"What happens when law enforcement decides the truth cannot be true?" This is the question at the heart of American Nightmare, a three-part true-crime documentary series that just appeared on Netflix

This new Netflix series is from Felicity Morris and Bernadette Higgins, the filmmaking duo behind The Tinder Swindler, the true crime film that took Netflix by storm in 2022, American Nightmare is a March 2015 centers on the almost unthinkable ordeal suffered by Denise Haskins and her boyfriend, Aaron Quinn

With an instantly intriguing core premise, plenty of dramatic twists, and very clever editing, "American Nightmare" looks to be the next Netflix show everyone is talking about

The story of Huskins and Quinn has been compared to Gillian Flynn's popular novel Gone Girl, which begins when the couple is awakened in the middle of the night by a home invader They are attacked with a stun gun, and Huskins is subsequently kidnapped by this mysterious intruder

Quinn, fearing for his girlfriend's life, contacted the authorities in an attempt to rescue Haskins before the worst happens The police were stumped and struggled to find any concrete leads But when Haskins suddenly reappeared, the story was supposed to have a happy ending in which the two were reunited after such a harrowing ordeal

Law enforcement, however, thought their story was too far-fetched to be true and began to doubt their version of events Haskins and Quinn were then accused of orchestrating the kidnapping For the young couple, the American nightmare had just begun

Weaving together archival footage and new interviews, this true crime documentary is a twisted tale that simultaneously engages and horrifies viewers; one could even argue that it is one of the best true crime shows on Netflix This is no small feat considering that the streaming service has been home to compelling true crime content for the past few years

"American Nightmare" has just arrived on Netflix today (January 17), so there are not many reviews yet, but Nick Shager of The Daily Beast noted that the show "elicits skepticism and shock in equal measure," even if "the story is outlandish and the evidence is scant, He writes favorably that it "underscores the potential difficulty and yet crucial need to take rape allegations seriously

[16] If you are a true crime fanatic, "American Nightmare" is definitely a document to add to your Netflix watch list, and don't be surprised to see the social media conversation surrounding the film rage in the coming weeks

If you're looking for more recommendations, we've ranked the most-watched films on Netflix by Rotten Tomatoes scores Plus, there are plenty of new movies available for streaming this week on Netflix and Hulu