Netflix's 'Monster: Ed Gein Story' Reaches Number One Amid Disturbing True-Crime Popularity

The third season of Ryan Murphy's Netflix true crime anthology series, "Monster: The Ed Gein Story," has quickly risen to the number one spot on Netflix charts following its October 3 release. The eight-episode series, starring Charlie Hunnam as Ed Gein, dramatizes the life of the notorious Wisconsin serial killer and grave robber known as the "Butcher of Plainfield," whose crimes inspired iconic horror film villains. Viewers have described the show as "disturbing," "gruesome," and "sick and twisted," with some reporting nightmares after watching it. Hunnam's portrayal has been praised as a daring and masterful performance that humanizes the horror behind Gein's psychosis and obsession with his mother. The show depicts Gein's macabre acts, including exhuming corpses and creating objects from human remains, which deeply unsettled audiences but did not deter their fascination. Critics and fans alike acknowledge the series as a haunting masterpiece that blurs true crime with psychological horror.