Netflix has released “Monster: The Ed Gein Story,” an eight-part series featuring Charlie Hunnam in the lead role as the titular serial killer. The series is part of Ryan Murphy’s “Monster” franchise, which includes previous installments on Jeffrey Dahmer and the Menendez brothers. The shows examine true crime narratives by exploring the origins and circumstances that contributed to the criminals’ development.
Hunnam conducted extensive research for the role, initially finding available literature on Gein sensationalized and disturbing. He gained access to Gein’s medical records from his nearly three-decade incarceration in a mental health facility, including thousands of pages of biannual psychological reviews. These records provided Hunnam with what he considered a more comprehensive and balanced understanding of the historical figure beyond the horrific details of his crimes.
The actor worked with prosthetic makeup artist Corey Castellano and artist Mark Nieman to develop a physical transformation. A central element involved creating a hooded eye appliance, which Hunnam identified as psychologically significant. Gein had been bullied throughout his life regarding this feature, and Hunnam believed capturing this aspect would inform how the character interacted with the world. The silicone appliance was custom-fitted and carefully painted to match Hunnam’s skin tone across different aging stages.
For the vocal performance, Hunnam drew on an inadmissible recording from Gein’s arrest to study his speech patterns and cadence. He consulted with showrunner Max Winkler, who suggested emphasizing a particular vocal quality related to Gein’s relationship with his mother. Hunnam framed his interpretation around the psychological impact of maternal abuse and isolation, viewing the character’s manifestations as tragic consequences of his upbringing rather than simply creepy affectations designed for horror effect.
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