Netflix continues to bet on the phenomenon of true crime with its recent release of The Story of Ed Gein, a series starring Charlie Hunnam. This new installment joins the successful and controversial franchise created by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, which has explored notable crimes in American history from Dahmer to the Menendez brothers. The Story of Ed Gein aims to narrate the murders of the infamous criminal whose life inspired horror classics like Psycho, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and The Silence of the Lambs, maintaining a provocative focus on the fascination with horror.
It is what I am, a monster
However, Murphy has made it clear that he has no intention of addressing the figure of Ted Bundy in future installments. In a recent interview, the creator expressed that Bundy does not offer the social reflection he seeks in his work, considering it more of an exercise in media exploitation than a meaningful exploration. Netflix has already thoroughly addressed Bundy’s story with productions like Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile and the docuseries Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes, so reiterating his story would be redundant and morally questionable.
On the horizon of the franchise, Murphy has mentioned the case of Luigi Mangione, a potential future that, although not in immediate development, has sparked debates about the ethical boundaries of true crime. The proposal to transform unsolved cases into entertainment raises questions about the morality of turning the lives of criminals into consumer products without providing new perspectives.
With the story of Ed Gein, the series strives to balance artistic creation with provocation, attempting to provide a broader social context that makes sense of the fascination with crime in popular culture.