Sarah Paulson Is Nearly Unrecognizable Playing a Notorious Serial Killer in Netflix’s ‘Monster’

Physical transformation has become something of a signature move for actors chasing awards recognition, but few recent examples have generated quite as much online debate as this one. Ryan Murphy’s true-crime anthology has spent seasons pushing its cast into increasingly dramatic makeovers, and its latest installment is no exception.

“Monster,” the Netflix series that has previously tackled Jeffrey Dahmer, the Menendez brothers and Ed Gein across its first three seasons, is returning for a fourth installment titled “Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story.” Set to premiere September 17, the eight-episode season centers on Lizzie Borden, the Massachusetts woman accused of killing her father and stepmother with an ax in 1892, before a jury ultimately acquitted her of both murders following just 90 minutes of deliberation.

That story alone would be enough to generate buzz, but it’s the season’s secondary storyline that’s currently dominating headlines. Sarah Paulson has undergone a dramatic transformation to play Aileen Wuornos, the notorious serial killer whose crimes took place nearly a century after Borden’s alleged killings, and newly released images show her looking almost completely unrecognizable in the role.

Paulson’s version of Wuornos features blonde hair and matching eyebrows, a stark departure from her usual look, closely echoing both the real-life killer’s appearance and Charlize Theron’s Oscar-winning portrayal of Wuornos in the 2003 film “Monster.” Netflix confirmed the casting alongside a trailer showing Paulson fully embodying the character, marking the actress’s fifteenth collaboration with Ryan Murphy across various projects, including “American Horror Story,” “Ratched” and “All’s Fair.”

According to Netflix, the new season weaves together dual timelines, with the Wuornos storyline positioned as a separate but thematically connected thread rather than the season’s primary focus. The show reportedly depicts Wuornos as being fascinated and inspired by Borden’s story decades later, tying the two infamous cases together through a shared exploration of violence and societal expectations placed on women.

Ella Beatty, daughter of Annette Bening and Warren Beatty, leads the season as Lizzie Borden herself, marking her most high-profile television role to date following her work in “Feud: Capote vs. The Swans.” Speaking about the season’s broader thematic ambitions, Beatty explained that the show is exploring a legacy of female rage and reaction to the circumstances these women were presented with, according to comments she gave to Netflix’s Tudum.

Beatty elaborated further on the anthology’s overall approach, noting that every season of “Monster” has functioned as an exercise in understanding a killer’s psychology, asking whether they were born or made. That question takes on new dimensions this season as the first installment in the anthology to center specifically on a woman’s story.

Not everyone has been fully convinced by Paulson’s transformation. While many fans have praised the effort behind her physical shift into Wuornos, others have pushed back on social media, arguing the change wasn’t dramatic enough to justify being called truly unrecognizable, with some pointing out that her performance still reads clearly as Paulson herself despite the styling changes.

That skepticism has been compounded by broader questions about whether another Wuornos portrayal was even necessary, given Theron’s already iconic Oscar-winning performance and Lily Rabe’s earlier take on the character in “American Horror Story: Hotel.” Netflix has also previously covered Wuornos through the documentary “Aileen: Queen of Serial Killers,” adding yet another layer to how audiences may compare Paulson’s version against existing interpretations.

The new installment arrives after Season 3’s “The Ed Gein Story” faced a notably rough critical reception, holding just a 22 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes from critics alongside a mixed 50 percent audience Popcornmeter rating. That underwhelming response has raised the stakes considerably for “The Lizzie Borden Story” to deliver a stronger critical showing when it premieres later this month.

With “Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story” set to debut September 17 on Netflix, audiences will soon get the chance to judge Paulson’s transformation and the season’s dual-timeline approach for themselves.

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