Netflix viewers have been left horrified by its ‘most disturbing’ film yet.
There are plenty of dark movies and TV shows on the streaming platform, however, some go under the radar.
One such film is all the more horrifying due to the fact it’s based on a horrific true story.
Fans and critics react
The TV movie, directed by Alex Kalymnios, stars Orange Is the New Black star Taryn Manning, The Closer‘s Raymond Cruz, and Justice League’s Joe Morton.
Originally released on Lifetime in 2015, the film has found a new audience after landing on Netflix US, where it’s been shocking viewers who stumble upon it.
After learning the film is based on a true story, people have taken to social media to share how much it horrified them.
“One of the most disturbing things I’ve ever watched,” one viewer commented.
Another added: “Watching this and I’m currently deeply disturbed.”
“It is so scary and stomach-churning,” a third wrote, while another said: “The movie is so graphic and horrifying to watch.”
Somebody else penned: “That has to be one of the most heartbreaking, gut-wrenching stories I’ve ever heard of.”
The haunting nature of the film stems from its uncomfortable proximity to reality; these events happened in an ordinary residential street in Cleveland, where neighbors lived their daily lives just doors away from unimaginable horror.
Disturbing timeline of events
The drama’s description reads: “Abducted and held captive for 11 years by Ariel Castro, three women form an unlikely bond due to their shared trauma before they are rescued.”
Between 2002 and 2004, Michelle Knight, Amanda Berry, and Gina DeJesus were kidnapped by Castro and held captive at his home in Tremont, a neighborhood in Cleveland, Ohio.
Michelle Knight, then 21, was taken captive in August 2002.
Just eight months later, in April 2003, 16-year-old Amanda Berry called her sister to say she was taking a ride home from her shift at a Burger King restaurant – it was the day before her 17th birthday. She wouldn’t be seen again for a decade, The Guardian reports.
Almost exactly a year after Berry went missing, 14-year-old Gina DeJesus vanished on her way home from Wilbur Wright Middle School on April 2, 2004.
All three remained imprisoned at the house until May 2013, when Berry successfully escaped after managing to make contact with Castro’s neighbor, Charles Ramsey, who heard her screaming and helped break down part of the door.
In a now-famous 911 call, Berry told the operator: “Help me, I’m Amanda Berry. I’ve been kidnapped, and I’ve been missing for 10 years. And I’m here. I’m free now,” per The Guardian.
Knight, DeJesus, and Berry’s six-year-old daughter, whom she gave birth to while captive, was then freed. Castro was arrested at a nearby McDonald’s.
During the case, details of the horrendous abuse the trio had faced came to light.
Records showed that all three women had been regularly r***d by Castro and kept in locked rooms.
According to the sentencing memorandum, Castro used ‘a program of prolonged physical, s**ual, and psychological violence’ to ensure that the women remained ‘in a state of powerlessness.’
Castro would be sentenced to life imprisonment, plus 1,000 years in prison without the possibility of parole after pleading guilty to 937 criminal counts of r***, kidnapping, and aggravated murder.
At his sentencing, he claimed he suffered from addictions, stating: “I’m not a monster. I’m sick.”
Just one month into his sentence, the 53-year-old took his own life.
According to a report on Castro’s death, he penned a note saying that those who confessed with their heart ‘will be saved.’
Where are the victims now?
Since their rescue, the three women have gone their separate ways and continue to heal from the decade-long trauma, People reports.
Michelle Knight, who now goes by the name Lily Rose Lee, released two memoirs about her experience and recovery.
She married Miguel Rodriguez on May 6, 2016, the third anniversary of her freedom. She has since traveled the globe as a public speaker and launched her foundation Lily’s Ray of Hope, supporting women and girls who are victims of domestic violence, human trafficking and child abuse.
Knight has also been involved with fostering rescue animals and founded Unleashed Animal Rescue.
Amanda Berry has turned her attention to spotlighting missing people in Northeast Ohio. She started hosting a daily news segment on Cleveland’s Fox 8, focusing on missing persons cases.
She partnered with DeJesus in 2015 to write ‘Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland.’
Berry is also raising the daughter she delivered while inside Castro’s home, who celebrated her 16th birthday in 2023. Berry has found love and focuses on providing normalcy for her daughter.
Gina DeJesus, the youngest of the group, has been quietly enjoying life with her tight-knit family in the suburbs of Cleveland.
She joined forces with the Northeast Ohio Amber Alert Committee and in 2018 launched the nonprofit Cleveland Family Center for Missing Children and Adults to help families left waiting after loved ones have been abducted.
The center has been successful in helping families with missing children, working with 58 families in 2022. DeJesus and her family also travel around the country to train law enforcement on how to engage with the families of those missing.
How accurate is the movie?
The film was adapted directly from Knight’s memoir, ‘Finding Me: A Decade of Darkness, a Life Reclaimed,’ lending it a strong foundation of authenticity.
The real names of Castro’s victims are all used in the production, adding to its documentary-like feel.
The movie depicts the horrifying reality of how three young women could be imprisoned and remain undetected in a residential street just minutes from the center of one of America’s most populated cities.
It shows the double life Castro lived for so long, neighbors described barbecuing with him, listening to salsa music, and seeing him as a friendly school bus driver and talented bass musician.
The film also addresses the missed opportunities by the police.
In January 2004, officers visited Castro’s house to investigate an incident where he’d left a young boy abandoned on his school bus during a lunch break, but left when no one answered the door.
Neighbors reported hearing screams, with one calling police about three years before the rescue, but nothing came of these calls.
Film includes ‘deeply disturbing’ scenes
The gritty kidnapping movie revolves around the three women who were taken from the streets of Cleveland and held captive by Castro in his basement.
The film doesn’t shy away from depicting the horrific conditions the women endured—being locked in dark rooms, chained to walls, and treated as prisoners.
Viewers have been particularly shaken by how Cleveland Abduction portrays the psychological violence alongside the physical abuse.
The movie shows how Castro maintained control through fear and isolation, keeping the women in a state of powerlessness for over a decade.
The most haunting aspect for many viewers is knowing that every disturbing scene represents real events that actually happened to three innocent women, making it almost unbearable to watch at times.