A curse of mine that refuses to be lifted is that I am cursed with the need to watch everything Ryan Murphy puts his hands on. Whenever I think I am free, he drags me back into it.
The show that I have struggled the most with is, arguably, his Monsters franchise. I am a woman who watches a lot of true crime documentaries because I exist in this world as a single woman. And I don’t want to end up in a murder doc. But it means that I often know a lot about the serial killers in questions and I yearn to know more about the people who lost their lives.
We talk often about the victims and learning more about them instead of the monsters who killed them and yet the Netflix series still spotlights the person in question. Dahmer had moments where we learned more about the victims but they were short-lived. The Erik and Lyle Menendez Story is more complicated because part of the issue was how the show depicted the brothers and not necessarily the victims themselves. But that’s also because that isn’t a cut and dry story.
Now, we have Ed Gein. Charlie Hunnam is playing Gein, a serial killer who the FBI used to help profile serial killers. He was brutal, disgusting, and confirmed to have killed two women. But his actions inspired both Psycho and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre because of what he would do to his victims. Which brings me to my issue with Murphy: I’m going to watch but how made is this going to make me? Is Gein’s story going to change things and focus on the victims instead?
What is this hold that Ryan Murphy holds over me?
My connection to Murphy’s work started with Nip/Tuck when I was young. My mother and I watched it together and the rest was unfortunate history. I stuck through Glee, Scream Queens, American Horror Story, and beyond. So that is why I will end up watching Monster: The Ed Gein Story. But I also know that I can’t really go into the show trusting it.
Ed Gein is just too “ripe” of a story for someone like Murphy to ignore. Gein famously has mommy issues, was theatrical and weird, and on paper, it looks like a perfect fit for how Murphy likes to work. Which is what makes me fear for the women that Gein hurt.
Is this going to be their time to shine or is this going to more of a showcase on this deranged individual? Frankly, we don’t need more of a look at real life people who are killing for the “thrill” of it. Especially when victims are continually ignored in these fictionalized worlds.
Now, we know that Gein killed at least two women and I hope that the show gives them their time to shine but I do fear that we’re going to see Gein’s more famous qualities get more of a spotlight. And, unfortunately, I will watch because Murphy’s choices always end up baffling me.
(featured image: Netflix)
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