Netflix fans shocked over 'sadistic' crime series but praise 'eerie casting'

Netflix has released the trailer for what is being called one of the most "gruesome" true crime dramas yet. The streamer teased fans on Saturday when they dropped the first look at Monster: The Ed Gein Story, which will follow on from previous series The Jeffrey Dahmer Story and The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, both of which documented the lives of infamous serial killers and were developed by Glee creator Ryan Murphy.

This time, Monster will delve into the story of Ed Geins, who murdered two confirmed victims in the 1940s and 1950s. The killer is also suspected to have murdered seven more, and is also known to have mutilated nine corpses, which were obtained from desecrated graves.

Netflix shared of the upcoming series: "You know the iconic horror films his twisted legacy inspired, but you may not know his name… yet. This October, Ryan Murphy’s Monster Anthology Series returns with its third – and darkest – season yet."

READ MORE: Netflix viewers left shocked and 'confused' by 'crazy' Love Con Revenge

READ MORE: Netflix Wednesday’s 7 biggest questions as fans wait for season 3

Upon seeing the trailer, fans were quick to point out the 'sadistic' nature of the whole thing, but admitted that they 'couldn't wait' to sit down and watch it all.

One fan wrote on YouTube: "Truly one of those gruesome stories that stick with you. I’ll never forget when I first learned about Ed Gein. It’s hard to believe the human mind is even capable of conjuring up such dark and sadistic practices. Really can’t wait for this! I’m sure I’ll be unsettled for weeks after watching it though."

Another said: "He's always fascinated me. Of course in a wrong way. I mean, like... what a character you must be to push the boundaries of horror and pop culture to such an extent and be the inspiration behind dozens of horror classics in movie, book and music format! The one and only Ed Gein!"

The Monster series is no stranger to casting A-Listers in its leading roles, with Evan Peters having taken on the title role in Dahmer and Javier Bardem in its second season. This time, Charlie Hunnam, who shot to fame as a teenager when he played Nathan Maloney in raunchy gay drama Queer As Folk before going on to major success in Hollywood, will take on the role of Ed Gein.

Charlie's casting received praise from fans on social media, with one noting: "Charlie Hunnam looks so much like Ed Gein; it’s eerie." Another said: "When we said we miss Charlie Hunnam, I just remembered his next release, the Ed Gein series.

A third wrote: "Charlie Hunnam stepping into Ed Gein is going to have us rethinking every horror movie that ever scared us. The monster behind the monsters is even darker," and a fourth said: "say whaaat?!? Charlie hunnam is Ed Gein?? he's a phenomenal actor man."

Netflix will be dropping Monster: The Ed Gein Story globally on October 3and all episodes from the new series will be available to watch in one go.

Speaking about the forthcoming series, Murphy became fascinated by the little-known killer and body snatcher after being caught up in a “creative tailwind”.

Ian Brennan, who wrote the entire series, told Netflix’s Tudum: “I think this is the best season of the three, and I think it’s going to blow people’s socks off.”

He went on to tell the outlet: “Ed Gein’s fairly obscure. It’s this man who lived in a farmhouse and didn’t know very many people, and you’re watching his descent into deep, deep madness and then ultimately into killing people.

“That seemed like a big ask for a show that has been quite popular. Is that too much to ask of a global audience?”

Join The Mirror’s WhatsApp Communityor follow us on Google News, Flipboard, Apple News, TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Threads- or visit The Mirror homepage.