Monster: The Ed Gein Story was watched 12.2 million times on Netflix during its first weekend on release.
Despite these impressive viewing figures, the show was kept off the top of the Netflix charts by Wayward, Mae Martin’s thriller series about a cultish school starring Toni Collette. Wayward was watched 14.1 million times, having first been released on September 25.
The most watched film of the week on the streaming service remained KPop Demon Hunters, which was watched 18.1 million times. Earlier this year, the animated musical became the most-streamed film in Netflix history when it passed 236 million total views. It was released on June 20 and has now spent 16 weeks in the streamer’s top 10.
The viewing figures for Monster: The Ed Gein Story are comparable to those achieved by the previous installment in the anthology series, 2024’s Monster: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story. That season was watched 12.3 million times over its opening weekend, but that figure was calculated over a four day weekend while The Ed Gein Story was only available for three.
While audiences have been flocking to The Ed Gein Story , some viewers have criticized the series for “romanticizing” the notorious serial killer.
In the show, Charlie Hunnam plays the murderer who robbed multiple graves and used stolen body parts to decorate his home and create furniture and “skin suits.”
While the season has been mostly acclaimed by viewers, the final episode has received backlash over its decision to paint Gein, who killed two women, in a sympathetic light — and to depict him as a saintly figure respected by other murderers.
“Not only is it an apology for Gein, it ends by turning him into a saintly figure, benevolently presiding over the world of serial killers, including TWO fantasy sequences where famous killers salute him,” one viewer wrote.
Another added: “Finished this Ed Gein series and…I feel like, towards the end, I was being gaslit into feeling empathy for this man who murdered people.”
Exactly! Loved the series but the ending threw me off. Ryan Murphy always do that 😂😂 how are you giving your flowers to a serial killer? Yes he inspired horror cinema in massive ways but at the end of the day, he was a horrible person. https://t.co/MqQ7hdxVbo
— SHAN. 🎀 (@wasgoodshan) October 5, 2025
Others have argued that the final episode was designed to challenge viewers, a reflection of Gein’s alleged undiagnosed mental health condition and the delusions of grandeur he might have experienced over his legacy – and was designed to challenge the viewer.
“The ending really made me think hard about mental illness too and I saw him in a different light in a strange way,” one person offered. But others argued a killer like Gein does not deserve such nuance.
“Loved the series but the ending threw me off,” one person stated, claiming Ryan Murphy’s show could be read as a celebration of Gein, who was the basis of horror characters including Norman Bates (Psycho) and Leatherface (The Texas Chain Saw Massacre).
“Yes, he inspired horror cinema in massive ways but at the end of the day, he was a horrible person,” they added.
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