Trigger Warning: This article contains mentions of serial killer Ed Gein's disturbing crimes. Reader discretion is advised.
Monster has been drawing in audiences since its premiere in 2022. The first season of the anthology series is based on the infamous serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer: a cannibal with a penchant for necrophilia. Additionally, it also covers the murderers Lyle and Erik Menendez.
Ryan Murphy, the show’s co-creator announced the renewal of the crime anthology during a promotional event in Los Angeles for season 2 of Monster.
During his conversation with the audience, as a surprise, he revealed the name of the lead serial killer for the upcoming season: Ed Gein, America’s most notorious criminal who, like Dahmer, was a cannibal and engaged in necrophilia. Stories of Gein’s crimes remain bone-chilling and haunting to this day.
Per Variety, the lead actor for the upcoming new season will be Charlie Hunnam. The actor will be playing the notorious criminal who inspired movies such as Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Silence of the Lambs.
The announcement comes ahead of season 2 of Monster, set to debut on September 19, 2024. The release date for Monster Season 3 remains unknown since it was just renewed.
Who was Charlie Hunnam’s character Ed Gein from Netflix’s upcoming season 3 of Monster and what did he do?
Edward Theodore Gein, or "Ed Gein," was renowned as "The Butcher of Plainfield." He lived with his family on a farm in the quaint village of Plainfield, Wisconsin. Growing up, he spent his childhood devoid of a social life due to his mother’s strict rules and conservative beliefs about society.
While his brother was able to socialize, make friends, and even fall in love, Gein strictly adhered to his mother’s rules. After both his brother and mother passed away, Gein was left alone, which marked the beginning of his haunting spree.
Before reading further, note that Gein was lawfully convicted and charged with two murders (which he confessed to) despite evidence suggesting the number could be in the double digits or more. Gein was obsessed with his mother and her teachings, to the extent that he sought to stay connected to her even after death.
Gein would exhume the bodies of deceased women (rarely men) and perform necrophilia-like acts and consume their organs. Before resorting to cannibalism, he preserved "trophies" from his victims, primarily their skin, and kept several human skulls.
If that isn’t disturbing enough, Gein also had a real-life skinsuit made from a woman’s skin that he would wear during full moon nights in his garden.
Moreover, on November 16, 1957, Gein was finally arrested after Deputy Sheriff Frank Worden followed a trail of blood from Plainfield’s local hardware store to Gein’s barn. What he found was horrifying.
He discovered the decapitated and mutilated body of his mother, Bernice Worden. The victim was butchered in the most inhumane manner possible.
Authorities arrived to gather more evidence, uncovering horrors within Gein’s home. Here’s what they found:
- A wastebasket made entirely out of human skin
- Several whole skeletons
- A chair made out of human skin
- Soup bowls made out of skulls
- Victim Mary Hogan’s face cut out as a mask
- Victim Bernice Worden’s head in a burlap sack
- A lampshade from different human faces
The house had every imaginable part of the human body turned into either a piece of furniture, clothing, or a cooking ingredient. The grotesque nature of the crime continues to rattle the nation, hoping there will never be another psychopath like him.
After being convicted and tried for the murders of Bernice Worden and Mary Hogan, he was sentenced to a hospital for the criminally insane. Gein died when he was 77 years old at the Mendota Mental Health Institution as a result of lung cancer.
What did Charlie Hunnam appear in before accepting a role in Monster Season 3?
Charlie Hunnam is renowned for his role as the protagonist ‘Jax Teller’ in FX’s Sons of Anarchy. His other noteworthy projects include The Gentleman, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, Pacific Rim, and Rebel Moon. Hunnam is yet to comment about his upcoming role as Ed Gein in Monster Season 3.
Monster is available to binge on Netflix.
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