Netflix will premiere the third season of Monster, the Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan anthology series about infamous killers, on October 3. The new installment centers on Ed Gein, the killer whose crimes and persona left a lasting imprint on modern horror.
Gein, known as the Butcher of Plainfield and the Plainfield Ghoul, drew national attention in the late 1950s after police uncovered his disturbing graveyard desecrations and the creation of keepsakes from human skin and bones, including lampshades and chairs. He confessed to killings of two women, Mary Hogan and Bernice Worden. Though Worden’s murder led to a conviction, Gein was found legally insane and committed to a psychiatric institution. He died of lung cancer in 1984.
Gein’s real menace extended beyond his crimes; his macabre memorabilia helped shape cinema. His fixation on his mother inspired Robert Bloch’s 1959 novel Psycho, which Alfred Hitchcock adapted into a groundbreaking horror film. Gein’s story and Psycho’s influence rippled through genre classics such as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Silence of the Lambs.
Monster: The Ed Gein Story, as the Netflix press release notes, “reimagines how monsters aren’t born; they’re made by us.” The season stars Charlie Hunnam as Gein, joined by Tom Hollander as Alfred Hitchcock, Laurie Metcalf as Augusta Gein, and Suzanna Son, with additional cast members including Vicky Krieps, Olivia Williams, Lesley Manville, Joey Pollari, Charlie Hall, Tyler Jacob Moore, Mimi Kennedy, Will Brill and Robin Weigert.
Murphy and Brennan again executive produce, with Max Winkler, Eric Kovtun, Scott Robertson, Nissa Diederich, Louise Shore, Carl Franklin and Hunnam also serving as executive producers. Brennan directs episodes 3 and 4, while Winkler directs the first two episodes and the remaining four. Brennan also writes the series.
The new season, Monster: The Ed Gein Story, premieres October 3 on Netflix. It continues Murphy and Brennan’s exploration of how culture shapes who we fear and how those fears become art.
Summary: Netflix’s Monster returns with a focus on Ed Gein, featuring a high-profile cast and a creative team led by Murphy and Brennan, and explores how monstrous acts are shaped by broader cultural forces.