Netflix has released the first teaser for Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story, the fourth instalment of Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan’s popular anthology drama series. The new season looks at one of the most talked about murder cases in American history and follows Lizzie Borden, a young woman accused of killing her father and stepmother with an axe in 1893.
The official logline for the series reads, “When the repressed daughter of a wealthy New England family and her rebellious maid find themselves trapped in a house built on humiliation and cruelty, they escape into a fantasy of sex, power, and revenge. The gruesome unsolved murders that follow don’t just shock the world—they give birth to an icon who refuses to live imprisoned in a cage, choosing instead to forge her own legend: shocking, monstrous, and gloriously free.”
Ella Beatty plays Lizzie Borden in the upcoming series. At the time of the murders, Borden was 32 and worked as a Sunday school teacher. She was accused of killing her father, Andrew Borden, and her stepmother, Abby Borden, inside their family home. Historical accounts stated that the two victims suffered nearly 40 blows from an axe.
The case quickly became a major news story, with Borden eventually facing trial for the killings. Despite the accusations and the attention surrounding the case, she was acquitted by a jury. The mystery surrounding what really happened has remained a subject of public interest for more than a century.
Rebecca Hall plays Abby Borden, while Charlie Hunnam appears as Andrew Borden. Hunnam previously starred in the third season of Murphy’s Monster as serial killer Ed Gein. His performance in that season recently earned him an Emmy nomination.
The eight episode series also features Billie Lourd, Joey Pollari, Sarah Paulson and Jessica Barden. Murphy and Brennan created the season, with Brennan also serving as writer. They executive produce alongside Max Winkler, Eric Kovtun, Scott Robertson, Louise Shore, Nissa Diederich, Todd Kubrak, Carl Franklin and Tanasa Popa. Winkler and Sarah Adina Smith are the directors.
This is the fourth season of the Monster anthology and the first to focus on a female killer. Earlier seasons explored the cases of Jeffrey Dahmer, Ed Gein and the Menendez brothers.
Lizzie Borden’s story has also been adapted several times, including The Lizzie Borden Chronicles with Christina Ricci and the 2018 film Lizzie, starring Chloë Sevigny and Kristen Stewart.