Addison Rae’s Character Meets a Deadly Twist in Monster: The Ed Gein Story — Here’s What Happens
Addison Rae makes a brief but chilling splash in Netflix’s Monster: The Ed Gein Story as Evelyn Hartley, whose return home puts her in the crosshairs of Charlie Hunnam’s Ed Gein after he’s fired from a babysitting gig—and the encounter turns deadly.
Netflix's Monster anthology has moved on to Ed Gein, and yes, that's Addison Rae you saw briefly on screen. It's a quick appearance, but the show makes sure you don't forget it.
Addison Rae's blink-and-scream turn
Rae plays Evelyn Hartley, a teen who crosses paths with Charlie Hunnam's Ed Gein after he gets canned from a babysitting gig. The show stages it in full nightmare mode: Gein snatches Evelyn when she comes home, hauls out his mother's corpse for her to face, sets a bucket down, and kills her with a hammer. It's grim, even by Monster standards.
About the real Evelyn Hartley
Evelyn Hartley was a 14-year-old who vanished in 1953 while babysitting at the Rasmussen house. In real life, Gein was suspected early on, denied any involvement, and was ultimately cleared by authorities after no trace of Evelyn was found on his property. He also passed two lie detector tests. Still, the cloud of suspicion never really went away, which is probably why the show leans into the connection. But to be clear: Evelyn's case remains unsolved, and there is no confirmed link to Gein.
Rae's scream-queen chapter is very much a thing
Rae isn't just a TikTok name anymore. She jumped into acting with Netflix's 2021 teen rom-com reimagining He's All That (a spin on 1999's She's All That), then pivoted to bloodier territory with the 2023 slasher Thanksgiving. Monster only pushes that scream-queen lane further. She also posted a note of thanks after the episode dropped:
"Feeling very grateful to have been a part of this with some of the most passionate and sincere artists!"
And she's not slowing down: she's got the adventure-comedy Animal Friends on the way and a sequel to 2023's Thanksgiving lined up.
Inside baseball: Hunnam asked Sarah Paulson how to go dark
To tackle Gein, Hunnam did the homework and then did the smart thing: he reached out to Sarah Paulson, Ryan Murphy's go-to for complicated, often very dark characters, and an old friend of his. Her advice was simple and ruthless:
"Challenge yourself. Don't be afraid. It's inside you, just look deep and find it."
That tracks. Whatever you think of the show, Hunnam's performance is getting singled out.
So how's the show landing?
Mixed to negative overall. The series has been dinged as overly voyeuristic, unfocused, and light on depth. Hunnam, though, is mostly getting the nod for carrying it.
- Title: Monster: The Ed Gein Story (third entry in Netflix's Monster anthology)
- Creators: Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan
- Main cast: Charlie Hunnam, Laurie Metcalf, Suzanna Son, Tom Hollander, with Addison Rae as Evelyn Hartley
- Rotten Tomatoes score: 50%
- Addison Rae upcoming: Animal Friends (adventure-comedy); Thanksgiving sequel (slasher follow-up)
- Where to watch: Streaming on Netflix
Seen Monster: The Ed Gein Story yet? Curious where you land on the show vs. Hunnam's performance debate.