Biography
Joseph "Joe" Berlinger (born October 30, 1961) is an American documentary film-maker who, in collaboration with Bruce Sinofsky, has created such films as Paradise Lost about the West Memphis 3, Brother's Keeper, Some Kind of Monster, and Crude.
In collaboration with journalist Greg Milner, Berlinger has also written a book called Metallica: This Monster Lives, which is about his journey from making the poorly received Blair Witch 2 to creating Some Kind of Monster with Metallica, one of the world's most famous metal bands.
Berlinger has also worked in TV series such as Homicide: Life on the Street, D.C. and FanClub.
The first movie Berlinger directed, in 1992, was the documentary My Brother's Keeper, which tells the story of Delbart Ward, an elderly man in Munnsville, New York, who was charged with second-degree murder following the death of his brother William. Chicago Tribune film critic Roger Ebert, in his review of the movie, called it "an extraordinary documentary about what happened next, as a town banded together to stop what folks saw as a miscarriage of justice."
He graduated from Colgate University in 1983. He lives with his wife and daughters in New York.
Filmography
Cast Credits

Lust for Fear - True Crime Fascination
Character: Self
MOVIE • 2023

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile
Character: Colorado Jailhouse Reporter
MOVIE • 2019

Gray Matter
Character: Self
MOVIE • 2004

Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2
Character: Burkittsville Tourist
MOVIE • 2000

Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills
Character: Self (voice)
MOVIE • 1996
Crew
Crew Credits

Conversations with a Killer: The Son of Sam Tapes
Role: Director
TV • 2025

Conversations with a Killer: The Son of Sam Tapes
Role: Executive Producer
TV • 2025

Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders
Role: Executive Producer
TV • 2025

Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey
Role: Director
TV • 2024

Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey
Role: Executive Producer
TV • 2024

Hitler and the Nazis: Evil on Trial
Role: Executive Producer
TV • 2024

Hitler and the Nazis: Evil on Trial
Role: Director
TV • 2024

Crime Scene Berlin: Nightlife Killer
Role: Executive Producer
TV • 2024

Madoff: The Monster of Wall Street
Role: Director
TV • 2023

Madoff: The Monster of Wall Street
Role: Executive Producer
TV • 2023

Crime Scene: The Texas Killing Fields
Role: Executive Producer
TV • 2022

Conversations with a Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes
Role: Executive Producer
TV • 2022

Conversations with a Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes
Role: Director
TV • 2022

Conversations with a Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes
Role: Creator
TV • 2022

Shadowland
Role: Executive Producer
TV • 2022

Conversations with a Killer: The John Wayne Gacy Tapes
Role: Executive Producer
TV • 2022

Conversations with a Killer: The John Wayne Gacy Tapes
Role: Director
TV • 2022

Conversations with a Killer: The John Wayne Gacy Tapes
Role: Creator
TV • 2022

Crime Scene: The Times Square Killer
Role: Executive Producer
TV • 2021

Crime Scene: The Times Square Killer
Role: Director
TV • 2021