Monster: The Ed Gein Story review| Charlie Hunnam delivers a chilling transformation in compelling but unsettling watch
With Charlie Hunnam in the lead, the series attempts to move beyond the sensational headlines to offer a psychological portrait of how a man became a monster.
Creators: Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan
Cast: Charlie Hunnam, Laurie Metcalf, Tom Hollander, Olivia Williams
Rating: ★★★
Netflix’s Monster returns for its third season, this time turning the spotlight on Ed Gein, the notorious Wisconsin murderer whose crimes inspired some of the most enduring horror stories in cinema. English actor Charlie Hunnam leads the cast, with Laurie Metcalf playing his domineering mother, Augusta. From the trailers and early glimpses, this season promised to be the anthology’s darkest and most unsettling yet. It attempts to go beyond the sensational headlines to explore the psychological and cultural forces that shaped Ed, while also reflecting on the fascination society holds for real-life horror.
Set in 1950s rural Wisconsin, the series traces Ed’s isolated upbringing under a controlling mother, his lonely adulthood, and the shocking discoveries in his farmhouse that would later inspire horror icons like Psycho (1960) and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974). Rather than focusing solely on the crimes themselves, the narrative delves into his disturbed psyche, the consequences of isolation, and the suffocating influence of his mother, painting a portrait of a man both horrifying and, in certain ways, tragic.
The good
It lies in the performances and atmosphere. Charlie Hunnam disappears into the role, capturing Ed’s frailty and menace with an unsettling realism. Laurie brings depth to Ed's mother Augusta, making the mother-son dynamic both oppressive and compelling. The production design convincingly recreates 1950s Wisconsin, with the farmhouse itself becoming a character, and the slow, deliberate pacing heightens tension without relying solely on shock. The series also adds a layer of cultural reflection, acknowledging how Ed’s crimes seeped into popular imagination, shaping decades of horror storytelling.
The bad
{{/usCountry}}It lies in the performances and atmosphere. Charlie Hunnam disappears into the role, capturing Ed’s frailty and menace with an unsettling realism. Laurie brings depth to Ed's mother Augusta, making the mother-son dynamic both oppressive and compelling. The production design convincingly recreates 1950s Wisconsin, with the farmhouse itself becoming a character, and the slow, deliberate pacing heightens tension without relying solely on shock. The series also adds a layer of cultural reflection, acknowledging how Ed’s crimes seeped into popular imagination, shaping decades of horror storytelling.
The bad
{{/usCountry}}The not so good comes from the balance between horror and sensitivity. Some sequences are graphically intense, veering close to sensationalism. The victims remain largely in the background, which diminishes the gravity of their suffering. At times, the pacing feels weighed down, with middle episodes stretching the tension longer than necessary. The challenge of dramatizing real-life horror is ever-present, and while the series mostly handles it with care, a few moments risk undermining that effort.
The verdict
{{/usCountry}}The not so good comes from the balance between horror and sensitivity. Some sequences are graphically intense, veering close to sensationalism. The victims remain largely in the background, which diminishes the gravity of their suffering. At times, the pacing feels weighed down, with middle episodes stretching the tension longer than necessary. The challenge of dramatizing real-life horror is ever-present, and while the series mostly handles it with care, a few moments risk undermining that effort.
The verdict
{{/usCountry}}Overall, Monster: The Ed Gein Story is Netflix’s most haunting entry yet. It is disturbing, thought-provoking, and anchored by Hunnam’s career-defining performance. The season forces viewers to reckon with the question of what makes a monster, how trauma and isolation shape human behaviour, and how society mythologizes evil. For fans of true crime and psychological horror, it is a compelling, if unsettling, watch.
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