Monster season 3: The Ed Gein Story – Release date, trailer and latest news
The third instalment in the Ryan Murphy series has confirmed its leading man.
With two previous seasons focused on serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer and then Lyle and Erik Menendez (who were convicted for murdering their parents), the third season of Monsters is now set to be one of the most gruesome yet, it seems.
The Ryan Murphy-helmed series is back once again for an expectedly controversial instalment centred on Ed Gein, with Sons of Anarchy star Charlie Hunman set to star as the killer.
Monster: The Ed Gein Story is set to dig into the real-life case of the serial killer and how his crimes "birthed a new kind of monster that would haunt Hollywood for decades," according to its synopsis.
While it's not totally clear just yet, the series seems like it could interrogate the lasting impact of Gein's crimes on the horror genre, with Tom Hollander (The Night Manager) and Olivia Williams (The Crown) set to play Psycho director Alfred Hitchcock and his wife, screenwriter Alma Reville.
With a trailer and teaser for the series having now been released, as well as a premiere date having been confirmed, there's not long now until the release of Monsters season 3. Read on for everything you need to know.
Monster season 3: The Ed Gein Story release date
Monster season 3 will premiere on Netflix on Friday 3rd October at 8am BST.
There's set to be eight episodes in the new season, which will all land at once on the streaming platform.
Monster season 3: The Ed Gein cast – Who will star alongside Charlie Hunnam?
Charlie Hunnam will be leading the cast of the third Monsters season as serial killer Ed Gein, with the English actor known for his roles in Sons of Anarchy, Queer As Folk, Shantaram and Undeclared.
He has also starred in films like Pacific Rim, The Gentlemen and in the Rebel Moon film franchise.
There's also a raft of familiar faces that have since been announced to star in the series, including Laurie Metcalf (Lady Bird), Tom Hollander (The Night Manager), Olivia Williams (The Crown), singer Addison Rae, Lesley Manville (The Crown) and more.
The full cast list for Monster season 3: The Ed Gein is as follows.
- Charlie Hunnam as Ed Gein
- Laurie Metcalf as Augusta Gein
- Suzanna Son as Adeline Watkins
- Tom Hollander as Alfred Hitchcock
- Vicky Krieps as Ilse Koch
- Olivia Williams as Alma Reville
- Lesley Manville as Bernice Worden
- Joey Pollari as Anthony Perkins
- Charlie Hall as Deputy Worden
- Tyler Jacob Moore as Sheriff Schley
- Addison Rae as Evelyn Hartley
- Will Brill as Tobe Hooper
- Mimi Kennedy as Mildred Newman
- Robin Weigert as Enid Watkins
What will Monster season 3: The Ed Gein Story be about – Who was he?
All that we know so far is that the third season of Monsters will focus on Ed Gein, and if previous seasons of the series and the trailer are anything to go by, we would expect to go into some pretty heavy detail surrounding his crimes.
But who was Ed Gein?
Gein was an American murderer and suspected serial killer whose gruesome crimes went on to become the morbid inspiration for numerous fictional film characters, including Psycho’s Norman Bates, Buffalo Bill from The Silence of the Lambs and Leatherface from The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.
Born in 1906 as Edward Theodore Gein in Wisconsin, Gein grew up in a puritanical household raised majorly by his mother, who he became devoted to.
After her death in 1945, it was said that Gein became deranged and in a bid to keep his mother's memory alive, kept her room tidy but the rest of his home unkempt as he became a hermit in the wake of her death.
In 1957, a 58-year-old hardware store owner named Bernice Worden was reported missing in Plainfield and, having been seen with her a short time before her disappearance, police went to visit Gein at his home. It was there that they discovered her decapitated body.
On further inspection of Gein's home, the police found that Gein had collected numerous body parts, which he used to make masks, items of clothing and household items such as bowls out of skulls. The police discovered that Gein had regularly robbed graves in order to collect human remains. The police also discovered the head of another missing woman, Mary Hogan, at Gein's property.
Gein went on to admit to killing the two women but pled not guilty by reason of insanity. In 1958, he was deemed unfit for trial after being diagnosed with schizophrenia and was held in numerous psychiatric institutions.
In 1968, Gein was deemed fit for trial and was subsequently found guilty of Worden's murder. Gein was deemed insane at the time of his sentencing and was returned to a psychiatric institution where he remained until his death in 1984.
In his recent interview with Collider, Murphy spoke about why Gein was chosen as the subject of season 3, revealing: "After we did Menendez, Ian and I were talking about it, and we were interested in this idea of, 'Where did our cultural interest in serial killers begin? Where and how did this all start?'
"Based on our research, the very first one who became a celebrity at that level was Ed, who was an instant crazy celebrity from the moment he was arrested. Nobody had ever heard of anything like that. Then we found out – he was motivated, obviously – but he was schizophrenic. How he became what he became was a very interesting story."
As for how the series will tackle Gein's crimes, it does seem as if it will go into detail about his upbringing and murders but with casting also including actors playing Psycho director Hitchcock and Texas Chainsaw Massacre director Tobe Hooper, we can anticipate that the series may dig into Gein's legacy as it pertains to Hollywood.
Is there a trailer for Monster season 3: The Ed Gein Story?
There is! The official trailer gives us a gruesome taste of what's to come in the new series. You can watch it for yourself below.
As well as the official trailer, Netflix released a teaser for the series which will similarly leave a chill down your spine. You can watch it here:
Monster: The Ed Gein Story will premiere on Friday 3rd October. Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story is now streaming on Netflix – sign up for Netflix from £5.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
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Authors
Morgan Cormack is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering everything drama-related on TV and streaming. She previously worked at Stylist as an Entertainment Writer. Alongside her past work in content marketing and as a freelancer, she possesses a BA in English Literature.
