Love is a potent, often-maddening elixir. Countless misguided individuals have acted irrationally under the guise of romance, but could love’s hypnotic trance really drive someone to commit an unthinkably heinous double murder? That’s one of the many questions at the center of the 2016 true-crime documentary Killing For Love.

Now streaming on Hulu, the film follows the peculiar 1985 double murder of Derek and Nancy Haysom and the ensuing media frenzy surrounding this gruesome act of violence. Before Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan became household names or the country was riveted by the O.J. Simpson trial, the world was introduced to Elizabeth Haysom and Jens Söring. At first glance, their relationship seemed ordinary. Elizabeth was a highly-intelligent woman from a wealthy Virginia family, and Jens was the son of a German diplomat.

Eventually, their passionate romance would be at the center of the first criminal trial to be broadcast nationwide on American television, as the two would be convicted of the murder of Elizabeth’s parents. The most absorbing true-crime documentaries are steeped in ambiguity, and few films do a better job of making you second-guess yourself than Killing For Love.

It’s difficult to discuss what makes Marcus Vetter and Karin Steinberger’s film so uniquely gripping without giving away the story. The less you know going into Killing For Love the better. The bare-bones synopsis of the mystery comes down to a case of he said/she said between Elizabeth and Jens. Elizabeth asserts that while she instigated the crime, Jens was the man behind the slayings. To some, this seems reasonable. Elizabeth had claimed years of abuse at the hands of her mother and Söring initially confessed to the murders — a confession Jens claims was born out of the desire to protect Elizabeth and because he believed he’d have diplomatic immunity.

Jens Söring, who through an extensive interview provides the narrative backbone of Killing For Love, denies responsibility. Both Jens and Elizabeth have credibility issues, each have reason to sway the court of public opinion, and both are highly intelligent individuals capable of deceit and manipulation.

It’s the true-crime documentary trifecta.

The film is a true cinematic journey that poses questions about the supposed sanctity of our judicial system, institutional corruption, romantic obsession, and mental illness. You don’t so much watch Killing For Love as you completely absorb it. It’s the type of documentary you need to pause, open up Google, and then type, “Wait, did this really happen?”

If you’re a fan of Making a Murderer, Serial, or Evil Genius, Killing For Love is your next true-crime obsession.

Where to stream Killing For Love