Nov. 11, 2022|95 Min.|R
Genre: Documentary
Description: Netflix’s *Capturing the Killer Nurse* tells a chilling true-crime story that has also been adapted into a feature film. The documentary delves into the shocking case of Charles Cullen, a nurse who became one of America’s most notorious serial killers. During his career spanning the late 1980s, Cullen worked in various medical centers across New Jersey and Pennsylvania, where he is confirmed to have killed 29 people, though he has admitted to 40 murders. Some estimates suggest his death toll could be as high as 400 over 15 years.
One of the most disturbing aspects of this case is how Cullen evaded detection for so long. While the film *The Good Nurse*, starring Eddie Redmayne and Jessica Chastain, dramatizes these events, *Capturing the Killer Nurse* provides a deeper look through interviews with the nurses who exposed him, the detectives who solved the case, and even includes audio recordings from Cullen himself.
Charles Cullen’s life was marked by tragedy. Born in 1960 in West Orange, New Jersey, he was the youngest of eight children. His father died when he was just seven months old, and his mother died in a car accident when he was 17. Cullen learned of her death only after arriving at the hospital, an event that left a lasting trauma he reportedly never forgave. His childhood was described as “miserable,” and he claimed to have attempted suicide for the first time at the age of nine. After his mother’s death, he tried again and was admitted to a psychiatric hospital.
Following his discharge, Cullen dropped out of school and joined the navy, serving aboard the USS Woodrow Wilson until his medical discharge in 1984. He then pursued a career in nursing, enrolling at Mountainside Hospital’s nursing school in Montclair, New Jersey, where he was elected president of his class. After graduating in 1986, he began working in the burns unit of Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston. His story is a harrowing reminder of the devastating consequences of unchecked power and systemic failures.
Cast director: Tim Travers Hawkins
Original name: Capturing the Killer Nurse