Review of American Nightmare: 8/10 – In American Nightmare, Netflix presents the horrifying true story of the abduction of Denise Huskins and subsequent accusations from police who think she’s lying. It is a must-watch for true-crime fans and anyone interested in the criminal justice system. It’s a chilling reminder of how easily the system can fail victims of violent crimes.
Warning: Themes of abduction, sexual assault, and miscarriage of justice.
Imagine that you’re a happy 29-year-old woman, you’ve worked hard, achieving success in your professional life, you’ve been dating a colleague, then one night you’re at your boyfriend’s house asleep when you’re mistaken for his ex, you’re blindfolded, abducted, sexually assaulted, and then dropped off at home. When you go to the police they think you’re lying and hold a press conference to publicly destroy your character. The media compares you to Gone Girl, a fictional story where the antagonist orchestrated her own disappearance. It’s almost unfathomable to think something like this could happen. But that’s where Denise Huskins was in 2015, and her ordeal is the subject of the new Netflix documentary series American Nightmare.
American Nightmare Trailer
Netflix: New Docuseries: American Nightmare | Review
The Netflix docuseries American Nightmare features interviews with Denise Huskins, who relives her abduction and subsequent police and media accusations, and Aaron Quinn, who shares his experience of being interrogated by police as the prime suspect after reporting his girlfriend was kidnapped. The series also includes interviews with police officers who eventually solved the case and reporters who covered the story. Archival footage from police bodycams, CCTV from police interrogations of Aaron and Denise, and news media coverage from 2015 are meticulously pieced together to take us back to when events were unfolding.
Netflix presents Denise and Aaron’s ordeal in 3 parts;
Part 1: The Boyfriend
Part 1 is presented showing only the facts of the case that the police were working with, in the first 48 hours.
It starts with the dispatch recording of Aaron calling 911, police bodycam footage of the initial search of the residence and questioning of Aaron, and his recount of the abduction of Denise through a series of law enforcement interrogations.
It covers the initial suspicion by law enforcement of Aaron’s involvement in the disappearance of Denise.
Part 1 ends with the reappearance of Denise; and the question of what really happened.
Part 2: Gone Girl
Part 2 of the docuseries opens with a harrowing recount of the abduction by Denise, pairing an in-depth interview with creative reenactment.
The nightmare gets worse after a police interrogation of Denise. Their suspicions have moved now from Aaron to it all being a hoax by Denise. The couple shared their feelings about this development in the case through emotional interviews and expressed how they felt unprotected from something like this happening again because they were not believed.
Part 3: The Others
Part 3 begins with the arrest of Matthew Muller in an unrelated home invasion case, and we’re introduced to Denise’s “hero” in law enforcement, after the discovery of one blonde hair in Matthew Muller’s car, Misty Carausu is determined to discover who it belonged to leading her to the “Gone Girl” case and Denise Huskins who finally gets the response from law enforcement she needed.
American Nightmare does a great job of letting the victim tell their horrifying true story and shedding light on the injustices Denise faced by police, media, and the public in the aftermath of her abduction. It is a must-watch for true-crime fans and anyone interested in the criminal justice system. It’s a chilling reminder of how easily the system can fail victims of violent crimes. It’s a chilling reminder of how easily the system can fail victims of violent crimes.
Where to watch American Nightmare
American Nightmare is available to stream on now, only on Netflix
For More Information on This Case, Check Out: Victim F, by Denise Huskins, Aaron Quinn
This shocking true crime memoir by Denise and Aaron goes into more detail about their experiences during the abduction and the aftermath with police and media accusations.
Victim F: From Crime Victims to Suspects to Survivors, by Denise Huskins, Aaron Quinn
Published in 2021 by Berkley
About the Book
Victim F: From Crime Victims to Suspects to Survivors is a book written by Denise Huskins and Aaron Quinn. It is their true crime memoir that tells the story of the 2015 kidnapping and sexual assault of Denise Huskins, and the subsequent police investigation that accused her of faking her own abduction. The book recounts the horrific ordeal that almost cost Denise and Aaron everything and sheds light on sexual assault and the abuse by law enforcement that all too frequently compounds crime victims’ suffering
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