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‘Monster: The Ed Gein Story’ draws heat ahead of premiere after Charlie Hunnam's controversial comments

Netflix is once again under fire as ‘Monster’ draws backlash for seemingly romanticizing one of America’s most disturbing criminals

Ryan Murphy’s ‘Monster’ franchise has made headlines since its inception, and it seems lightning is striking once again. The next chilling chapter, ‘Monster: The Ed Gein Story,’ is set to premiere on Netflix on October 3. But days ahead of its release, the show is already engulfed in fierce backlash. The controversy began when Netflix dropped the trailer earlier this September. What was meant to be a haunting preview of the anthology’s latest installment instead provoked immediate outcry. Charlie Hunnam, stepping into the role of Wisconsin’s most infamous murderer, is shown in scenes that many viewers described as unnecessarily stylized and provocative.

In one particularly disturbing clip, Hunnam appears shirtless, caressing a corpse in a dimly lit room. Critics argue that such imagery risks s*xualizing or even romanticizing Gein, a man remembered not just for murder but for grave robbery, necrophilia, and crafting household objects from human remains. The criticism only escalated after Hunnam’s sit-down with Variety. Asked about the challenge of embodying such a notorious figure, Hunnam described Gein as “one of the more gentle monsters.” “Because as despicable as Ed was in his acts,” he explained, “I wanted to find the human in there.” For critics, that framing felt like an attempt to soften the grotesque nature of Gein’s crimes.

Ed Gein’s story is the stuff of nightmares. Arrested in 1957, he was linked to the murders of at least two women, Bernice Worden and Mary Hogan. But the horror did not end there. When police entered his Plainfield, Wisconsin, farmhouse, they uncovered a macabre collection of human remains: skulls repurposed as bowls, masks stitched from skin, and furniture made of bones. Investigators also uncovered evidence of grave robbing and necrophilia, as per NGN. The grotesque details stunned the nation. Gein’s life and crimes became the direct or indirect blueprint for some of the most chilling villains in cinematic history, inspiring Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Psycho,’ Leatherface in ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,’ and Buffalo Bill in ‘The Silence of the Lambs.’

To this day, his name is synonymous with the darkest corners of true crime lore. The heart of the controversy around ‘Monster: The Ed Gein Story’ lies in the uneasy balance between entertainment and exploitation. Netflix has marketed the show as both a character study and a commentary on society’s fixation with notorious criminals. Yet the moment Hunnam appeared half-clothed in the trailer, many viewers felt the project had tipped into glamorization. For Netflix, the stakes are high. The streaming giant has leaned heavily on the ‘Monster’ brand since ‘Dahmer’ became one of its most-watched series in 2022.

The anthology has proven both lucrative and divisive, drawing record viewership while also igniting ethical debates. For Murphy, the controversy may be familiar territory. Known for pushing boundaries in projects like ‘American Horror Story’ and ‘Pose,’ he has built a career on sparking conversation as much as on telling stories. As October 3 approaches, the cultural battle lines around ‘Monster: The Ed Gein Story’ are already drawn. To some, the show is an unflinching examination of America’s true crime obsession; to others, it is a tasteless reanimation of real-world suffering. What cannot be denied is that the series has already succeeded in its first aim: getting people talking.