Bringemovies
← Browse Movies
Poster unavailable
TITLE DETAILS

Obituary of a Beast

1985-01-01 · 60 min · ★ 8.0

Documentary

Between 1962 and 1966, sex murderer Jurgen Bartsch cruelly tortured and killed four children in an old air raid bunker in Germany. This documentary examines the personality of the killer who died in 1976 during voluntary castration surgery at the age of 30. Vilified by the press for his heinous crime, Bartsch also became a case study for famous found criminal psychologists like Alice Miller (who maintains that no one abuses without being abused as a child, and murderers tend to have their own childhood abuse denied by the adults around them). Bartsch never met his birth parents, he was raised in a clinic and later adopted by a cold, unaffectionate couple. By the age of 15, he tortured and killed his first child victim. This informative, fact-filled documentary provides enough details for viewers to come away with a broader understanding of the nature of the criminally insane and society's role in their formation.

Open detail page

Trailers are previews, not full movies.

No authorized playback source configured. Use the legal watch options below.

Production details

Directors
Rolf Schübel
Production companies
Unavailable
Countries
Germany
Status
Released

Top Cast

Wilfried RaschHimself

Title information and images are supplied by TMDb. Explore our discovery guide for advice on comparing metadata and legal viewing options.

Where to watch

Availability provided by JustWatch via TMDb. Offers can change. Provider links are listed on TMDb; full playback requires a separately authorized source.

Availability not listed for this country.

Recommendations

Ted Bundy: Mind of a Monster
★ 7.6
Ted Bundy: Mind of a Monster2019Documentary

New exclusive access and never before heard testimony gives a unique insight into the mind of America's most notorious serial killer, Ted Bundy. Breathtaking archive from the time and the voice of Bundy himself, reveals the monster inside the man.

Aileen: Queen of the Serial Killers
★ 7.0
Aileen: Queen of the Serial Killers2025Documentary

Aileen Wuornos remains a rarity: a female serial killer. From childhood abuse to death-row revelations, this documentary revisits her life and crimes.

A Toxic Love Story
★ 6.4
A Toxic Love Story2026Documentary

A string of threatening emails escalates into a revenge plot involving a newly married US marshal and his ex-girlfriend.

Memories of a Murderer: The Nilsen Tapes
★ 6.0
Memories of a Murderer: The Nilsen Tapes2021Documentary

Serial killer Dennis Nilsen narrates his life and horrific crimes via a series of chilling audiotapes recorded from his jail cell.

Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story
★ 6.2
Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story2025Documentary

Unravel the case of Utah therapist Jodi Hildebrandt, whose child abuse arrest with parenting YouTuber Ruby Franke exposed a twisted tale of manipulation.

Come See Me in the Good Light
★ 7.0
Come See Me in the Good Light2025Documentary

In an intimate and joyful story of love in the face of loss, celebrated poets Andrea Gibson and Megan Falley find strength—and unexpected hilarity—in what might be their final year together.

Tales of the Grim Sleeper
★ 6.3
Tales of the Grim Sleeper2014Documentary

When Lonnie Franklin Jr. was arrested in South Central Los Angeles in 2010 as the suspected murderer of a string of young black women, police hailed it as the culmination of 20 years of investigations. Four years later documentary filmmaker Nick Broomfield took his camera to the alleged killer’s neighborhood for another view.

My Mom Jayne
★ 8.0
My Mom Jayne2025Documentary

Through deeply personal interviews with her siblings and an examination of the photographs, letters, and belongings left behind, Mariska assembles a new portrait of her mother Jayne Mansfield, an extraordinary and complex woman.

The Cheshire Murders
★ 6.5
The Cheshire Murders2013Documentary

In the early-morning hours of July 23, 2007, in Cheshire, Conn., ex-convicts Steven Hayes and Joshua Komisarjevsky broke into the family home of William Petit, his wife, Jennifer, and their daughters, Michaela, 11, and Hayley, 17. Dr. Petit was beaten and tied to a pole in the basement. The three women were bound in their bedrooms while the men ransacked the house. The brutal ordeal continued throughout the morning, ending with rape, arson and a horrific triple homicide.

Night Will Fall
★ 7.6
Night Will Fall2014Documentary

When Allied forces liberated the Nazi concentration camps in 1944-45, their terrible discoveries were recorded by army and newsreel cameramen, revealing for the first time the full horror of what had happened. Making use of British, Soviet and American footage, the Ministry of Information’s Sidney Bernstein (later founder of Granada Television) aimed to create a documentary that would provide lasting, undeniable evidence of the Nazis’ unspeakable crimes. He commissioned a wealth of British talent, including editor Stewart McAllister, writer and future cabinet minister Richard Crossman – and, as treatment advisor, his friend Alfred Hitchcock. Yet, despite initial support from the British and US Governments, the film was shelved, and only now, 70 years on, has it been restored and completed by Imperial War Museums under its original title "German Concentration Camps Factual Survey".

