Before Netflix’s documentary about the Long Island Serial killer was released, a dramatized film, Lost Girls, was made with the help of the victims’ families. Both cover the real-life story of Mari Gilbert and her fight to find out what happened to her missing daughter, Shannan. While searching the Gilgo Beach area for Shannan, the remains of four women, now known as The Gilgo Four, were found. This sparked a major search of the area and the discovery that a serial killer was on the loose, hunting Sєx workers in and around Long Island.

Gone Girls: The Long Island Serial Killer is a three-part factual documentary that covers the timeline of the Long Island Serial Killer and the events that led up to the arrest of the prime suspect, Rex Heuermann. Lost Girls takes a very different approach. As Heuermann has not yet faced trial and was not a suspect when Lost Girls was released, Gone Girls currently contains the most up-to-date information about the brutal killings and its prime suspect. That said, it is essential to watch Lost Girls too, as a companion piece to Gone Girls.

Lost Girls Is A Must-Watch Companion Piece To Gone Girls

Lost Girls Is A Dramatization Of True Events

Both Lost Girls and Gone Girls focus on different aspects of the Long Island Serial Killer case, and with Gone Girls being more recent, there is a significant focus on the killer and his arrest. Instead, Lost Girls spends more time on the mystery and the women at the heart of it, especially Shannan. Lost Girls adapts the story of Mari Gibert (played by Amy Ryan) as she fights for Shannan’s disappearance to be taken seriously by the police. As this is only the start of the story told in Gone Girls, both are a must-watch for the full story.

Gone Girls is a factual coverage of true events, while some of the scenes from Lost Girls have been dramatized. Although this means that certain moments and developments did not happen exactly as they were portrayed, the movie captures the emotion and spirit of Mari’s turmoil. Lost Girls has some excellent quotes that represent the bias and prejudice shown during the investigation. The Long Island Serial Killer mostly preyed on Sєx workers, who were rarely taken seriously, leading to Mari saying in frustration, “It’s all men this, Men that. The girls are just prosтιтutes, hookers, Sєx workers…“

Why Gone Girls Was Made When Lost Girls Already Existed

Lost Girls Presents The Mystery To Audiences, While Gone Girls Continues The Story

The ending of Lost Girls presents one main fictional suspect as the Long Island Serial Killer, but based on real-life details in the case, suggests that he may have been working with another person. However, Lost Girls was released in 2020, before Rex Heuermann was arrested for the killings, so the Lost Girls ending has become an imagining rather than a true story. Now that a suspect has been arrested and charged with the murders of seven of the women found in the area, the case needed an update. This is why Gone Girls was made.

Lost Girls has a 72% positive approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and it is an essential movie to watch to get more insight into the Long Island Serial Killer case, along with Netflix’s Gone Girls. Both productions cover perspectives that need to be told. Many true-crime shows cover the catching of the killer, as Gone Girls did with Rex Heuermann and his upcoming trial while giving less time to the families of the victims. Lost Girls puts the focus on Mari Gilbert and her fight for justice, while Gone Girls continues the story.