Netflix’s next Monster for the true crime anthology series was the inspiration for villains in horror hits Psycho and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre – and I’m already terrified

Ryan Murphy selects his next killer

News By Rowan Davies published 19 September 2024

Just as the second season of Ryan Murphy’s Monster anthology series – Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story – arrives on Netflix today (September 19), we already have news on what notorious murderer the third installment of one of the best Netflix series will take on next, as well as who will play them. 

Following season two’s reimagining of the infamous Lyle and Erik Menendez story, Murphy announced at the Los Angeles season premiere that killer and body snatcher Ed Gein will be the center of the next season's plot. If you're not familiar with Gein, he's known as the Butcher of Plainfield and served as the inspiration for iconic horror villains in some of the best horror movies Psycho (1960), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), and Silence of the Lambs (1991).  

Following the footsteps of Evan Peters who portrayed Jeffrey Dahmer in the show’s record-breaking first season will be Charlie Hunnam (Sons of Anarchy, Rebel Moon), who’s lined up to play Gein with production set to commence next month. Netflix has yet to unveil more information about the next installment, however, we can imagine that the story will follow Gein’s series of heinous crimes between 1947-1957.

When the show’s first season – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story – premiered on the best streaming service in 2022, it became an immediate hit and, to this day, is the service’s third most-watched show ever. After a two-year gap, its second season, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, arrives on the platform today (September 19) and focuses on the brothers who were convicted in 1996 for murdering their parents, which is still a highly researched and followed case among true crime fans today.  

You can watch the full trailer for Netflix's Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story below. 

Who is Ed Gein in Netflix’s Monster anthology series?  

MONSTERS: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story | Official Trailer #2 | Netflix - YouTube

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Ed Gein’s name may not ring a bell for most, but lovers of horror movies will have definitely come face-to-face with iconic characters inspired by the body snatcher himself. Gein's crimes spanned a 10-year period during the late 40s and early 50s, including two confirmed murders, seven suspected, and nine corpses mutilated, which he robbed from graves. 

Following his conviction in 1957, Gein was diagnosed with schizophrenia and committed to Central State Hospital in Waupun, Wisconsin, where he remained until his death in 1984. His crimes have since become inspiration for the creation of horror movie villains and their notorious crimes, most notably Leatherface and Buffalo Bill who conduct similar mutilation procedures. 

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