Netflix’s Monster: The Ed Gein Story has reignited interest in some of America’s most notorious true crime figures.
This third season is an eight-episode series that dramatizes the gruesome true story of Ed Gein, a US murderer, though it does take some artistic licenses for dramatic purposes.
Charlie Hunnam takes on the role of the killer in Monster: The Ed Gein Story, created by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan.
Gein, who committed murders in 1950s Wisconsin, is infamous for making furniture and clothing out of his victims’ skin. His horrific acts have inspired films such as The Silence of the Lambs and Psycho. Murphy was particularly drawn to Gein’s case due to his substantial influence on popular culture.
“He is probably one of the most influential people of the 20th century, and yet people don’t know that much about him,” Murphy told Netflix Tudum.
“He influenced the Boogeyman and Psycho. Norman Bates was based on him. He influenced The Silence of the Lambs.
“He influenced The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. He influenced American Psycho.”
Since its release on October 3, the series has dominated Netflix’s TV charts.
The show also pays homage to other infamous killers like Charles Manson, the BTK Killer Dennis Rader, Ted Bundy, Ed Kemper, and Richard Speck. Speck, known as the Birdman, infamously killed eight nursing students in Chicago’s South Deering neighborhood in 1966.
In the series, Speck is portrayed by Tobias Jelinek and makes an appearance in the final episode.
In the show, Speck is shown engaging in inappropriate activities for drugs while incarcerated. He also expresses admiration for Gein, even writing him fan letters and seeing him as a role model.
However, like several elements of the Monster series, this seems to be fictional. There’s no evidence that Speck ever contacted Gein or was inspired by him.
Speck considered himself an individualist, telling the Chicago Tribune in 1978: “Me, I’m not like [American gangster, John] Dillinger or anybody else. I’m freakish.”
This statement suggests he wouldn’t have been writing fan mail to Gein.
Yet, Murphy mentioned to Netflix Tudum: “There were many, many dark creatures in our world – Richard Speck, Ted Bundy – who were influenced and obsessed with Ed for all the wrong reasons.”
Speck passed away from a suspected heart attack in prison on December 5, 1991, just before turning 50.
Despite its popularity, Monster hasn’t been well-received by viewers. At the time of writing, it held a 19 percent rating from Rotten Tomatoes critics and a 55 percent audience score.
This is the third series in the Monster anthology, and it has received the lowest ratings. The first season, centered on Jeffrey Dahmer, received 57 percent from critics and 82 percent from audiences, while the second season, which focused on the Mendez Brothers, got 45 percent and 58 percent.
All three seasons of Monster are now available for streaming on Netflix.