Beltracchi: The Art of Forgery
★ 7.1
Beltracchi: The Art of Forgery2014Documentary

Wolfgang Beltracchi got away with forging art masterpieces for over 40 years. He may be egotistical and nihilistic, but his genius in undeniable. He managed to fool gallery owners, historians and investors with the stroke of a brush. This documentary follows his last days as a free man.

I Am Vanessa Guillen
★ 7.5
I Am Vanessa Guillen2022Documentary

Vanessa Guillen was 20 years old when she was found murdered at a US Army base. Rather than submit to silence, her family fought for justice and change.

Struggle: The Life and Lost Art of Szukalski
★ 7.5
Struggle: The Life and Lost Art of Szukalski2018Documentary

Artists in LA discover the work of forgotten Polish sculptor Stanislav Szukalski, a mad genius whose true story unfolds chapter by astounding chapter.

Deliver Us from Evil
★ 7.2
Deliver Us from Evil2006Documentary

Documentary filmmaker Amy Berg investigates the life of 30-year pedophile Father Oliver O'Grady and exposes the corruption inside the Catholic Church that allowed him to abuse countless children. Victims' stories and a disturbing interview with O'Grady offer a view into the troubled mind of the spiritual leader who moved from parish to parish gaining trust ... all the while betraying so many.

The Crystal Calls - Making The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance
★ 7.5
The Crystal Calls - Making The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance2019Documentary

Go behind the scenes with stars, puppeteers and creators as they bring Jim Henson's magical world of Thra back to life in a sweeping fantasy series.

Predators
★ 6.7
Predators2025Documentary

In the mid-aughts, Dateline NBC's To Catch a Predator drew millions of weekly viewers to watch sting operations: men planning to meet minors for sex would instead be confronted by polished host Chris Hansen, then by the police — all on hidden camera.

42 Up
★ 7.6
42 Up1999Documentary

Director Michael Apted revisits the same group of British-born adults after a 7 year wait. The subjects are interviewed as to the changes that have occurred in their lives during the last seven years.

S4: The Bob Lazar Story
★ 8.4
S4: The Bob Lazar Story2026Documentary

Over 35 years after Bob Lazar's revelations, this documentary exposes secrets of a facility the government still denies. Featuring Lazar's testimony, recreations, and new evidence, it reopens a case that continues to spark global curiosity

Gilbert
★ 6.7
Gilbert2017Documentary

The life and career of one of comedy's most inimitable modern voices, Mr. Gilbert Gottfried.

Charlie: The Life and Art of Charles Chaplin
★ 7.0
Charlie: The Life and Art of Charles Chaplin2003Documentary

Brilliant, long in-the-works story of the life and art of the world's greatest comedian and the cinema's first genius, Charlie Chaplin. Produced, written and directed by renowned film critic Richard Schickel.

Similar titles

ULTRA III: Peter Kurten, Sadist & Mass Slayer
Not rated
ULTRA III: Peter Kurten, Sadist & Mass Slayer1982Documentary

A video magazine put out by the Come Organization label. An in-depth documentary of the life & works of Peter Kurten, the monster of Dusseldorf, including previously unpublished pictures and information. With music by WHITEHOUSE, J.S.BACH & BEETHOVEN

No One Is Safe From Son of Sam
★ 6.0
No One Is Safe From Son of Sam2017Documentary

Experience the fear and paranoia of New York City during the Summer of 1977. This short documentary explores the legacy of the Son of Sam case using original footage not seen since it aired and interviews with PIX11 journalists.

Serial Killers Defined
★ 9.3
Serial Killers Defined2013Documentary

Take a chilling tour through the twisted minds of some of the most violent serial killers including Jeffrey Dahmer and the BTK killer. What defines a serial killer? What makes them tick? These questions and more are answered in this horrific account of true events.

The Happy Face Killer: Mind of a Monster
★ 4.5
The Happy Face Killer: Mind of a Monster2021Documentary

Detective Rick Buckner has to prove Keith Jesperson is the serial killer known as Happy Face Killer, guilty of murdering a woman in 1995, and has to make sure he is apprehended before he kills again.

Serial Killer Culture
★ 6.2
Serial Killer Culture2014Documentary

Serial Killer Culture examines the reasons why artists and collectors are fascinated by serial killers.

Evil Among Us: Ted Bundy
★ 6.0
Evil Among Us: Ted Bundy2022Documentary

To the outside world, Ted Bundy was a law student, devoted friend, and church-going family man, but below the surface lurked something darker….a serial killer who took the lives of thirty young women in sadistic fits of rage. What drove Bundy’s insatiable appetite? How did he get away with it for so long? Were there any signs? And how has this maniacal killer made us reconsider the evil that may be hiding in our midst?

Poster unavailable
Not rated
Confessions of a Serial Killer with Piers Morgan2019Documentary

Piers Morgan sits down with Bernard Giles, a convicted serial killer who is willing to admit to his heinous crimes, and asks what motivated the man to commit those brutal acts.

