Netflix is set to unleash one of its most chilling instalments yet with Monster: The Ed Gein Story, premiering on October 3. The series revisits the true story of one of America’s most infamous figures, Ed Gein, whose crimes in 1950s Wisconsin became the blueprint for horror cinema as we know it.
On the surface, Gein appeared to be a quiet and mild-mannered recluse, living on a rundown farm in the frozen countryside. Behind closed doors, however, he constructed a grotesque world that would shock the nation. Obsessed with his mother and driven by psychosis and loneliness, Gein committed acts that would inspire some of the greatest nightmares in popular culture. From Psycho to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre to The Silence of the Lambs, his grim legacy can be traced across decades of storytelling.
The series is part of Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan’s acclaimed anthology, following their previous successes in exploring the dark corners of true crime. This third chapter promises to be the most harrowing yet, asking audiences to confront an unsettling truth: monsters are not born, they are made by the worlds that shape them.
Starring Charlie Hunnam, Tom Hollander, Laurie Metcalf and Suzanna Son, the production brings together an impressive creative team. Murphy and Brennan return as creators and executive producers alongside Max Winkler, Eric Kovtun, Scott Robertson, Nissa Diederich, Louise Shore and Carl Franklin. Episodes are directed by Ian Brennan and Max Winkler, with writing by Brennan.
Monster: The Ed Gein Story is not only a character study of a man whose crimes remain among the most disturbing in history, but also a reflection on society’s fascination with evil. Audiences are invited to look closer, even if they cannot look away.
Streaming begins October 3, only on Netflix.
