Netflix has released the official trailer for Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story, the fourth instalment in Ryan Murphy's anthology series, and fans are already calling it the scariest yet.
The teaser shows a series of bloodied clips of Borden, played by Ella Beatty, as a voiceover whispers the rhyme: “Lizzie Borden took an axe and gave her mother forty whacks. When she saw what she had done, she gave her father 41.”
First female Monster
The series focuses on the infamous 1892 case, in which the Massachusetts woman, described as a “repressed daughter of a wealthy New England family”, was accused of brutally murdering her father and step-mother with a hatchet.
It marks the first female serial killer in the Monster anthology, following seasons on Jeffrey Dahmer and Ed Gein.
Fan reaction
Netflix fans have since flooded YouTube's comments section, with one writing: “This looks even more horrifying than Dahmer. Now I’m actually scared but can’t wait to watch it.”
A second praised: “Now this is a trailer”, as another replied: “Oscars for best in a trailer performance.” Someone else said: “I’m afraid but I like itm,” while a fellow user wrote: “I cannot wait for this series to continue! All three have been phenomenal.”
A further viewer added: “This looks bloody and epic. It’s also unsolved so I wonder how they're going to deal with that aspect of it. I think that’s what makes it the scariest one yet is we don’t know what happened exactly.”
Cast and release
Starring as Lizzie Borden is Ella Beatty, daughter of Hollywood stars Annette Bening and Warren Beatty, who made her debut in Feud: Capote vs The Swans and the film If I Had Legs I’d Kick You.
The trailer also gives a brief glimpse of Charlie Hunnam as Borden’s father Andrew Borden, a year after he starred as Ed Gein in Monster season three. Rebecca Hall plays Abby Borden.
Creator Ryan Murphy is also known for hits like Nip/Tuck, American Horror Story, Pose and Glee.
Speaking to Tudum, Beatty shared: “I am so excited for viewers to experience our exploration of Lizzie Borden’s story and the questions that her life animates to this day. It has been a dream come true to investigate this complicated person’s psychology and to examine an American crime that feels almost mythic in proportion. This season gives us our first female Monster and delves into female rage and repression which I’ve found to feel strikingly relevant. I cannot wait to share it with the world.”
Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story debuts on Thursday, September 17, on Netflix.
