Most people willing to admit it will tell you they love a good disaster documentary. Seeing something come tumbling down in a glorious fashion is indeed its own form of entertainment, unique to political or true-crime stories that seem to dominate the genre. However, that may start to change as the success of Netflix’s Trainwreck series shows that there is ample interest in watching everything fall apart, with more interest in these stories than before.
While Prime Video does not have its equivalent to Netflix’s hit series (yet), the platform has a plethora of documentaries, with a few disaster ones among them. Here are the best disaster documentaries you will find on Prime Video.
8
‘Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley’s Island of Dr. Moreau’ (2014)
The story behind one of the worst movies ever made in 1996’s The Island of Dr. Moreau, Lost Soul, offers a look at why the production failed so horribly, with a central focus on filmmaker Richard Stanley, who was fired early on from the project. With interviews with Stanley and others who worked on the film, fans get a look at how the production was doomed to fail and what the movie could have looked like if Stanley had been given creative control of the project.
A Director’s Spiral Into Madness After Losing His Film
For film fans, it is always fascinating to see why a film failed. For The Island of Dr. Moreau, it faced numerous challenges, including the egos of some cast members and the need for a complete story shift and a new creative team at short notice. Yet, it is Stanley’s decline and obsession with the film that makes the documentary worth checking out; seeing a creative have his vision stripped away from him is a disaster unto itself.
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7
‘Best Worst Movie’ (2009)
Now a filmmaker, Michael Stephenson looks to revisit the cult classic Troll 2 that he starred in as a kid through showings of the movie and bringing back together the previous cast. Among them is actor George Hardy, a local dentist with a sense of humor who loves revisiting the past with Stephenson on his journey. At the same time, director Claudio Fragasso hounds the duo as he despises the “so bad it’s good” label given to his film that Michael and George now embrace.
Taking the Worst Movie Ever Made on a disastrous Tour
A disaster in two pieces, showing how a small, misguided horror sequel went from high aspirations of future stardom to a joke, and a tour of the film that sees an antagonistic director embarrassingly confront fans and the actors of the film. While these elements are intriguing, George Hardy becomes the star here as a legitimate funny character who gives some of the best observations about the film and its popularity.
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6
‘Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room’ (2005)
Magnolia Pictures
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room offers an investigation into the rise and dramatic fall of Enron, the once seventh-largest company in America. Founded by Kenneth Lay in 1985, the company’s rapid growth was a “house of cards” waiting to tumble, leading to its downfall in 2001. The documentary presents a chronological order of events.
A Shocking Corporate Disaster
Offering a comprehensive breakdown of one of the biggest scandals of the 2000s, Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room manages to use actual footage to create a gripping story of corporate corruption on a massive scale. At the same time, the documentary presents moral questions to the audience about the systematic failure of corporate America when driven by greed. The perfect blend of drama and hard facts about one of the biggest disasters in American history, Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room is still a fascinating watch decades after its release.
5
‘Jasper Mall’ (2020)
Jasper Mall
Release Date
January 24, 2020
Runtime
84 minutes
Director
Bradford Thomason
Producers
Ali Clark, Jeff Tullis, Mary Tullis, Bryant Saxon
Once a hub of the community in Jasper, Alabama, the Jasper Mall is in its final years, with the once-thriving space now down to a few holdouts. The documentary follows Mike McClelland, who acts as the manager, custodian, and security guard, dealing with the failure of the mall after two major outlets go under and are removed. At the same time, the movie captures various other characters who have made the mall a part of their lives.
The Slow Decay of Americana
It may seem peculiar to call a documentary that is heavy on vibes a disaster documentary. Still, Jasper Mall represents the end of an era, not just for a single mall but for an entire cultural shift seen across the US. Think of it as the relaxing fish tank of a disaster documentary. Those who find themselves engrossed in slice-of-life storytelling will see the somber moment offset by a slowly dying nostalgia for a complex once so key to a community. If you want sensationalism, give this one a skip, but its artistic merit and unique approach to exploring the deterioration of Americana are certainly worth checking out.
4
‘Perfect Bid’ (2017)
What happens when a beloved game show loses all credibility? While the story of a to-the-dollar correct guess is now largely forgotten, at the time, a contestant giving the perfect bid on The Price is Right threw the entire show into chaos. The documentary not only explores this awkward moment in television history as it unfolded, but it also goes over how it came to be and the behind-the-scenes fighting it caused among staff and fans.
Chaos on the set of ‘The Price Is Right’
Perfect Bid captures an interesting time in TV history where, for a moment, everything went into chaos. The legal battles behind the scenes, and the story of a man who could have won with his plan but had someone else use it, add a degree of salacious drama, which makes it an addictive watch. Those who also love behind-the-scenes stories of game shows will appreciate a look into the inner workings of one of America’s favorite game shows.
3
‘Holy Hell’ (2016)
Release Date
January 25, 2016
Runtime
100 minutes
Director
Will Allen
Holly Hell follows videographer Will Allen’s 22 years inside the Buddhafield cult led by its charismatic leader, Michel (also known as Andreas). Starting as a yoga and meditation retreat in California, Michel’s ever-growing paranoia and need for power slowly begin to corrupt the cult. As allegations of abuse started to arise, the cult began to implode.
Chronicling the Long but Inevitable Decline of a Cult
Documentaries about cults are their own little disaster pieces, and Holy Hell offers up what is one of the most personal and long accounts of life within a cult. The result is seeing the full scope of a cult from its beginnings to its inevitable decline under the insecurity of its leader as he tries to demand more and more control of his followers.
2
‘Super Size Me’ (2004)
Documentarian Morgan Spurlock conducts an experiment on his own body, eating nothing but McDonald’s for 30 days straight. Checking in with doctors and keeping track of his mood and vitals, Spurlock shows the horrifying effect on the body of a McDonald’s-only diet based on their 2000s menu and their push to “supersize” meal orders. At the same time, Spurlock explores how marketing has pushed many Americans into an unhealthy diet.
Controversial Documentary Worth Revisiting
At its release, Super Size Me was quite the phenomenon. Yet, with time, the doc has shown its age both in its approach of shock and scare tactics to drive home a point, as opposed to competently delivered information. Still, the documentary certainly captures a time and place, pushed for change in the fast food industry, and was quite the show to watch a man destroy his body to make a point.
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1
‘The Unbookables’ (2012)
The Unbookables
Release Date
January 19, 2012
Runtime
96 minutes
Director
Jeff Pearson
Producers
Doug Stanhope, Brian Hennigan, Mary Jones
Stand-up comedians James Inman, Andy Andrist, Sean Rouse, Brendon Walsh, Norm Wilkerson, Travis Lipski, Brett Erickson, and Kristine Levine are known as The Unbookables in this on-the-road documentary about a tour doomed from the start. The group suffers financial losses after getting banned from venues, gets ridiculously messed up, makes fools of themselves, gets into arguments, and constantly shocks audiences with their unhinged takes.
Life on the Road for Controversial Stand-up Comedians
Produced by The Road Dog and stand-up comedian Doug Stanhope, The Ubookables is not your regular trainwreck documentary, but it certainly fits the bill. Getting together some of the most controversial stand-ups of all time for a single tour is a recipe for disaster. The documentary soon becomes less about life on the road and more about strong personalities clashing with each other, audiences, and venues, coupled with some horrible behavior. Warning: explicit and extremely offensive content in this one.
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