Netflix‘s new Ed Gein series is being slammed by fans and critics, and everyone is making the same complaint.
Ryan Murphy’s latest true crime instalment, Monster: The Ed Gein Story, has become one of Netflix’s most-watched titles despite earning the lowest Rotten Tomatoes score in the anthology series, with critics and viewers united in their frustration over the show.
The eight-episode series, which premiered on October 3, 2025, stars Charlie Hunnam as the notorious Wisconsin killer who murdered at least two women and robbed graves in the 1950s.
At the time of writing, the series holds just 29% on Rotten Tomatoes with a 53% audience score – the lowest ratings of all three Monster seasons.
Viewers on Reddit expressed their disappointment, with one fan writing that they had to ‘Google a lot of things only to find out every time that it’s made up! almost 50% of the show is made up.’
The complaint has become a recurring theme across social media platforms and critical reviews.
Among the most significant fabrications is the character of Adeline Watkins, Ed’s alleged girlfriend who appears throughout the series.
The real Watkins clarified in an interview that public claims of an alleged two-decade romance were wrong, stating they didn’t know each other until 1954 and were only in touch occasionally for seven months.
She also claimed she never visited his home or knew about the crimes, per AOL.
The show depicts Ed killing his brother Henry in 1944 by hitting him in the head during a fight, though Henry’s death was officially ruled an accident caused by asphyxiation leading to heart failure.
Ed didn’t confess to being involved in Henry’s death, while Monster made the claim that he was definitely at fault.
Viewers also noted that Ed Gein’s actual story ‘could be told in full detail in a single two-hour movie’ and that ‘he killed two people, and robbed a lot of graves.’
One Reddit user complained the show ‘could be finished in 3 or 4 episodes maximum if it was truly told,’ suggesting the series was unnecessarily padded to meet the eight-episode format.
The series invented several crimes, including a traumatic babysitting incident where Ed murdered a babysitter named Evelyn, played by Addison Rae, which ‘veered more into fictional territory.’
Perhaps most controversially, Monster featured fantasies of Ed communicating via ham radio with Holocaust war criminal Ilse Koch and Christine Jorgensen, despite there being no proof Ed ever spoke with either woman.
One reviewer declared the series ‘perverse & senseless,’ while another criticized Murphy for wanting viewers ‘to feel shame at being entertained by true crime, while simultaneously ‘trafficking in the grotesque nature of these events.’
The Guardian‘s Lucy Mangan called the show ‘unforgivable,’ writing that it ‘is utterly devoid of morality’ and ‘panders to viewers’ basest instincts by lingering gleefully over the worst depredations humanity can commit.’
Reddit users familiar with Ryan Murphy’s work weren’t surprised, with one commenter noting ‘the ol’ Ryan Murphy special’ of shows that start strong before descending ‘into bulls***.’
Despite the backlash over historical accuracy, some viewers have stayed up all night binge-watching the series, with one confessing it was ‘5.23am and I’m watching the Monster: Ed Gein Story.’
The show’s popularity on Netflix suggests that while audiences may criticize the liberties taken with the truth, they’re still watching, perhaps proving Murphy’s point about society’s complicated relationship with true crime entertainment.
Watch the trailer for Monster: The Ed Gein Story below…
Monster: The Ed Gein Story is available to stream now on Netflix.
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