Stream It Or Skip It: ‘I Am A Stalker’ On Netflix, A Docuseries Where Stalkers And Their Victims Are Interviewed

Similar to the true crime docuseries I Am A Killer, the producers of the docuseries I Am A Stalker interview people who have been convicted of stalking, then also talk to some of their victims, police and domestic violence experts. What the show reinforces is that stalking is more likely a domestic violence crime than a case of random people going after random people.

I AM A STALKER: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: Scenes of razor wire and a guard tower outside a prison. “I’ve never looked up the definition of stalking, but the law states two or more unwanted contacts,” says convicted stalker and murderer Daniel Thompson.

The Gist: The case of Daniel Thompson, who is serving a life sentence (which is actually only 30 years in Missouri, where he was convicted, and he’s eligible for parole) for 2nd degree murder, is like most of the cases the series examines. It’s not a case of a random person becoming obsessed with and stalking some other random person; these are DV cases, where the stalker and the victim had a previous relationship.

When Thompson’s marriage to his wife Angie fell apart, due to his controlling nature and violent tendencies, he kept going after her, despite a restraining order. In his mind he was trying to salvage the marriage, but his actions indicated that he was angry and couldn’t control his impulses. When he breaks into the house Angie moved into after going to a DV shelter with their kids and steals a butcher knife, he gets caught and is convicted for burglary — despite his intention to kill Angie.

He serves seven years then starts the pattern all over again with a new girlfriend, for which he amazingly gets probation. Then with another woman he dated, he goes to her house to kill her and stabs a man named James Vail to death. Vail’s mother Bonnie recounts how she looked into Thompson and shows a repeated pattern of threats and violent behavior that seemed to be under-punished by the state.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? As we stated above, I Am A Stalker is a sequel series of sorts to I Am A Killer, and the episodes of each are similarly formatted.

Our Take: Like its cousin show, I Am A Stalker is fascinating because of the extensive interview with the person convicted of the crime. In the case of Thompson, his interview showed a pretty intelligent man who at turns seemed delusional and narcissistic and at others seemed remorseful and regretful. It’s always riveting when you hear what’s roiling in the mind of people who have committed such unthinkable acts.

But it’s also good that director Alanna McVerry balanced Thompson’s skewered perspective with the perspective of at least one of his victims, plus the mother of the man he murdered. It shows that victims of stalking have to deal with a law enforcement infrastructure that isn’t equipped to handle stalking and threats unless something concrete happens along with it, like an assault or burglary or, heaven forbid, a murder.

It’s definitely a series that needs to be taken in small chunks, as a binge would feel like an overload of evil to us. But it’s worth watching, despite a bit of an oversimplification of the timeline of these criminals’ acts.

Sex and Skin: None.

Parting Shot: Angie tells the director that “There’s a pattern. And that pattern hasn’t been broken.”

Sleeper Star: There isn’t really a sleeper star, but we’ll use this space to mention that if there is ever a film about the Thompson case, we think Rob Huebel would be perfect to play him.

Most Pilot-y Line: Can we put an end to the true crime docuseries cliché of showing cops driving in their first scenes? Here, an active cop involved in the Thompson case is driving his patrol car, and a retired cop is driving his pickup truck.

Our Call: STREAM IT. I Am A Stalker works because we get to hear from the stalkers. Their perspectives are harrowing to say the least.

Joel Keller (@joelkeller) writes about food, entertainment, parenting and tech, but he doesn’t kid himself: he’s a TV junkie. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, RollingStone.com, VanityFair.com, Fast Company and elsewhere.