a great job of keeping us glued to the screens and focuses solely on the victims and how the crimes came about, giving context when required. This makes us empathetic to the victims and their feelings at every turn, while not overwhelming us with unnecessary backstories.
Thus, we can’t help but be hooked to the series because of the empathy we feel for these innocent women, a lot of whom were children. The series often questions what the victims would’ve felt in their last moments and throughout the series, viewers will also feel similarly time and time again. I, of course, read up on the Wests and the things that are not shown in the series are equally deplorable, if not more. The horrors that the Wests’ children were subjected to are straight out of a nightmare and will give you shivers down your spine.
The interviews paint a vivid, first person story about the discovery of the victims’ remains but it’s Fred West’s confession and Rose West’s hidden recordings that truly seal the deal for me. The series does a great job of incorporating these elements, more so because hearing the nonchalance in Fred West’s voice is eerie to a horrible degree. It also ads context to the mindset of the perpetrators that enhance the watchability of the series.
In the end, I found myself desperately searching for answers that we might never get. Torturing innocent women isn’t something new, especially for true crime enthusiasts who have watched history repeat itself over and over again. However, this one somehow hits different. Maybe it’s the nature of the depravitity, maybe it’s the fact that a couple could together engage in something so horrible or maybe it’s the fact that a mother can torture her own children in such inhumane ways, this one is an important story for worldwide audiences to see.
Final Thoughts
With a story like this to form the crux of the matter, Fred and Rose West: A British Horror Story is one that will leave an impact on viewers regardless. But, I think it hits all the right nerves that are required in a true crime documentary and brings forth the facts in a non dramatic and compassionate way. The series lets the story speak for itself, which works in its favour in the best of ways. The different facts of the series will leave you agitated and sometimes angered, and these are the reasons why you won’t be able to stop watching it.
Also Read: A Deadly American Marriage Review: Tragic and Twisted