MOVIE NEWS – Netflix’s latest true-crime series, Monster: The Ed Gein Story, debuted with low ratings on Rotten Tomatoes. The third season of the Ryan Murphy-created show centers on the notorious Wisconsin serial killer, and while Charlie Hunnam delivers a powerful performance in the lead role, it wasn’t enough to win over critics.

At the time of writing, Monster: The Ed Gein Story holds a 50% critic score on the Tomatometer, which is not far from the 66% audience score. These numbers are likely to fluctuate as more reviewers and viewers finish watching the eight-episode miniseries.

Aramide Tinubu of Variety wrote: “The biggest problem with Monster: The Ed Gein Story is its lack of focus. At the heart of the story is the abusive, hyper-religious relationship between Ed and Augusta. However, Augusta disappears from the show after the first episode, a criminal underuse of Metcalf’s talent. Instead of focusing on the mother-son dynamic, the series emphasizes Ed’s image in popular culture, as seen in Psycho and The Silence of the Lambs. As a result, the show turns Ed Gein into a myth again, stripping away the raw texture that was essential for the series to work.”

Lucy Gandan of The Guardian added: “Monster: The Ed Gein Story seems interested only in selling an underexplored piece of true-crime real estate while demanding sympathy for the man behind the skin masks and carved trophies. It’s not an exercise in understanding how he became who he was—beyond the shallow ‘religious mom, what did you expect?’ narrative—and thus not an exploration of how future Geins might be prevented. It’s voyeuristic pandering to viewers’ basest instincts.”

The series stars Charlie Hunnam alongside Laurie Metcalf as Ed’s mother, Augusta. The cast also includes Olivia Williams, Joey Pollari, Suzanna Son, Addison Rae, Tom Hollander, and Tyler Jacob Moore. All episodes were written by Ian Brennan, who also directed two, while Max Winkler directed the rest.

Charlie Hunnam’s Transformation Into Ed Gein Is Remarkable

Most critics agree that Charlie Hunnam’s transformation into the notorious murderer is outstanding. The role was particularly challenging since the story takes place in the 1950s, and Gein’s mannerisms were never captured on film. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Hunnam said: “I read every book ever written about him — and there were a lot. I went through all the court transcripts, medical records, and reread the scripts repeatedly to understand what could drive a human being to commit such horrific acts. We took this very seriously: we wanted to understand the man, not sensationalize or glorify him.”

In an interview with People, Hunnam said Gein was “a very skinny, malnourished guy.” To achieve the physical transformation, he followed a strict regimen: “The first step was losing 30 pounds to look like him. He was abused and isolated, so he had no social mirror to reflect normal behavior.”

Source: MovieWeb