Monster: Ed Gein Series Mixes Fact, Fiction

Netflix released Monster: The Ed Gein Story on Oct. 3 as the third season of Ryan Murphy’s true-crime anthology, with Charlie Hunnam starring as Ed Gein and the season produced and overseen by Murphy and Ian Brennan. The eight-episode series dramatizes Gein’s 1950s grave‑robbing, his two confirmed murders and the grotesque household artifacts found on his farm, and foregrounds his abusive, enmeshed relationship with his mother. It also incorporates clearly fictionalized elements, notably an embellished romance with a neighbor named Adeline and a dramatized fraternal killing, that depart from documented records. Hunnam says he underwent a deep physical and vocal transformation and described the production as craft-driven and unexpectedly joyous. Critics and analysts are split: many praise the show’s technical polish, performances and ambitious blending of timelines, while others argue Murphy and Brennan lean into stylization and sensationalism at the expense of historical fidelity and humane context. The release has reignited scrutiny over what is true versus dramatized in Gein’s case and renewed ethical debates about adapting real violent crimes for entertainment.