Charlie Hunnam Defends Netflix's Monster: The Ed Gein Story, Insists It's Not Gratuitous

Netflix dropped another season of Ryan Murphy crime drama earlier this month, and surprise: people have feelings. This time it is 'Monster: The Ed Gein Story', with Charlie Hunnam playing the Wisconsin grave robber whose crimes became the blueprint for a lot of American horror. Critics say the show leans hard into shock value and mangles the truth. Hunnam says that is not what they made.

Hunnam pushes back on the 'sensationalized' label

In a new chat with The Hollywood Reporter, Hunnam defends the series and his portrayal of Gein, arguing the show is not chasing gore for clicks. He says the team was focused on telling the story straight, not hyping it up.

"I never felt like we were sensationalizing it. I never felt on set that we did anything gratuitous or for shock impact. It was all in order to try to tell this story as honestly as we could."

He also flips the conversation back at us, asking who the real 'monster' is here: the abused, isolated man whose untreated mental illness turned horrific, the filmmakers who have mined his story for decades, or the audience that keeps watching. He even name-checks Hitchcock while he is at it, which, if you know your horror lineage, is not exactly subtle.

The show, the backlash, and the bigger question

This is season three of Murphy's 'Monster' anthology, and the pattern is familiar: big-name lead, slick production, and a rush of criticism about glamorizing violence and rewriting facts. Fans and reviewers are saying this installment does both. Hunnam does not buy it. He frames the project as an uncomfortable mirror held up to the culture that keeps turning Gein's crimes into entertainment. It is a deliberately provocative stance, sure, but that is kind of the point.

• What the show covers: Ed Gein, a Wisconsin farmer who became infamous for digging up graves and using human skin, gets the prestige-drama treatment.
• Why people are mad: accusations of glamorization, sensationalism, and cutting corners with the real story.
• Hunnam's counter: the team avoided shock-for-shock's-sake; the series is about honesty, not exploitation.
• The uncomfortable angle: Hunnam asks if the monster is Gein, the filmmakers who turned him into pop-culture fuel (yes, including Hitchcock), or all of us for watching.

Where to watch

'Monster: The Ed Gein Story' is streaming now on Netflix. Plans start from £5.99 a month. Netflix is also available through Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.