Lizzie Borden took an axe,
And gave her mother 40 whacks.
When she saw what she had done,
She gave her father 41.
So goes the schoolyard rhyme that follows the story of Lizzie Borden, the infamous Massachusetts woman who was accused of the 1892 axe murder of her parents. Borden is the subject of the fourth installment of Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan’s hit anthology series, Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story, coming to Netflix on Sept. 17.
After an extensive search, Murphy and Brennan chose Ella Beatty as the actor to bring Lizzie to life. Beatty previously appeared in Murphy’s Feud: Capote vs. The Swans; she can also be seen in Mary Bronstein’s Oscar-nominated Sundance sensation If I Had Legs I’d Kick You. Above, you can catch a first glimpse of Beatty covered in blood as Borden. Whose blood? You’ll have to wait and see, but Beatty has some thoughts about what it means to be the first woman Monster.
“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,” Beatty tells Tudum. “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.”
Read on to dive into the world of Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story, including more looks at some of the other cast members — including Rebecca Hall, Vicky Krieps, and Charlie Hunnam — joining Beatty in this twisted tale.
What is Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story about?
When the repressed daughter of a wealthy New England family and her rebellious maid find themselves trapped in a house built on humiliation and cruelty, they escape into a fantasy of sex, power, and revenge. The gruesome unsolved murders that follow don’t just shock the world — they give birth to an icon who refuses to live imprisoned in a cage, choosing instead to forge her own legend: shocking, monstrous, and gloriously free.
Murphy and Brennan’s groundbreaking anthology series returns with its fourth and wildest installment yet. Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story tells the story of how one young woman changed what the world believed a killer could be. All it took was an axe.
Who’s in the cast of Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story?
The cast of Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story includes:
- Ella Beatty (Feud: Capote vs. The Swans, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You) as Lizzie Borden
- Vicky Krieps (Phantom Thread, Monster: The Ed Gein Story) as Bridget Sullivan, the Bordens’ live-in maid
- Charlie Hunnam (Monster: The Ed Gein Story, Sons of Anarchy) as Andrew Borden, Lizzie’s father
- Rebecca Hall (Christine, Passing) as Abby Borden, Lizzie’s stepmother
- Billie Lourd (American Horror Story, The Last Showgirl) as Emma, Lizzie’s older sister
- Jessica Barden (The End of the F***ing World, Dune: Prophecy) as Nance O’Neil, an actor friend of Lizzie’s
What are the other seasons of Monster about?
DAHMER — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story focuses on Jeffrey Dahmer (Evan Peters) and became one of the most highly watched series in Netflix history, reaching 1 billion view hours in its first 60 days. It currently ranks No. 6 on the all-time English TV Top 10, and received 13 nominations at the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards in 2024, winning one for Niecy Nash-Betts’s performance.
The second installment, Monsters: The Erik and Lyle Menendez Story, centers on the case of the real-life brothers (played by Cooper Koch and Nicholas Alexander Chavez, respectively) who were convicted in 1996 for the murders of their parents. The season received 11 nominations at the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards in 2025.
The third installment, Monster: The Ed Gein Story, follows the story of Ed Gein, the “Plainfield Ghoul” whose story inspired Psycho, The Silence of the Lambs, and more. The series hit Netflix’s Top 10 with 12.2 million views globally in its first three days and reached No. 1 in 11 countries. Monster: The Ed Gein Story received seven nominations at the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards in 2026, including nods for Hunnam’s performance and Laurie Metcalf’s turn as his harsh mother.
When will Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story be on Netflix?
Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story arrives on Netflix on Sept. 17.
