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Monster: The Ed Gein Story is worth considering if you enjoy true-crime dramas or horror and can handle disturbing material. But it is not Netflix’s newest Monster season today: it is the anthology’s third installment, and the claim that it may be the “darkest chapter yet” is a reviewer’s judgment, not an established ranking.
What is Monster: The Ed Gein Story?
Netflix describes Monster: The Ed Gein Story as the third installment in Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan’s anthology. Set in 1950s rural Wisconsin, it follows Ed Gein, played by Charlie Hunnam, and his relationship with his mother, Augusta, played by Laurie Metcalf. Netflix lists eight episodes, all available on its service. Netflix Tudum’s official overview provides the series details.
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It is no longer accurate to call this the newest Monster season: Netflix has since announced a fourth installment, Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story.
What do the first two episodes cover?
In a review published October 3, 2025, Tom’s Guide says the first episode introduces Gein’s first killing and his troubled relationship with Augusta. Its account of episode two describes an obsession with Nazi memorabilia and household objects made from human remains, as well as the introduction of Adeline Watkins, played by Suzanna Son, and Alfred Hitchcock, played by Tom Hollander. These are the reviewer’s descriptions of the opening episodes, not a separately verified scene-by-scene synopsis.
#1 Best Overall
The review characterizes the material as intense, dark and uncomfortable. Its author says they watched the first two episodes and recommends the season conditionally to true-crime and horror fans. Read the October 3, 2025 Tom’s Guide review.
Is it really the darkest Monster season?
“Darkest chapter yet” is the review’s opinion, not a measured fact. The cited sources do not offer a systematic comparison of the anthology’s seasons or an objective scale for darkness. The reviewer’s rationale is the unsettling tone and the disturbing events and imagery described in the first two episodes.
Rank #2
- Factory sealed DVD
Any comparison with other installments depends on what a viewer finds most unsettling: the subject matter, the amount and kind of depicted violence, the psychological tone, or the balance between historical material and dramatization. The available sources do not establish which season ranks highest on those dimensions.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What to know before pressing play
- Choose it for: a dramatized true-crime story about Ed Gein, or horror with an unsettling tone.
- Consider your tolerance: the opening episodes are described by the reviewer as intense and uncomfortable, with disturbing subject matter.
- Keep the recommendation in context: Tom’s Guide’s recommendation is based on its author’s viewing of the first two episodes, not a claim that every viewer will respond the same way.
In discussing his portrayal, Charlie Hunnam told Netflix Tudum, “I wanted to get as close as possible to who Ed was, to do him justice, and for this thing to feel authentic.” That is Hunnam’s stated aim for the performance; it does not by itself establish how closely the dramatization matches historical events.
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Rank #3
- Factory sealed DVD
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