The Investigation of Lucy Letby
★ 6.3
The Investigation of Lucy Letby2026Documentary

An engaging and thought-provoking look at Lucy Letby, the former nurse serving life in prison after being convicted of the murders of seven infants and the attempted murders of seven others.

Freight Train: Slayer of Innocence
★ 5.3
Freight Train: Slayer of Innocence2017Documentary

This documentary details the investigations into the disappearances and murders of several young boys throughout the Midwest in the 1970s. Detectives conducted a nine-day, twenty-four-hour surveillance of a suspect for several hundred miles with a team of police officers from several agencies. With William 'Freight Train' Guatney in custody the kidnappings and murders of young boys stopped.

The Freeway Killer: Lost Murder Tapes
★ 6.6
The Freeway Killer: Lost Murder Tapes2022Documentary

In 1970s California, a serial killer dumps young boys' bodies along the freeways. An L.A. street reporter on the case receives information that embroils him in the dilemma of a lifetime. Decades later, lost confession tapes help experts uncover the truth.

Serial Killer, Autopsy of a Fascination
★ 7.5
Serial Killer, Autopsy of a Fascination2023Documentary

An uneasy interest alive and kicking : directors Céline Chassé and Paul Sanfourche question works of fiction to find out to what extent they can be inspired by a true criminals.

Encounter with a Killer
Not rated
Encounter with a KillerDocumentary

In 1980, the capture of the infamous serial killer Pedro Alonso López, also known as the Monster or the Strangler of the Andes, seemed to end his nearly decade-long reign of terror. However, Ecuadorian laws benefited the murderer by giving him a shorter sentence and even the option of leaving in less time. When the Monster's release draws near, a group of family members struggle to find ways to keep him in jail, while he, from the inside, searches through a series of letters to clear his name and unmask the real killer: Jorge Patiño. The problem is that Jorge Patiño exists only in his mind.

The Women and the Murderer
★ 6.2
The Women and the Murderer2021Documentary

This documentary traces the capture of serial killer Guy Georges through the tireless work of two women: a police chief and a victim's mother.

Murder in a Teacup
★ 6.5
Murder in a Teacup2024Documentary

When members of a workforce began falling violently ill, locals believed a virus was sweeping the area, but after the death of two men it became clear that the only impurity was a serial poisoner with a toxic past.

Homicide Hunter: Devil in the Mountains
★ 6.2
Homicide Hunter: Devil in the Mountains2022Documentary

A man found stabbed and burned launches Lt. Joe Kenda on a manhunt. When the trail goes cold, Kenda connects the dots among a string of otherwise unrelated heartless murders leading him into his first and only search for a serial killer.

Tales of the Grim Sleeper
★ 6.3
Tales of the Grim Sleeper2014Documentary

When Lonnie Franklin Jr. was arrested in South Central Los Angeles in 2010 as the suspected murderer of a string of young black women, police hailed it as the culmination of 20 years of investigations. Four years later documentary filmmaker Nick Broomfield took his camera to the alleged killer’s neighborhood for another view.

Chaplin Today: Monsieur Verdoux
★ 5.8
Chaplin Today: Monsieur Verdoux2003Documentary

A short documentary in the Chaplin Today series about Chaplin's "Monsieur Verdoux." Includes an interview with Claude Chabrol, whose 1963 film "Landru" concerns the same serial killer that inspired Chaplin's film.

Ted Bundy: Natural Porn Killer
★ 6.0
Ted Bundy: Natural Porn Killer2006Documentary

Documentary about serial killer Ted Bundy. This documentary asks the question whether Bundy's obsession with pornography was the cause of his crimes.

Golden State Killer: Main Suspect
★ 6.4
Golden State Killer: Main Suspect2018Documentary

A documentary about the Golden State Killer, a serial killer and rapist who terrorized California between 1973 and 1986, during which time he murdered 13 people and committed at least 50 rapes. Following a 42-year police investigation, former police officer Joseph DeAngelo was apprehended through the use of DNA technology and genealogical research.

Jeffrey Dahmer: Confessions of a Serial Killer
★ 8.0
Jeffrey Dahmer: Confessions of a Serial Killer2012Documentary

Jeffrey Dahmer lived a ghastly double life as an adult, ultimately becoming known as one of America’s most infamous serial killers. Through an exclusive interview with Dahmer, as well as his mother and father, this program takes an extended look inside the mind of a serial killer.

Your favorites

Recently viewed

Watch

Choose an authorized server.

Full video from an operator-configured authorized source. Official trailers use a separate player. If a server fails, retry or select another authorized server.

Legal watch options

Official trailer

Trailer preview only. Press Play to start.

Privacy choices

Favorites stay in your browser. Movie images load from TMDb. YouTube trailers contact YouTube only after you allow external media and choose a trailer. Advertising consent, if ads are enabled, is managed separately by the operator’s certified CMP.

Privacy policy

After allowing external media, choose the trailer button to load its player.