Official first look at Charlie Hunnam as serial killer Ed Gein in Monsters season three

Netflix has given fans an official first look at Charlie Hunnam as the serial killer Ed Gein in Monsters season three, titled Monster: The Ed Gein Story. 

Following the success of Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, co-creators Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan’s crime anthology series is set to premiere its third instalment with Monster: The Ed Gein Story on 3 October. 

Back in September, Murphy announced that Queer As Folk star would be the lead for this season, taking on the serial killer known as the “Butcher of Plainfield” and the “Plainfield Ghoul.”

After fans caught a first glimpse of the Sons of Anarchy star undergoing a transformation to play Gein in November 2024, the streaming platform has now offered viewers an official first look. 

Hunnam features in three new posters promoting the upcoming season. Under the glow of green lights, the actor embodies the titular killer as he unmasks himself in one image, which reads, “Before The Silence of the Lambs… There was Ed.”

“Before Psycho…There was Ed,” reads a second, in which he appears to be lying on the lap of a woman.”

In the third, Hunnam is dressed in a white vest, high-waisted trousers and a belt, as he’s armed with a chainsaw. “Before The Texas Chainsaw Massacre…There was Ed.”

Also appearing in the series is The White Lotus’ Tom Hollander, Lady Bird’s Laurie Metcalf, Fear Street: Prom Queen star Suzanna Son, The Crown actresses Olivia Williams and Lesley Manville and Love, Simon star Joey Pollari. 

The series also features Vicky Krieps, Charlie Hall, Tyler Jacob Moore, Mimi Kennedy, Will Brill, and Robin Weigert.

The official plot synopsis for the series reads: “Serial killer. Grave robber. Psycho. In the frozen fields of 1950s rural Wisconsin, a friendly, mild-mannered recluse named Eddie Gein lived quietly on a decaying farm – hiding a house of horrors so gruesome it would redefine the American nightmare. Driven by isolation, psychosis, and an all-consuming obsession with his mother, Gein’s perverse crimes birthed a new kind of monster that would haunt Hollywood for decades. 

“From Psycho to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre to The Silence of the Lambs, Gein’s macabre legacy gave birth to fictional monsters born in his image and ignited a cultural obsession with the criminally deviant. Ed Gein didn’t just influence a genre — he became the blueprint for modern horror.”

Gein was born in 1906 and had a deep affinity for his mother. After the death of his family members, including his mother in 1945, his mental health declined. He subsequently became engrossed with violent crimes, and was suspected of murdering two women, robbing graves and collecting body parts to make furniture and clothing from human skin, as per EBSCO. 

In 1957, police found the body of Bernice Worden on his property, as well as several preserved body parts belonging to multiple women, leading to his arrest. Although he was said to be incompetent to stand trial, he was found guilty of murder. He was, however, declared not guilty due to “insanity”. 

Gein spent the rest of his life in mental health facilities and died in 1984.

Monster: The Ed Gein Story lands on Netflix on 3 October.

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