Netflix's Monster: The Ed Gein Story Makes One Choice That'll Baffle Even Hardcore Horror Fans

Ed Gein is the real-life killer who is inspiring countless horror movies, and now his story is getting the Netflix limited series treatment, further reaffirming the streaming service's reputation as the go-to place for true crime-inspired entertainment. However, Charlie Hunnam's portrayal of the "Butcher of Plainfield" in Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan's "Monster: The Ed Gein Story" might baffle viewers who go into the series expecting to be horrified, only to come out feeling thirsty.

That's right, folks — Murphy and Brennan's series makes Gein — a murderer known for wearing his victims' skin — hot. Netflix's first trailer for "Monster: The Ed Gein Story" features more than a few shots of Hunnam's character showing off his muscular body, which might detract from the fact that, you know, he is supposed to be playing one of the most ghoulish monsters in American history.

Of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and what constitutes "hot" is entirely subjective — some people probably found the real Gein attractive. "Monster: The Ed Gein Story" also isn't the first series or movie about sexy serial killers, as almost every project chronicling Ted Bundy's atrocities highlights the fact that he was regarded as conventionally attractive by many people. Gein doesn't have that reputation, though, so the decision to cast Hunnam and have him show off his abs makes one think that Murphy's series will take a few creative liberties with the killer's backstory. Still, it shouldn't detract from the fact that Hunnam worked hard on his appearance in preparation for the show.

Every Ryan Murphy series is full of hot actors, many of whom play evil people, so we shouldn't be surprised at seeing Ed Gein reimagined as a thirst trap for "Monster: The Ed Gein Story." Be that as it may, Charlie Hunnam told Netflix that he studied up on the real-life killer and tried to copy his best physique as much as possible. As Hunnam put it:

"I lost almost 30 pounds just to get a more malnourished, light frame. Ed was incredibly lithe. And so that was a big part of the physicality. I spent a lot of time thinking about where his energy was, that he's not particularly confident or, like, front-foot type of energy ... How to not take up a lot of space, not to be sort of front and center and too confident in my physicality was really important."

Murphy has a strong track record when it comes to mining real-life horror tales to create macabre entertainment. "Monster: The Ed Gein" story will undoubtedly appeal to his fans and true crime enthusiasts... even if its depiction of the main subject's appearance isn't entirely accurate.

"Monster: The Ed Gein Story" arrives October 3, 2025 on Netflix.