“Monster 4” is that series that decides to tell the story of “true” evil, beyond the surface of the crime, a very powerful narrative space opens up: not only the “what happened”, but above all the why it happens. “Monster”, the Netflix anthology produced by Ryan Murphy, is back with its fourth season and with a name that already evokes previous stories of fear and fascination: Aileen Wuornos. Playing her is Sarah Paulson, an actress of extraordinary transformative force, ready to give face, voice and presence to one of the most documented and discussed criminal figures in recent history.
“Monster” 4 does not simply expose facts: it invites the viewer to look at the depth of human motivations, even when they lead to extreme gestures. It’s not about justifying, but about understanding: and this is the first step towards an authentic reflection on what it means to be human, fragile and in conflict with oneself and society.
“Monster 4”: Sarah Paulson plays Aileen Wuornos: inside the mind of a killer in the new season
“Monster 4” with Sarah Paulson in the role of Aileen Wuornos is preparing to offer a new and profound reflection on crime and human psychology. We always ask ourselves: what does it mean to be a person marked by internal wounds so deep that they transform one’s life into a painful and destructive story?
This season of “Monster” isn’t about giving simple answers or reducing Wuornos’ experience to a cinematic biography. The challenge is more subtle: to show, through the lens of an intense and complex interpretation, how life, trauma, society and self-perception intertwine to the point of generating extreme existential paths. And precisely for this reason, it invites the viewer to question the cultural and psychological conditions that precede every gesture, even the most extreme.
The new season and Sarah Paulson
In “Monster” 4, the production will explore the stories of female criminal figures, including Lizzie Borden, the main protagonist, and the serial killer Aileen Wuornos, inserted into the narrative to highlight the symbolic and cultural links between female figures linked to crime.
Sarah Paulson, already a well-known face from Ryan Murphy’s series, radically immerses herself in the role of Wuornos: a physical and psychological transformation that makes her almost unrecognizable on set, with hair, posture and gaze profoundly different from her usual appearance.
This casting choice is not accidental. Paulson has repeatedly said that she is interested in understanding human behavior in extreme situations, not to normalize violent acts, but to explore “the why” behind them, a look that goes beyond simple judgment. In other words, the series offers a look that does not stop at the news, but tries to restore the psychological complexity of those who, for various reasons, collide with the extreme limit of violence.
Who was Aileen Wuornos: a controversial figure
Aileen Wuornos was an American serial killer convicted of the murder of seven men between 1989 and 1990 in Florida and executed in 2002. Her story has fascinated directors, documentarians and writers precisely because it breaks many stereotypes: Wuornos does not fit into the classic prototype of the serial killer, and her life before the crimes is marked by trauma, abuse and difficulties.
Psychological studies report that Wuornos suffered from antisocial personality disorder and borderline personality disorder, conditions associated with childhood trauma, inability to manage interpersonal relationships and dysfunctional coping strategies. These elements do not justify violence in any way, but help to understand how extreme life experiences can influence the perception of oneself and others, while creating fertile ground for impulsiveness and difficulties in social integration.
From cinema to series: Monster’s legacy
Aileen’s story is no stranger to the big screen. In 2003, director Patty Jenkins brought her story to the cinema in the film Monster, with Charlize Theron in the lead role, a performance that earned her the Oscar for Best Actress.
That film did not limit itself to recounting Wuornos’ crimes, but strove to restore the painful and conflicted humanity of a figure who had lived on the margins of society, a portrait that skillfully combined reality and artistic interpretation. The new season of the series, while developing a broader narrative arc with other figures, seems to want to maintain this balance between news and introspection.
The psychology of crime: beyond sensationalism
When narratives like “Monster” approach real stories of extreme violence, the risk is always that of sensationalism or the mere spectacularization of evil. In this case, however, the gaze is deeper: it is not the “monster” to be exhibited that captures attention, but the human fracture that could be behind it.
Understanding Wuornos does not absolve her or diminish the weight of her crimes. Rather, it serves to illuminate how existences marked by trauma, abuse and systemic failures can produce self-destructive and destructive behavior towards others. And it is precisely this gaze that allows the public to face crime not as a voyeur’s enigma, but as a complex, human, tragically, too often predictable phenomenon in its root causes.
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