Monster: The Ed Gein Story
The reviews are in for Monster: The Ed Gein Storythe third season of Ryan Murphy’s Netflix anthology series, and the TV show creator is proving to be just as divisive as ever. After diving into true-crime stories on American Crime StoryMurphy created a brand-new anthology show to explore the genre even more.
Each season of behemoth centers on a different killer, with the first two installments focusing on Jeffrey Dahmer and Lyle & Erik Menendez, respectively.
behemoth season 3, which was just released on Netflix on October 3 and stars Charlie Hunnam, tells the story of Ed Gein, a serial killer who exhumed corpses that he stole from various cemeteries. His crimes inspired multiple movies over the years, including Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. A fourth season of behemothabout Lizzie Borden, is already in the works.
On that day Monster: The Ed Gein Story was released on Netflix, the Rotten Tomatoes score was published, and as of this writing, the new season is currently at 60%, while the audience score is at 78%.
Sixty percent is the lowest score a show or movie can receive on Rotten Tomatoes and still be considered fresh. Anything below 60% is rotten.
What Low Rotten Tomatoes Score Means For Monster
The very first season of behemoth, The Jeffrey Dahmer Storyhas a 57% score on Rotten Tomatoes, while season 2, The Lyle and Erik Menendez Storyis at 45%. Meaning, both seasons received rotten scores.
Since behemoth season 3, The Ed Gein Storyis currently at 60%, additional reviews in the coming days will likely lower its Rotten Tomatoes score even more, dragging the season down to rotten status like the first two.
From the beginning, behemoth has been a very divisive show. Murphy came under fire from the families of Dahmer’s victims for dredging up the past in an unnecessary way.
His version of the Menendez story was criticized over implied incest. Erik Menendez himself lashed out at alleged lies that the show told about him and his brother, although Lyle later had kinder words to say about behemoth.
The low Rotten Tomatoes score for behemoth season 3 continues a disappointing trend for Murphy’s anthology series. Critics clearly don’t have many positive reactions to this show, but viewership must be strong for Netflix to continue renewing the show multiple times. The first two seasons shot to the top of the streaming charts upon their release.
Our Take On Ryan Murphy Continuing Disappointing Trend
Ultimately, Netflix cares more about viewership than what the critics think. Ratings justify whether a show gets renewed or canceled, and behemoth keeps defying the critics.
Sometimes, controversy causes more people to tune in to a show or movie, which could be partially the case with behemoth. Then there’s the fact that the first two seasons focused on extremely well-known killers. Even if you don’t follow true-crime stories closely, you more than likely know who Dahmer and the Menendez brothers are.
However, Ed Gein, despite being the inspiration for many movies over the years, isn’t as recognizable as a name.
That might result in lower ratings for Monster: The Ed Gein Storywhich could definitely impact the future of this anthology show. The fourth season is already in pre-production, but beyond that, it is possible that Netflix could cancel the show if there are signs of diminishing returns.