- Following Ryan Murphy's Dahmer and the Menendez brothers series, Charlie Hunnam stars as the notorious murderer whose crimes inspired Psycho, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and The Silence of the Lambs.
- Set in 1950s Wisconsin, the series explores his obsession with his mother, macabre rituals, and the horrifying discoveries that turned him into the blueprint for modern horror.
- The star-studded cast includes Laurie Metcalf as Augusta Gein, Suzanna Son as Adeline Watkins, Vicky Krieps as Ilse Koch, Tom Hollander as Alfred Hitchcock, Joey Pollari as Anthony Perkins, plus cameos like Addison Rae as Evelyn Hartley.
What do The Silence of the Lambs, Psycho, and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre all have in common? You might be too scared to watch them. Well that, and, all three iconic horror films are based on the same person, Ed Gein, who is the latest subject of Ryan Murphy’s hit Monster series, on Netflix.
The series debuted in 2022 with Evan Peters portraying serial cannibal Jeffrey Dahmer, a role that earned him his Emmy award. The sophomore season revisited the story of Erik and Lyle Menendez, brothers who killed their parents in 1989. For his third act, Murphy and his creative partner Ian Brennan recruited Sons of Anarchy alum Charlie Hunnam to play Ed Gein, “the godfather of all serial killers.” (There’s a fourth season in the works starring Ella Beatty as Lizzie Borden, but we’ll get there…later.)
Monster: The Ed Gein Story takes place in the bleak farmlands of 1950s Wisconsin and follows, well, Ed Gein. Gein is a quiet, seemingly harmless loner who spends his days tending to his crumbling homestead, concealing horrors that would soon make headlines and history.
Behind closed doors lay a grotesque shrine to obsession, born from years of isolation, mental collapse, and a fixation on his domineering mother. When his crimes came to light, America confronted not just a killer, but a new archetype of terror. Gein’s twisted legacy seeped into Hollywood, inspiring the creation of Norman Bates, Leatherface, and Buffalo Bill, fictional nightmares that carried his imprint for generations.
The stellar new cast includes a cameo from Addison Rae as Evelyn Hartley, an American teenager who mysteriously disappeared in 1953; but who else will be featured in the eight-episode limited series? Let’s decode the callsheet.
Charlie Hunnam as Ed Gein
Charlie Hunnam is best known for what was—Sons of Anarchy from 2008 to 2014—and what almost was—his near casting as the lead in 50 Shades of Grey. In Monster, he plays the titular Ed Gein, an infamous murderer and grave robber who struck in 1950s Wisconsin. As for his lore, he collected body parts to create furniture, clothing, masks, and other macabre household items. Upon his arrest, authorities discovered human skin lampshades, bowls made from skulls, and a “woman suit” fashioned from body parts.
Laurie Metcalf as Augusta Gein
Living icon Laurie Metcalf is back to do what she does best, play a mom. Ladybird fans know. In Monster, she plays Ed Gein’s mother Augusta. It’s a complex relationship, so it’s not not Ladybird. Augusta Gein was ultra-religious, and was said to instill a fear of women and sex in Ed, which obviously served him well. Spoiler alert: she passed away in 1945, and her death is said to have sparked Ed’s descent into madness.
Suzanna Son as Adeline Watkins
Red Rocket and The Idol breakout Suzanna Son plays Adeline Watkins, a woman who reported a decades-long relationship with Gein following his arrest. Later, the story was found to have inaccuracies and no one could claim the legitimacy of this love affair, but it’ll make the show more interesting. We’ll take it.
Vicky Krieps as Ilse Koch
Phantom Thread star Vicky Krieps brings another hue of evil to the Monster universe, portraying the wife of a Nazi commandant who is said to have inspired Ed Gein’s human-skin lampshade making. Following WWII, Ilse Koch was sentenced to life in prison for crimes against humanity, serving just four years.
Tom Hollander as Alfred Hitchcock
The White Lotus legend Tom Hollander will don a fat suit and bald cap to play Alfred Hitchcock, who in 1960 adapted the novel Psycho into one of the most famous films of all time. The book was written in 1959 by Robert Bloch and heavily inspired by Ed Gein’s story. Alfred's screenwriter wife Alma Reville will also appear on the show, played by Olivia Williams.
Joey Pollari as Anthony Perkins
Along those lines, Joey Pollari will play Anthony Perkins, the actor who starred as Norman Bates in Hitchcock’s adaptation of Psycho. Can anyone say legacy?
Additional cast members include Tyler Jacob Moore and Charlie Hall as the investigators who nailed Ed Gein, Lesley Manville as Gein's final victim, Bernice Worden.
