Monster 4 about a female serial killer is now available
Did you think Ryan Murphy was done with bizarre murder cases after serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, the Menendez brothers case, and Ed Gein? Think again. The fourth season of Monster is on Netflix and this time it’s not about a man, but about Lizzie Borden. She was accused of murdering her father and stepmother with an axe. From an unsolved double murder to a star-studded cast featuring Rebecca Hall and Sarah Paulson: this season has everything to become a hit. This is everything you need to know about Monster 4.
Here’s what Monster 4 is about
This season dives back into history and takes us to Fall River, Massachusetts, in 1892. There lives wealthy businessman Andrew Borden (Charlie Hunnam) with his second wife Abby (Rebecca Hall), his daughters Lizzie (Ella Beatty) and Emma (Billie Lourd), and maid Bridget Sullivan (Vicky Krieps). Behind the facade of the affluent family, tensions are brewing. Lizzie feels oppressed by her father and cannot get along with her stepmother at all. When Bridget, who is also referred to as Maggie in the series, enters her life, everything changes: Lizzie falls in love with her. The feelings turn out to be mutual and the two begin a secret relationship.
On August 4, 1892, Andrew and Abby are found dead in their home: Abby upstairs, Andrew downstairs on the couch. Both have been violently killed with a hatchet. The police quickly turns its attention to Lizzie, as she and Bridget were the only ones home at the time of the murders. What follows is one of the most famous trials in American history. While the newspapers pounce on every gruesome detail, Lizzie tries to prove her innocence.
Is Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story based on a true story?
Yes. The series is based on the real murders of Andrew and Abby Borden. Lizzie was arrested at the time and stood trial a year later. Although there was evidence against her, a jury ultimately acquitted her.
That doesn’t mean everything in the series happened literally. Just like in previous seasons, Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan supplement historical facts with fictional relationships, conversations, and storylines. There is no evidence that Lizzie and Bridget were in love. Bridget was indeed in the house during the murders, but her statements remained consistent and she was not considered a suspect. After the trial, she moved to Montana, where she got married. The meeting between Lizzie and serial killer Aileen Wuornos (Sarah Paulson) is also completely fictional: Wuornos was born about a century later.
Did Lizzie Borden murder her father and stepmother?
That question has been on people’s minds for over a hundred years. During her interrogation, Lizzie gave various statements about where she was: one time she said she was looking for fishing gear in the barn, another time she said she was eating pears. A neighbor also claimed to have seen Lizzie burning a dress after the murders. According to Lizzie, it had paint on it, but critics suspected blood. Additionally, she allegedly tried to buy a toxic substance at the pharmacy shortly before the murders.
So there were signals pointing in her direction, but hard evidence was lacking. The murder weapon was never definitively identified, no bloody clothing was found, and her changing statements could not be used as evidence because no lawyer was present. Her defense also emphasized that Lizzie, as a respectable unmarried woman by the standards of that time, would not be capable of such a violent act. To this day, it has never been proven who murdered Andrew and Abby Borden.
This is Ella Beatty, the actress behind Lizzie in The Lizzie Borden Story
The twenty-six-year-old actress playing Lizzie is named Ella Beatty. You might not know her yet, and that’s not surprising: she is still relatively new. Previously, she had a supporting role in Ryan Murphy’s series Feud: Capote vs. The Swans. She was not completely unknown in Hollywood, as she is the daughter of actress Annette Bening and actor and director Warren Beatty. After roles in If I Had Legs I’d Kick You and Act One she has landed her first major lead role with this series.
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Before she made the transition to film and television, Ella spent a lot of time on stage. For example, she appeared in 2024 in Appropriate on Broadway, where she performed alongside Sarah Paulson. The two became friends there, which made working on this series extra special. Are you a fan by now? Then there’s good news: Ella also stars in the upcoming film version of The Bell Jar, alongside Billie Eilish, Carey Mulligan, and Connor Storrie.
These actors also star in Monster 4
Lizzie’s father Andrew is played by Charlie Hunnam, whom you might also know as Ed Gein in Monster 3 and from Sons of Anarchy, The Gentlemen and Pacific Rim. Abby Borden is portrayed by Rebecca Hall, known for among others The Prestige, Christine, The Night House and Passing.
In addition to the victims, there are more important characters. Bridget, Lizzie’s secret love, is played by Vicky Krieps, known from Icarus, Corsage and The Last Vermeer. Lizzie’s sister Emma is portrayed by Billie Lourd, who was previously seen in American Horror Story, Scream Queens, Star Wars and The Last Showgirl. Nance also plays a significant role. She is based on actress Nance O’Neill, who had contact with Lizzie after the murder trial. In the series, she is played by Jessica Barden from The End of the F**king World. And the biggest actress in this entire series is Sarah Paulson, who is known from almost every alternative horror series, such as American Horror Story, and from blockbuster films like 12 Years a Slave. She doesn’t have a major lead role, but she makes a huge impression as serial killer Aileen Wuornos.
So. Are you up for a bloody murder mystery that finally revolves around a female perpetrator? Then you don’t need to look any further. I want to know how Lizzie Borden felt. Do you too?
