The Mortician: HBO’s Chilling True Crime Docuseries
The Mortician, a gripping three-part documentary series, premiered on HBO on June 1, 2025. Directed by Joshua Rofé, the series delves into the unsettling story of David Sconce, a former funeral home operator in Pasadena, California, who betrayed public trust by exploiting families and the deceased to maximize profits.
In the 1980s, Sconce took over the family-run Lamb Funeral Home and engaged in disturbing practices, including mutilating corpses, conducting mass cremations at $55 per body, and orchestrating attacks on rival morticians. In 1989, he was sentenced to five years in prison for these crimes but was later released. In 2013, he was sentenced to 25 years to life after violating lifetime probation, and he was released on parole in 2023.
The series features interviews with Sconce, journalists, and victims of his actions, providing a chilling look into the dark underbelly of the funeral industry. Critics have noted that while the documentary offers insight into Sconce’s crimes, it sometimes falls short of delivering the depth expected from such a compelling story.
The Mortician is available for streaming on HBO Max, offering viewers a haunting exploration of greed, deception, and the exploitation of the dead.
