Things Get Bloody in the First Look at Ryan Murphy’s “Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story”

Sharpen your hatchets and adjust your petticoats. Netflix’s hit true-crime anthology “Monster“ is returning this fall, and Vanity Fair has dropped the official first look at its next grim obsession, “Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story.”

Created by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, the franchise previously dissected Jeffrey Dahmer, the Menendez Brothers, and Ed Gein. Now, it is turning back the clock to Fall River, Massachusetts, in the fall of 1892. This time, it will explore history’s most famous axe-wielding socialite.

An Absolute Killer Ensemble

Rising star Ella BeattyA star-studded roster of enablers, victims, and bystanders supports her-studded roster of enablers, victims, and bystanders. Charlie Hunnam (Monster: Ed Gein) returns to the series as Andrew Borden, Lizzie’s tyrannical father. Rebecca Hall, Billie Lour, Vicky Krieps, and Jessica Barden fill out the cast.

Because this is a Ryan Murphy project, the casting fever dream doesn’t stop in the 19th century. Sarah Paulson is also slated to appear. How? In a cross-era cameo as infamous 20th-century serial killer Aileen Wuornos.

“Cinderella” with a Heavy Blade

Speaking with Vanity Fair, co-creator Ian Brennan unpacked the core thematic driving force of the season:

“It was a tough time to be a rudderless young woman, and in a house that didn’t seem happy. The big question the anthology always asks is: are monsters made or born? With Lizzie, if she’s a monster, she wasn’t born that way.”

Rebecca Hall teased: “It’s Ryan Murphy does Cinderella.” Except in this version, the glass slipper gets replaced with a bloody hatchet.

A Pop-Culture Legacy

Lizzie Borden was tried and acquitted for the brutal double murder of her father and stepmother. And her tale has long fascinated Hollywood. From Christina Ricci’s campy turn in Lifetime’s The Lizzie Borden Chronicles (2015) to Chloë Sevigny’s indie drama Lizzie (2018), the story remains an immovable pillar of American gothic lore.

Premiere Date & First Look Gallery

Check out the first-look character gallery and official poster to see the Victorian wardrobe before it gets ruined. With Murphy, it’s guaranteed to be twisted and brutal.

“Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story” premieres globally on Netflix on September 17, 2026.