Netflix's Evil Genius is a whole other kind of twisted: 5 basic pointers for anybody about to binge watch it

The true crime documentary called Evil Genius: The True Story of America’s Most Diabolical Bank Heist is divided into four parts guranteed to make into armchair detectives
UPDATED JAN 27, 2020
Moderator Simon Kilmurry, Writer/Director Barbara Schroeder and Co-Director/Executive Producer Trey Borzillieri (Source:Getty Images)
Moderator Simon Kilmurry, Writer/Director Barbara Schroeder and Co-Director/Executive Producer Trey Borzillieri (Source:Getty Images)

The one thing that makes suspense crime thrillers or horror flicks all the more interesting is them being based on true events. And along those lines, Netflix seems to have done it again. After Making a Murderer and the highly acclaimed documentary Wild, Wild Country, Netflix has now come up with ‘Evil Genius’ - a binge-worthy documentary that is sure to get one hooked and obsessed!

The true crime documentary is called Evil Genius: The True Story of America’s Most Diabolical Bank Heist and is divided into four parts - all of them equally intriguing. The plot dates back to August 28, 2003 when pizza delivery guy Brian Wells entered a PNC Bank in Erie, Pennsylvania, with a homemade bomb around his neck, and handed a teller a chilling note which demanded $250,000.

It was followed by a series of nightmarish plot changes so twisted that one is sure to cling on to the edge of their seats while watching it. The story has equal parts of death obsession and rejection, all ingredients needed to make up a person worthy of the title. For every enthusiast out there who's interested in devoting their time bingeing on the show, here are certain semi-spoiler-infused pointers they can keep in mind!

1. The homemade collar bomb lodged around Wells' neck was locked after he delivered two pizzas to 8631 Peach Street. Wells worked at Mama Mia's Pizza-Ria, where the call was placed as well. Post arriving at the bank and giving the teller the note, he walked out with around $9,000 in cash.

2. The heist was actually an impossible scavenger hunt. Wells was supposed to go to the neighboring McDonald's after the bank, and he found a second note there. But of course, the hunt couldn't be complete as the police arrived and confronted him. 

3. Fun fact (and massive spoiler too!): Wells had no clue that the bomb locked around his neck was an actual one. It started ticking while the police and TV cameras watched from a safe distance.

4. While the investigators struggled to find suspects, out of the blue, a man called Bill Rothstein called the cops and shared information about his ex-fiancée, Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong, hiding her current boyfriend's body in the freezer. 

5. While Bill wasn't convicted for the fate of either Marjorie's boyfriend or Brian Wells, Marjorie suffered the consequences of Bill tipping the cops off. At the same time, till date it hasn't been revealed if Brian Wells was actually a co-conspirator or just the hostage of a sick, twisted scavenger hunt. 

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