---
title: "Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/aileen-life-and-death-of-a-serial-killer/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/aileen-life-and-death-of-a-serial-killer"
critics_score: 59
critics_reviews: 7
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer (2003): what the critics said

Critics' score 59 from 7 reviews: 2 positive, 3 mixed, 2 negative.

The reviews are mixed, with praise clustering around the disturbing interviews with Aileen Wuornos and the documentary’s scrutiny of the institutions surrounding her. Critics who respond favourably find the encounters chilling and sad, and value Broomfield’s attention to her troubled background, the media frenzy and the judicial system. Even some less persuaded reviews acknowledge the force of the interviews. The strongest shared response is to the unsettling material rather than agreement about how Broomfield handles it.

The spread is wide, and Broomfield’s methods are the main point of division. Slant Magazine sees the confused tone as appropriate to an account of truth distorted by media and justice. Variety finds the documentary less focused and cogent than its predecessor, despite the striking interviews. The AV Club raises a sharper ethical objection, finding the approach exploitative and the search for truth half-hearted. Reservations concern both clarity and the treatment of Wuornos.

## Slant Magazine — Ed Gonzalez

Rating 3.5/4. 5 January 2004. 

Gonzalez finds the documentary’s confused tone appropriate to its slippery account of truth. He praises Broomfield’s understanding of how truth is distorted by media and the judicial system.

[Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/aileen-life-and-death-of-a-serial-killer/)

## Empire — Kim Newman

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. 

Newman finds the documentary chilling, sobering and sad. He particularly praises its unsettling jail interviews and its account of Wuornos being deemed fit for execution.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/aileen-life-death-serial-killer-review/)

## The New York Times

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 9 January 2004. 

The page content is inaccessible, so the critic’s verdict and specific praise or complaint cannot be determined. The URL identifies a film review of the requested documentary.

[Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/09/movies/film-review-real-life-behind-monster-a-serial-killer-s-last-days.html)

## Time Out — TCh

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 

The page identifies this as a review of the documentary, but the review text is unavailable. Its metadata singles out Broomfield’s focus on Wuornos’s inadequate defense and the media frenzy around her case.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/aileen-life-and-death-of-a-serial-killer-1)

## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw

Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 21 November 2003. 

Bradshaw finds the film powerful, though its deadpan style weakens its force as an anti-death-penalty polemic. He singles out its disturbing portrait of Wuornos’s troubled background and the execution system.

[Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/News_Story/Critic_Review/Guardian_review/0,,1089482,00.html)

## Variety — Ronnie Scheib

Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 6 June 2003. Festival review. 

Scheib finds the documentary less focused and cogent than its predecessor, likely suited to a cable niche. The interviews with Aileen stand out, particularly her claims that radio waves control her mind.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/2003/film/reviews/aileen-life-and-death-of-a-serial-killer-1200541227/)

## The AV Club — Nathan Rabin

Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 5 January 2004. 

Rabin finds the documentary’s familiar joke still effective, but says it leaves a bitter aftertaste. He faults Broomfield’s exploitative approach and half-hearted search for the truth.

[Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/aileen-life-and-death-of-a-serial-killer-1798199194)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/aileen-life-and-death-of-a-serial-killer.md