NEED TO KNOW
- Season 3 of the Monster anthology series will follow the story of real-life killer Ed Gein
- Gein’s crimes — which included robbing graves to make items out of human skin — inspired many classic horror movies
- Charlie Hunnam is set to play the titular killer
Charlie Hunnam is getting ready to be a monster — or at least to play one in the latest installment Netflix’s anthology series Monster.
The Sons of Anarchy star transformed into one of the most infamous serial killers of all time for Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan’s Monster: The Ed Gein Story. Premiering on Oct. 3, the show follows Gein (dubbed the “Butcher of Plainfield”), who murdered multiple women in rural Wisconsin in the 1950s.
According to the official logline, the killer “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.”
Gein was convicted of killing two people and robbing numerous graves to craft household and clothing items from human remains. His horrific crimes went on to inspire classic horror movies like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, The Silence of the Lambs and Psycho.
Ahead of the season’s release, see the cast of Monster: The Ed Gein Story side-by-side with the real people they play.
Charlie Hunnam as Ed Gein
Hunnam stars in Monster: The Ed Gein Story as the titular serial killer who was arrested in 1957 for the death of local hardware store owner Bernice Worden.
When police raided his home, they found that it was filled with body parts, including the head of Mary Hogan, a woman who had disappeared years earlier. Gein was deemed insane and sent to a mental institution, where he died of lung cancer in 1984.
Prior to this lead role, Hunnam’s most notable projects included Sons of Anarchy, Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire and Pacific Rim.
Suzanna Son as Adeline Watkins
Gein’s long-time love will be played by actress Suzanna Son. Adeline Watkins famously claimed that she dated the serial killer for 20 years and described him as “nice” and “sweet” in a 1957 interview with the Wisconsin State Journal.
The woman also alleged that Gein had proposed to her two years before he was arrested for Worden’s murder. She said she declined out of fear that she “wouldn’t be able to live up to what he expected” of her.
Son is best known for her roles in The Idol, Red Rocket and Fear Street: Prom Queen.
Tom Hollander as Alfred Hitchcock
Pride and Prejudice’s Tom Hollander is set to portray the infamous Psycho director. Alfred Hitchcock adapted Robert Bloch’s 1959 novel Psycho, whose killer Norman Bates — and his unsettling fixation on “Mother” — was inspired by Gein.
Although the director had subconscious thoughts of the real-life killer in the 2012 Hitchcock, he never publicly commented on the criminal before he died in 1980.
In addition to Pride and Prejudice, fans may recognize Hollander from In the Loop and Feud: Capote vs. The Swans.
Laurie Metcalf as Augusta Gein
Laurie Metcalf will take on the role of Augusta Gein, the family matriarch and center of the killer’s obsession. Ed’s mother was said to be a fanatically puritanical figure who isolated him from others, convinced the rest of society was evil.
According to the MGM+ docuseries Psycho: The Lost Tapes of Ed Gein, this toxic dynamic caused Ed to be codependent on his mother, and he idolized her after her death in 1945.
A longtime staple in Hollywood, Metcalf is best known for performances in Lady Bird, Roseanne and Desperately Seeking Susan.
Vicky Krieps as Ilse Koch
Monster: The Ed Gein Story seems to also tap into the killer’s influences, with Vicky Krieps playing Holocaust war criminal Ilse Koch.
The wife of the commander at one of Germany’s largest Nazi concentration camps allegedly had a desire to own objects made of human skin, per The Conversation.
Krieps is also known for her roles in Phantom Thread, Old and Bergman Island.
Olivia Williams as Alma Reville
The Crown’s Olivia Williams takes on the role of Hitchcock’s wife and consultant, Alma Reville.
Married to the director for over 50 years, Reville was a key force behind many of his iconic films until her death in 1982, according to The New York Times. She is even credited with insisting Bernard Herrmann’s score be used in Psycho’s infamous shower scene.
In addition to playing Queen Camilla in The Crown, Williams’ stellar body of work includes The Sixth Sense, An Education, Rushmore and Dune: Prophecy.
Joey Pollari as Anthony Perkins
Joey Pollari is set to play Anthony Perkins, who brought Norman Bates to life in Psycho. The Golden Globe-winning actor rose to fame in the 1950s for his iconic role, which he reprised in Psycho II, Psycho III and Psycho IV: The Beginning.
Perkins died of AIDS-related complications in 1992.
Pollari’s most notable projects include American Crime and Love, Simon.
Tyler Jacob Moore as Sheriff Arthur Schley
Monster: The Ed Gein Story will place Tyler Jacob Moore in the role of Sheriff Arthur Schley.
Not much is known about the officer, other than that he was infamously photographed with Gein after he confessed to murdering two women and robbing graves.
Fans may recognize Moore from his performances in Shameless and Perry Mason.
Charlie Hall as Deputy Frank Worden
Charlie Hall will portray Deputy Frank Worden, whose mother was Gein’s final victim. The officer became suspicious of the recluse, whom he believed to be odd, per History.com. On Nov. 16, 1957, police searched Gein’s house and found the body of Deputy Worden’s mom, Bernice Worden.
Hall, who is Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ son, is best known for his roles in Bel-Air and The Sex Lives of College Girls. He also starred in season 2 of Monster, where he played Erik Menendez’s best friend, Craig Cignarelli.
Will Brill as Tobe Hooper
Another aspect of Gein’s influence on the horror genre will be explored through Will Brill’s portrayal of Tobe Hooper, who directed the 1974 classic The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.
Although the film’s setting and plot differ significantly from Gein’s real-life crimes, the filmmaker drew on his interest in human skin to make his Leatherface killer more horrifying.
Hooper died of natural causes in 2017, per The New York Times.
Brill’s most notable projects include The OA and Fellow Travelers.
Mimi Kennedy as Dr. Mildred Newman
Mom alum Mimi Kennedy is set to play Dr. Mildred Newman, a psychologist and self-help author who rose to fame in the 1970s.
One of her numerous celebrity clients included Perkins, who allegedly received electroshock conversion therapy from her in an attempt to “turn him straight,” according to the 2005 book Tab Hunter Confidential: The Making of a Movie Star.
Dr. Newman died in 2001, per The New York Times.
In addition to Mom, Kennedy is known for her roles in Midnight in Paris and In the Loop.
Robin Weigert as Enid Watkins
Robin Weigert will portray Enid Watkins, who appears to be related to Gein’s almost-fianceé, Adeline Watkins.
Not much is known about the character, but fans of the actress who plays her will recognize her work in Smile and Deadwood.
Lesley Manville as Bernice Worden
Another Crown alum joining the Monster cast is Lesley Manville, who will play Gein’s final victim. Bernice Worden was a local hardware store owner whose murder led to the serial killer’s arrest in 1957.
Prior to her role in Monster, Manville rose to fame for her performances in Another Year and Phantom Thread.
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