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Ryan Murphy's next Monster is the most disturbing story in true crime history.

If like me, you're still processing Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, then you might not be ready to hear this but there's another season (and monster) already on the way.

At the Los Angeles premiere of the new series, co-creator Ryan Murphy announced that the grisly story of Ed Gein would be the inspiration for the next installment of the Monster anthology.

And a leading man has already been selected: Sons of Anarchy heartthrob Charlie Hunnam will play Ed Gein, which is, umm… sure.

The second season of Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story relayed the case of the brothers who were convicted in 1996 for the murders of their parents, José and Mary Louise 'Kitty' Menendez.

Watch the trailer here. Post continued after video.


Netflix.

The dramatised adaption saw Cooper Koch as Erik, Nicholas Alexander Chavez as Lyle, Javier Bardem as José and Chloë Sevigny as Kitty.

The second season has been just as controversial as the first season.

In season one's DAHMER — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, Evan Peters portrayed serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer and Niecy Nash was Glenda Cleveland.

The first iteration of Murphy and Ian Brennan's anthology was a huge success on the streaming app, drawing in 1 billion hours of viewing in its first 60 days.

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The second season is already set to rival the success of the first, with 2.7 billion minutes watched during the show's first week of availability on Netflix.

Can luck strike thrice for co-creators Murphy and Ian Brennan?

The third season's subject is possibly the most disturbing yet… and that's saying something!

Ed Gein became known as the 'Butcher of Plainfield' in the 1950s. Despite only being convicted of one murder, he was suspected of many more and gained notoriety for collecting women's body parts.

Who was Ed Gein?

Edward Theodore Gein was born on August 27, 1906, in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Gein grew up in a dysfunctional family with an alcoholic father and a domineering mother. After the deaths of his father, brother, and mother, Gein lived alone on the family farm near Plainfield, Wisconsin.

It was during this period of isolation that his mental state deteriorated, leading to horrific crimes.

Ed Gein is escorted to the county jail after confessing to two murders. Image: Getty.

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He gained notoriety for his gruesome crimes in the 1950s, becoming known as the 'Butcher of Plainfield' or the 'Plainfield Ghoul'.

Gein's disturbing acts shocked the world and his macabre fascination with corpses is said to have inspired fictional killers like Norman Bates from Psycho and Buffalo Bill from The Silence of the Lambs.

What were Ed Gein's worst crimes?

Gein's criminal activities came to light in 1957, when police investigated the disappearance of hardware store owner Bernice Worden. Gein confessed to killing two women: Worden in 1957 and tavern owner Mary Hogan in 1954.

Upon searching Gein's property, authorities made a series of shocking discoveries.

Between 1947 and 1952, Gein admitted to making up to 40 nocturnal visits to local graveyards, exhuming recently buried bodies of middle-aged women who resembled his mother.

Trooper Dave Sharkey looks over some of the musical instruments found in the home of Ed Gein in 1957. Image: Getty.

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Police found a horrifying array of items made from human remains in Gein's house. They found skulls used as soup bowls, chairs upholstered with human skin, a belt made of human nipples, a lampshade made from a human face, and a 'woman suit' created from tanned human skin.

Gein's ultimate goal was to fashion a 'woman suit' that would allow him to "become" his deceased mother.

In 1968, Gein was found guilty of first-degree murder in Worden's death but was deemed legally insane. He spent the remainder of his life in psychiatric institutions, until his death in 1984.

The case of Ed Gein remains one of the most disturbing stories in American history.

Who will play Ed Gein in Ryan Murphy's Monster series?

Charlie Hunnam has been cast to play Ed Gein in the upcoming third season of Netflix's Monster anthology series. Weird flex, but okay!

An unlikely Monster?? Image: Getty.

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The 41-year-old English actor is best known for his role as Jax Teller in the motorcycle drama Sons of Anarchy, and he has also appeared in films such as King Arthur: Legend of the Sword and The Gentlemen.

There have been no other cast confirmations yet.

When will season three of Monster be released on Netflix?

Production for the third season of Monster is set to begin right away in October 2024.

Considering that the second season of Monsters was delayed due to the Hollywood writers' strikes and reportedly didn't recommence until earlier this year, hopefully, this means we can expect season three sooner rather than later in 2025.

Feature image: Netflix/FX.

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