MONSTER: THE ED GEIN STORY

The third instalment in the ‘Monsters’ franchise takes us on a disturbing journey into the twisted mind of one of America’s most infamous serial killers and body snatchers, Ed Gein (Charlie Hunnam). Responsible for at least two murders, and a suspect in seven more, Gein robbed graves and mutilated bodies for his own perverse pleasure. He was a depraved man, who had a traumatic childhood and became haunted by mental illness. Several scenes are very graphic, particularly those showing Gein’s barbaric penchant for crafting utensils and furniture from mutilated body parts, wearing the faces of the dead as masks and participating in necr*philia. Despite seeing a lot of gore in my former career as a police officer, I found it this hard to stomach. Hunnam’s performance is spectacular though. With prosthetics, he physically morphs into Gein and is unrecognisable as himself. He even changes the pitch and tone of his voice. Laurie Metcalf excels as Gein’s abusive, domineering mother, Augusta. Fervently religious, she forbade him from approaching women and controlled every aspect of his life, leading him to believe she was the only one who will ever truly love him. The series weaves in references to iconic movies like ‘Psycho’, ‘The Silence of the Lambs’ and ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’, highlighting how Gein’s crimes served as inspiration (or perhaps glorification) for many successful horror films. Side quests feature Alfred Hitchcock as a peeping tom (apparently true) and an irrelevant subplot about the sexual orientation of actor Anthony Perkins. The frequent jumping between multiple storylines dilutes viewer focus and at least four episodes of fictional filler-content could’ve been edited out to create a more factual representation of Gein’s life. This is a disjointed portrait of darkness that leaves you questioning who the true monster is – Gein, his mother, the sensationalists who dramatised his story for cinema dollars, or those who continue to watch it as entertainment.