Monster: The Ed Gein Story

Monster: The Ed Gein Story (2025) Review: A Deceptive and Exploitative Misfire - 1/10

Monster: The Ed Gein Story is not just a bad series; it is a fundamentally deceptive one. By branding itself with the name of a real-life, horrific figure, it invites scrutiny and promises a harrowing, fact-based psychological portrait. What it delivers is a cheap, sensationalised horror-thriller that abandons truth for tawdry fiction, earning its abysmal score through sheer betrayal of its own premise.

The first two episodes, which chronicle Gein's disturbing relationship with his mother, provide a fleeting, misleading glimpse of a grounded drama. However, this is merely bait. From episode 3 onwards, the series is totally off-target, painting a completely fictional picture of Ed and his activities. It invents a ludicrous, serial-killer slasher narrative, complete with elaborate chases, fictional victims, and a dramatic, cinematic showdown that never happened. The real Ed Gein was a reclusive, pathetic grave-robber whose two murders were horrific but isolated; this series transforms him into a cartoonish, proactive monster straight out of a network procedural.

The Verdict

1/10 - An Insult to True-Crime and History

This series is an exploitative failure on every level that matters. It disrespects the memory of the real victims, misleads its audience, and fails as both a documentary and a compelling drama. The one point it earns is for the initial setup, which it promptly sets on fire. Do not watch this for history. Do not watch this for quality. It is a cynical, poorly-researched piece of fiction that should have been honest enough to use a fictional name. A truly contemptible waste of a disturbing, real-life story.

To be honest, I don't know how accurate is this show compared to real life events and real character, so I won't be judging this show as a history based show, however we can't argue that this is a high quality production series. The entire effort—from the cinematography and directing to the performances and overall execution—is top-tier. It's also very morbid and sick, so it's definitely not for faint-hearted people. Actor who plays Ed Gein does a terrific job!