What Is ‘Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story’ Really Based On? The True Crime Case That Still Haunts Fall River

Ryan Murphy’s anthology series is once again turning history’s most chilling headlines into prestige television, and this time the story hits closer to home for American folklore than any of the previous installments. ‘Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story‘ is the upcoming fourth season of the biographical crime drama anthology series ‘Monster,’ created by Ian Brennan for Netflix, and it centers on murder suspect Lizzie Borden, who was tried and acquitted of the 1892 axe murders of her father and stepmother in Fall River, Massachusetts.

The new season, arriving after acclaimed installments on Jeffrey Dahmer, the Menendez brothers, and Ed Gein, marks a notable first for the franchise. It is the first installment of the anthology to focus on an alleged female perpetrator, and that shift alone has fans buzzing about how Murphy and Brennan will handle a case that, unlike its predecessors, was never actually solved.

The Real Fall River Murders Behind the Netflix Series

The true story at the center of ‘Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story’ begins on one horrifying morning in New England. In real life, Lizzie’s father Andrew Borden and stepmother Abby Borden were found murdered in their home in a bloody hatchet attack on August 4, 1892. The brutality of the crime and the fact that a proper young woman from a respected family was the prime suspect turned the case into a national sensation almost overnight.

What makes Lizzie Borden’s story different from the other ‘Monster’ subjects is the uncertainty that still surrounds it. Unlike Dahmer, the Menendez brothers, or Ed Gein, the murders Borden is associated with are actually unsolved crimes, and to this day nobody really knows the true story except the people who were directly involved, all of whom are long dead. That ambiguity is part of why the case has fascinated true crime enthusiasts and historians for well over a century.

The series tells the story of the 1892 brutal murders of Lizzie’s parents and the historic trial that captivated the nation and ultimately ended in her acquittal. Despite that not guilty verdict, the legend of Lizzie Borden as a folk villain has only grown with time, fueled by a schoolyard rhyme accusing her of giving her mother forty whacks with an axe.

Cast and Characters Bringing the Lizzie Borden Case to Life

Leading the charge as the season’s first female ‘Monster’ is Ella Beatty, daughter of Warren Beatty and Annette Bening. After an extensive search, the fourth installment of Murphy’s hit anthology series stars Ella Beatty as Lizzie Borden, and the first look images show her with her face covered in blood splatter alongside the series’ dark Victorian visual style.

She is surrounded by a stacked ensemble that pulls talent from across the Murphy universe. Charlie Hunnam, who led the previous ‘Monster’ installment as Ed Gein, plays Lizzie’s father, while Rebecca Hall plays Lizzie’s stepmother. Billie Lourd plays Emma Borden, Lizzie’s sister, and Vicky Krieps stars as Bridget Sullivan, the Bordens’ live-in maid.

One of the more intriguing additions is Sarah Paulson, a longtime Murphy collaborator. Paulson makes an appearance as notorious killer Aileen Wuornos, who was previously portrayed by Charlize Theron in the 2003 film ‘Monster’. Murphy has teased that the season weaves together multiple infamous women, noting that this batch of episodes has three great monsters behind it in Lizzie Borden, Aileen Wuornos, and Elizabeth Báthory.

How the New Season Reimagines the Borden Household

Beyond the true crime facts, ‘Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story’ leans into a specific emotional and thematic angle for its storytelling. The official synopsis describes the repressed daughter of a wealthy New England family and her rebellious maid finding themselves trapped in a house built on humiliation and cruelty, escaping into a fantasy of sex, power, and revenge. It frames the unsolved murders as the origin point of an icon who refuses to be imprisoned, choosing instead to forge her own shocking, monstrous, and gloriously free legend.

That framing lines up with comments from the show’s creator about what the season is really exploring underneath the true crime surface. According to creator Ian Brennan, the season explores misogyny, gender roles, and societal expectations placed on women in the Victorian era, while also examining class and sexuality themes through the relationship between Borden and Bridget Sullivan.

This is not the first time pop culture has speculated about a romantic bond between Lizzie and her household staff. The 2018 film ‘Lizzie’ starred Chloe Sevigny as Lizzie and Kristen Stewart as the Bordens’ housemaid Sullivan, suggesting the two were lovers and that their relationship led to the murders. Given that there is no consensus theory about what actually happened in that house, Murphy and Brennan have creative room to build their own version of events while staying tethered to the historical record.

Release Date and What Fans Can Expect from the New ‘Monster’ Season

Netflix has locked in a premiere date for the highly anticipated season. ‘Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story’ arrives on Netflix on September 17, with all eight episodes dropping at once. The streamer has already released both a teaser and a full trailer to build anticipation ahead of the launch.

Behind the scenes, the season carries the same creative DNA as its predecessors. The show is created and written by Ian Brennan, executive produced by Brennan and Murphy along with Max Winkler, Eric Kovtun, Scott Robertson, Louise Shore, Nissa Diederich, Todd Kubrak, Carl Franklin and Tanase Popa, with Sarah Adina Smith directing episodes four and six.

It is also worth noting the timeline of the case itself, since though she was ultimately found not guilty by the courts, Borden became something of a folk legend in southern Massachusetts, with many historians and true crime fans still believing she was guilty.

With a story this steeped in mystery, romance, and Gilded Age horror, ‘Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story’ seems primed to reignite the century old debate over whether Lizzie really did take up that axe. Do you think Netflix’s take will finally crack the case, or just deepen the legend even further?