Christina Ricci has played Lizzie Borden twice
Credit: Cinematic / Alamy Stock Photo; Netflix
NEED TO KNOW
- Lizzie Borden’s story has inspired numerous TV movies, series and films
- Christina Ricci and Chloë Sevigny are among the stars who have portrayed Borden in critically acclaimed and popular projects
- Paranormal investigations and historical dramas continue to explore the mythic proportions of the Borden case and its legacy
The Borden murders are back on the screen in Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story, the latest installment of Netflix’s anthology series from Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan.
The previous season focused on the grotesque crimes of Ed Gein, while the new set of episodes are about Lizzie Borden (Ella Beatty), who was accused and ultimately acquitted of the infamous ax murders of her father and stepmother.
Borden’s story may be the focus of the latest season of Monster, but this isn’t the first time her tale has been adapted for the screen.
Here are more series, movies and documentaries inspired by Lizzie Borden to watch after you finish Monster.
01 of 08
The Legend of Lizzie Borden (1975)
Credit: American Broadcasting Companies via Getty
In the years following the final season of Bewitched, the series’ star, Elizabeth Montgomery, took on roles that had her branching outside of the sunny Samantha Stephens character she had played for eight seasons.
One of those projects was the TV movie The Legend of Lizzie Borden, which aired on ABC in February 1975. Montgomery starred in the historical drama, earning an Emmy nomination for her portrayal of Borden.
According to Montgomery biographer Herbie J Pilato, per the Television Academy, the actress’ fourth husband, Robert Foxworth, said Montgomery was “thrilled” to surprise her fans with the dramatic roles she chose after Bewitched.
Watch The Legend of Lizzie Borden on Prime Video
02 of 08
Lizzie Borden Took an Ax (2014)
Credit: Cinematic / Alamy Stock Photo
Christina Ricci got bloody when she played Borden in the 2014 TV movie Lizzie Borden Took an Ax, debuting in January 2014 on Lifetime.
“What I thought was interesting about playing this part was the question of, ‘How does a person behave once they’re accused of this in trying to convince everyone they’re innocent?’ ” the actress told the New York Post in January 2014.
Watch Lizzie Borden Took an Ax on Lifetime
03 of 08
The Lizzie Borden Chronicles (2015)
Credit: Marvin Moore/Lifetime Tv/Kobal/Shutterstock
Ricci’s first turn as the accused killer was a ratings hit — with more than 4 million watching the 2014 TV movie, according to Vanity Fair. The following year, Ricci reprised the role, starring in the eight-episode limited series The Lizzie Borden Chronicles.
“We knew there was something about Christina Ricci as a part-time Sunday school teacher, part-time ax killer in the 1890s that clicked for people,” Arturo Interian, vice president of Lifetime original movies told Vanity Fair, “but what really sparked the series was our General Manager, Rob Sharenow, coming up to me afterward, and asking, ‘Did Lizzie kill anyone else?’ ”
The storylines, victims and characters were mostly fictionalized for the series, except for Charles Siringo, a detective played by future Dutton Ranch star Cole Hauser.
Watch The Lizzie Borden Chronicles on Prime Video
04 of 08
Lizzie (2018)
Credit: Powder Hound/Kobal/Shutterstock
The infamous tale of Borden was brought to the big screen in 2018, with Lizzie, starring and produced by Chloë Sevigny, who worked on the project for years before it became a reality.
In addition to Sevigny, Lizzie also starred Kristen Stewart, as Bridget Sullivan, the family maid and Borden’s rumored lover.
“When it became [the] incarnation that it is now, we knew we wanted to focus on the love story and Lizzie’s inner life in the house, and the relationship with Bridget and what that meant to her,” Sevigny told Variety in September 2018. “And how she was trying to build this escape from this life that she was so unhappy in.”
Watch Lizzie on Peacock, Prime Video and Tubi
05 of 08
Supernatural, “Thin Lizzie” (2015)
Credit: Katie Yu / The CW / Courtesy: Everett Collection
The Lizzie Borden House is reportedly haunted, with paranormal investigative shows like Ghost Adventures focused on exploring the macabre history of the Fall River, Mass. family residence.
A season 11 episode of the long-running drama series Supernatural had the Winchester brothers, Dean and Sam (played by Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki, respectively) visiting The Lizzie Borden House.
In the episode, the former home has since become a bed and breakfast (as is also true in real life), and is the scene of another series of murders, when a young couple is killed with an ax in one of the rooms.
Watch Supernatural season 11, episode 5, “Thin Lizzie” on Peacock and Prime Video
06 of 08
Alfred Hitchcock Presents, “The Older Sister”
Credit: Amazon
In “The Older Sister,” a season 1 episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, a newspaper reporter (Joan Lorring) arrives at the Borden house to interview Lizzie (Carmen Mathews) and her older sister, Emma (Joan Lorring).
“Tonight we have a story based on one of our most celebrated murder cases. One that rocked Fall River, Mass. and the entire country late in the last century. The crime was and still is a shocking one,” Alfred Hitchcock says when introducing the episode, adding that they are presenting a “slightly different interpretation of the Lizzie Borden story.”
“It begins just one year from the time of the murder,” he adds.
Watch Alfred Hitchcock Presents, season 1, episode 17, “The Older Sister” on Peacock and Prime Video
07 of 08
The Curse of Lizzie Borden (2021)
Credit: Amazon
In the 2021 Shock Docs special The Curse of Lizzie Borden, a team of paranormal experts investigate whether a family curse could have led to the infamous ax murders.
The Shock Docs special concludes with a dramatic seance held at The Lizzie Borden House.
Watch The Curse of Lizzie Borden on HBO Max
08 of 08
The Curious Life and Death of… (2020)
Credit: Paramount+
This 2020 Smithsonian Channel series was hosted by medical historian Dr. Lindsey Fitzharris, who enlisted a team of experts to help solve some of history’s most infamous deaths and murders. The Curious Life and Death of… focused on Borden and the crimes she was accused of, in the series’ premiere episode.
“Lizzie Borden was put on trial for the murder of her father and step-mother, but did she commit these brutal crimes?” the press release read.
Watch The Curious Life and Death of… on Paramount+
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