In an interview with Collider, Ryan Murphy revealed that Monster season 3 is officially titled “The Original Monster” and starts shooting on Halloween, October 31. He also discussed at length why Ed Gein was chosen as the subject of season 3 and how the show will connect to the origins of true crime-related content. Read his full comments below:
We’re calling that season The Original Monster because that’s kind of what he was. We start shooting on Halloween, so we’re deep in it, and I’m very excited about it.
After we did Menendez, Ian and I were talking about it, and we were interested in this idea of, “Where did our cultural interest in serial killers begin? Where and how did this all start?” Based on our research, the very first one who became a celebrity at that level was Ed, who was an instant crazy celebrity from the moment he was arrested. Nobody had ever heard of anything like that. Then we found out — he was motivated, obviously — but he was schizophrenic. How he became what he became was a very interesting story.
The amazing thing that the show talks about is how many villains and how much pop culture is based on Ed Gein — Psycho, Silence of the Lambs, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, American Psycho, and on and on and on and on. Ed influenced a lot of things in the past 100 years, and this season is a very interesting season to work on because it asks the question, “How did we get so interested in this and why? Where did it all begin?”
What Monster Season 3’s Title & Filming Start Date Mean For The Show
The Title Breaks The Show’s Trend
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The first two seasons of Monster, The Jeffrey Dahmer Story and The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, feature their subjects’ names in their titles. Monster season 3, titled The Original Monster, breaks this trend completely. As the title suggests, Ed Gein came before both Jeffrey Dahmer and the Menendez brothers, having operated in the 1950s. Dahmer didn’t come until much later, committing his various murders between 1978 and 1991. Erik and Lyle Menendez killed their parents around the same time in 1989. The stark difference between those decades justifies the title and means a different aesthetic for the show.
Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story was just released on September 19, so for season 3 to start shooting so soon on October 31 is an incredibly quick turnaround time. The all-new cast justifies the change, but it still marks a serious surprise for a major show. The first season was released on Netflix around the same time, on September 21, 2022, but with season 3 shooting so soon, it should be ready to release in September 2025. Other than Charlie Hunnam as Ed Gein, it’s unknown who else will be starring in season 3.
Is Ed Gein The Original Monster?
Other Widely Recognized Serial Killers Predate Gein
Gein is undoubtedly a serial killer who has amassed massive cultural recognition, but he was not the first to prove extremely influential in the true-crime communities and pop culture. Jack the Ripper, who has never been outright identified, was active in the late 1800s, preceding Gein by nearly a century. There were countless other killers before and after Jack the Ripper, but few achieved the notoriety of the heavily-investigated monster. Attempting to claim that Gein is the “original” monster is misplaced from a media standpoint, as he was hardly the first to achieve widespread celebrity for his crimes.
Even Jack the Ripper was not the first serial killer, as there are countless examples going back through antiquity.
Where Gein has become influential, however, is in American media. As he committed his crimes in post-World War II Plainfield, Wisconsin, he was the first to earn media attention in an entirely new journalistic landscape. He captured the American consciousness as Jack the Ripper became sensationalized in England in the 1880s. As movies and TV shows still prove today, he never released his grip on the media either.
The sheer fact that Gein was arrested and questioned about his murders helped to set him apart, as authorities were available to learn about the psychology of criminals in a way that they never could before. The rise of the still-developing field of psychology also contributed, as investigators were able to study the psychological ramifications behind Gein’s actions. That led to more discoveries, sparking more media attention. By focusing on Gein, Monster season 3 can recognize the influence that he had on the new American culture that was developing in the 1940s and 1950s when Gein was still active.
Our Take On Monster Season 3’s Title
How Did Our Interest In Such Figures Begin?
As Ryan Murphy mentions, season 3’s title, The Original Monster, indicates how it will explore the origins of cultural fascination with serial killers. Murphy believes it traces back to Ed Gein, who arguably became the first celebrity serial killer when his crimes garnered significant media attention in 1957. Season 3 should also explore how Ed Gein inspired multiple horror movies, including Psycho, Silence of the Lambs, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and more. By focusing on the original monster, Ed Gein, Monster season 3 will explore how our interest in such monstrous figures began.
Nearly every major serial killer in movies and shows today can trace something back to Gein.
His influence is undoubtedly profound. Robert Bloch’s Psycho, which inspired the Alfred Hitchcock movie, was released in 1959, just two years after Gein’s capture. Gein’s obsession with his mother defined Norman Bates, and Bret Easton Ellis’s American Psycho directly names Gein as an influence for its titular killer. Nearly every major serial killer in movies and shows today can trace something back to Gein, whether it be from the killer himself or from the other fictional murderers that were inspired by him.
