Monster — The Ed Gein Story” (Review)

Netflix’s Monster: The Ed Gein Story (released October 3, 2025) is the third chapter in the Monster anthology, and it doesn’t shy away from the darkness within. What makes this eight-episode season so gripping is how it transforms the familiar horror-biopic formula into a meditative descent — a slow unraveling of madness and isolation in postwar America.

🎬 Episode Breakdown

Episode 1 – “Green”

We meet Ed in rural Wisconsin, shrouded in loneliness and silence. The cinematography is chillingly still — snow-covered fields, muted interiors, and the unsettling mundanity of his daily routines.

Episode 2 – “Mother”

The series dives into Ed’s toxic relationship with his mother, Augusta. Laurie Metcalf delivers a powerhouse performance, channeling religious obsession and maternal dominance that shapes Gein’s twisted worldview.

Episode 3 – “Ham Radio”

Fantasy and reality begin to blur as Ed’s paranoia deepens. Local rumors spread, and the first whispers of grave robbing surface. The tension here simmers rather than explodes.

Episode 4 – “Ice”

Winter sets in — both literally and psychologically. Gein’s nocturnal graveyard visits become more daring, each one a morbid act of compulsion. The episode’s pacing is deliberately slow, emphasizing creeping dread.

Episode 5 – “Sick as Your Secrets”

The investigation begins to tighten. Local police and townsfolk grow suspicious as the show’s forensic and psychological threads intertwine. This is where Monster starts connecting Gein’s horror to its cultural echoes.

Episode 6 – “Buxom Bird”

The disappearance of Bernice Worden shifts the series into true crime mode. The small-town panic, the heartbreak of the Worden family, and the slow unraveling of Gein’s alibi make this episode the show’s emotional core.

Episode 7 – “The Babysitter”

The case of Evelyn Hartley, one of Gein’s rumored victims, is explored through haunting speculation and survivor testimony. It blurs fact and legend, underlining how myth often outlives the truth.

Episode 8 – “The Godfather”

The finale pulls back, reflecting on how Gein’s crimes reshaped American horror — from Psycho to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The show ends not with shock, but with quiet horror — a meditation on legacy, fear, and the thin line between fascination and revulsion.

🧠 What Works

• Atmosphere over gore: The show trusts silence and suggestion more than shock value, letting the audience’s imagination do the heavy lifting.

• Incredible performances: Charlie Hunnam’s gaunt, haunted portrayal of Gein is transformative, and Metcalf’s Augusta is both terrifying and tragic.

• Cultural reflection: The meta-commentary connecting Gein’s crimes to Hollywood’s horror canon adds surprising depth.

• Cinematography: Every frame feels diseased with loneliness — muted color palettes, creaking interiors, and wide shots that swallow Gein in emptiness.

⚠️ What Falters

• Midseason pacing: Episodes 3–5 drag at times, dwelling too long on routine and repetition.

• Fact vs. fiction: Some creative liberties muddy the historical clarity.

• Emotional distance: The cold, clinical tone occasionally dulls the empathy for victims and survivors.

✅ Final Verdict

Monster: The Ed Gein Story is one of Netflix’s most quietly horrifying achievements — a true-crime descent that resists sensationalism in favor of psychological rot. Across eight meticulously crafted episodes, it transforms a grim chapter of American history into a study of obsession, grief, and the monsters we create when we stop looking away.

Score: 7/10 — Unstable, artful, and unforgettable.