Charlie Hunnam’s Monster: The Ed Gein Story Rotten Tomatoes Score Revealed

by

In 2022, Ryan Murphy – known for American Horror Story – developed a true crime series called Monster, which presents different biographical cases each season. The first season focused on the serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, while the second season covered the story of the Menendez brothers, Lyle and Erik.

Season 3 is now available. The show features Sons of Anarchy actor Charlie Hunnam portraying the infamous serial killer and grave robber Ed Gein, making this potentially the most chilling season yet. Despite this, Monster: The Ed Gein Story currently has a rating of only 45% on Rotten Tomatoes.

The rating is based on 11 reviews and was published soon after the series premiered on October 3rd. It also received a 64% audience score, which is decent and generally positive. However, this places the show at a similar level to earlier seasons in the series. It is in line with what viewers have come to expect.

The 2022 series DAHMER: Monster – The Jeffrey Dahmer Story received a 57% negative rating from critics, making it the lowest-rated installment in the series to date. Despite this, it has the highest audience score so far, with 82% positive ratings based on over 1,000 reviews. Furthermore, DAHMER: Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story is the most-watched entry, currently ranked fourth on Netflix’s Top 10 list for English-language TV shows. It accumulated 115.6 million views in its first 91 days and has been viewed for over 1 billion hours.

As a true crime and cinema devotee, I have to say Season 2, Monsters – The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, really disappointed critics. It landed a pretty dismal “rotten” score of 45% based on 31 reviews. What’s even more telling is that the audience wasn’t impressed either, giving it a negative 58% on the Popcornmeter. The season focused on, of course, Erik and Lyle Menendez.

Generally, the show has received a 50% approval rating from critics over its initial three seasons, while viewers have given it a 68% rating. The Ed Gein Story is the second highest-rated installment with audiences, and it received the same score as Season 2 from critics.

What Are Critics Saying About The Ed Gein Story?

I was really disappointed with the latest episode, and I wasn’t alone. Aramide Tinubu put it well when they said that Monster “makes Ed Gein mythical again, and in turn strips away the texture and grit that was desperately needed to make the series work.” I definitely agree that the show had several serious missteps – the tone felt off, and there was this one fabricated plot point that just didn’t land. It also felt like it lacks a central focus, honestly. But, and this is a big but, Hunnam and Metcalf deliver absolutely outstanding performances. Their talent, especially against that snowy 1950s Wisconsin farmland backdrop, really gave the show the classic film noir tone that it *should* have been built on.

According to RogertEbert.com’s Brian Tallerico, the writer Ian Brennan and director Max Winkler “touch on potentially insightful ideas but ultimately focus on shock value.” The review highlights that Hunnam’s character is “reduced to a spectacle – treated as an object of amusement rather than a fully developed person.” It also notes the show presents the stories about Gein as fact, ignoring his explanations and rebuttals.

‘s Therese Lacson didn’t enjoy the show either, stating that The Ed Gein Story is largely based on fiction rather than facts. She explained that the series portrays the serial killer-who was actually a cruel and dehumanizing individual-as a naive, simple person who was more a product of his upbringing and mental health struggles than a truly cold-blooded killer.

The review also points out Murphy and his team’s tendency to focus on disturbing and shocking content, arguing they misjudge what their audience wants. Specifically, it criticizes that the story spends more time glorifying a serial killer than acknowledging his victims, with one reviewer stating that women are not “embracing another story that spends more time deifying a serial killer than even mentioning his victims,” and that “how it portrays women” is “one of the most egregious flaws” of this new installment in the series.

The show also received some praise. Joel Keller from Decider wrote that Monster: The Ed Gein Story successfully introduces viewers to a serial killer that many might not be familiar with, but who has greatly impacted horror cinema. EJ Moreno of EJ Moreno called it “The best Monster yet,” and pointed out that “Ed Gein’s story is disturbing and complex, and you’ll leave questioning if you’re the monster for watching.”

Monster: The Ed Gein Story is available to stream on Netflix.

Read More

2025-10-04 18:54