This Chilling Prime Video Miniseries About Real Killer Fred West Will be Your Next Obsession
If there’s one surefire thing when it comes to genre filmmaking, it’s serial killers. For better or worse, the public remains uniquely fascinated with the most heinous, depraved minds around. Since the days of Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, serial killers have featured prominently in film and television, and I don’t anticipate that ever really slowing down. There are some real gems, especially recently. Woman of the Hour was one of last year’s best, and I recently spotlighted the fictional (and deeply upsetting) serial killer at the center of Lars von Trier’s The House That Jack Built.
Recently, there’s been renewed interest in one serial killer in particular—Fred West. West, alongside his wife, Rose West, were English serial killers who committed an estimated 12 murders between 1967 and 1987. Upon their arrest, Fred West was charged with 11 counts, and Rose with eight. They were heinous, horrifying crimes, often including torture and mutilation. The subsequent investigation was covered in a remarkable miniseries you’ve no doubt overlooked, though luckily, you can catch it streaming now. Learn more about Julian Jarrod’s Appropriate Adult, now streaming in full on Prime Video
Per Prime Video: Based on a true story, Janet Leach (Emily Watson, Gosford Park) finds herself sitting in on serial killer Fred West’s (Dominic West, The Wire) highly charged police interviews as his ‘appropriate adult’ – a person from the community who assists vulnerable adults facing criminal charges. She struggles to hear traumatic confessions but driven by her sense of duty to discover the truth.
Appropriate Adult covers Janet Leach’s role as, well, serial killer Fred West’s appropriate adult. The term refers to a person over 18 in English law who remains present for the full breadth of police processes, including interviews and searches. The miniseries was acclaimed upon its premiere in 2011, with critics praising its restraint and lack of sensational exploitation.
Since 2011, however, Appropriate Adult has kind of drifted into the ether, and that’s a shame. With so much available out there to watch, it’s understandable, but if you even have a passing interest in Fred West or true crime, Appropriate Adult is one of the most underrated offerings available to watch right now. It’s chilling and unpleasant stuff, but it’s simultaneously one of the most probing and insightful serial killer series around.
What do you think? Do you have any plans to check out Appropriate Adult on Prime Video? The series is just three episodes long, so if you do give it a whirl, let me know your thoughts over on Twitter @Chadiscollins.
Categorized: News
