Netflix tip: De slechtste huisgenoot ooit

Lately, Netflix has been doing really well in the true crime department, but it is also increasingly venturing into the bizarre corner. You won't hear me complaining about that, because it can't be bizarre enough for me. And that's why I think this is another huge recommendation: The Worst Roommate Ever is online with a whole season, and after this, you'll never complain about your dirty student house again.

Because I think almost everyone has had a roommate they didn't quite click with. Well, it can always be worse. It could have been Dorothea Puente you ended up living with, and then the chances are high that you wouldn't be able to tell the tale anymore. This woman looked like a sweet old lady at first glance, but appearances can be deceiving: she was completely insane, and her roommates in the American city of Sacramento paid the price.

And this Dorothea was quite cunning, you know. She only took in people with mental health issues and/or drug addictions, and then she would drug these new roommates and take all their valuable belongings. Is that the worst part? Not at all: she is estimated to have murdered between nine and fifteen roommates. Meine gute.

One of those roommates was Bert, who ended up with Dorothea through a care worker. He was an American man of Mexican descent who suffered from schizophrenia. Dorothea solemnly promised his caregivers to keep a close eye on him. Well... That indeed turned out a bit differently.

What makes this docuseries interesting is that there is a lot of original footage from the time Bert lived with her. So you see Bert appearing, but also other roommates who lived there at that time. I always find that a bit grimmer and scarier, those home videos.

Eventually, Dorothea was arrested in 1988, and this was while there had already been suspicions six years earlier that things at home were not quite kosher. Also notable: she turned out to be about fifteen years younger than she claimed. An older age would work better in her role as a sweet, helpful grandma. Another bizarre story, thanks Netflix. We have something to look forward to again.