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Maternal Instinct

Play trailer Poster for Maternal Instinct 2026 1h 36m Documentary Crime Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 10 Reviews 81% Popcornmeter 50+ Ratings
A Texas state trooper pulls over a woman claiming she just gave birth, but an investigation exposes a criminal case.
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Maternal Instinct

Critics Reviews

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John Anderson Wall Street Journal Jun 12
Ms. Dimmock, by doling out Parker’s pathological lies and absurd deceptions in modest doses, accomplishes two strategic things -- momentum and controlled toxicity. Go to Full Review
Stephen Silver The SS Ben Hecht Jul 10
And now for the year’s most disturbing true-crime documentary... Go to Full Review
Carla Hay Culture Mix Jun 23
Maternal Instinct gives a basic overview instead of a comprehensive examination of the 2020 murders of Reagan Hancock and her unborn daughter Braxlynn. The documentary has many interviews but omits a lot details about Hancock, the killer, and the trial. Go to Full Review
Tatat Bunnag Bangkok Post Jun 23
Deeply harrowing and emotionally exhausting, it grabs hold of you from the very beginning and refuses to let go. Go to Full Review
Dustin Rowles Pajiba Jun 18
I was left absolutely gobsmacked. GOBSMACKED. Jaw-on-the-floor, what-the-absolute-hell-did-I-just-watch gobsmacked. Go to Full Review
Belen Prieto Espinof Jun 17
4/5
Maternal Instinct is one of those Netflix documentaries that starts out as simply another true crime film in the platform's already saturated catalog, but soon transforms into something far more disturbing. [Full review in Spanish] Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Gargantua P @Geulah26 Jul 13 I was on the edge of my seat. So well done, extremely well paced, so unbelievable, the testimonies so poignant. It raises so many questions about how easily people can delude themselves, en masse, or look the other way, or be too absorbed in their own lives and routines to realize the danger. I hope Wade recovers. He deserves a good person to share his life with. The documentary ignites again the phenomenon of demonic genius, and how psychopathy can seem normal. Mental illness is still a mystery. So is people's gullibility. Finally, the impossible question: could it have been prevented? See more dede W @RT37612585 Jul 12 Dangggg rip to reagan and her babygirl, omg i teared up when I saw this, all because she wanted her husband to say I love you 💔 See more Katy P @kkjays92 Jul 10 I truly hate that this was real. Because, it is an absolute tragedy! My heart goes out to the people involved. I really couldn't have imagined what happened. See more Dave K @BilboBagsy Jul 4 A really well put together documentary that has a surprising amount of first hand footage. There's a lot of Police body cam footage, interviews with the victims families and a fair bit of home video to support the film throughout. The story follows a prolific liar that constantly seems to change appearance throughout the documentary. As the story develops she goes to further and further extremes to try to cover them up. A resolution that ends in lies, deceit and one of the most horrific crimes that has ever resulted in a death row sentence. For those that are fans of completely unpredictable true crime this one's definitely for you. It's a strange, grizzly and at times almost unbelievable story. The web of lies and deceit being spun over such a short time, makes you wonder how she got away with it for as long as she did. The most insane thing though is her belief that she could get away with it. It's not a perfect documentary, but its weird story will keep you interested. 7 / 10 See more Kai C @RT12479574 Jul 2 Really good documentary with a crazy twist! See more Paulina R @RT37892359 Jul 1 The fact that Netflix posted it when you can clearly see absurd dogs. How could you even promote that? Animals abuse ? What is wrong with you people? Those dogs that guy Wade owns are in a horrible condition. This needs to be reported See more Read all reviews
Maternal Instinct

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Movie Info

Synopsis A Texas state trooper pulls over a woman claiming she just gave birth, but an investigation exposes a criminal case.
Director
Jessica Dimmock
Producer
Joshua Levine, Jon Bardin
Distributor
Netflix
Genre
Documentary, Crime
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Jun 12, 2026
Runtime
1h 36m