Ryan Murphy‘s Monster Season 4 has unveiled its first photos and official poster. In the preview images, Feud: Capote vs. The Swans star Ella Beatty appears as the titular character with a gruesome look. These first-look images relive real-life murders that took place 134 years ago.
Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story will focus on the story of the infamous murderess who got away with her crime. It is set in the Victorian era, which is well-captured by the new images. Moreover, Charlie Hunnam and Rebecca Hall are seen in the first look images as the 69-year-old Andrew Borden and his 64-year-old second wife, Abby Borden.
While the first look images capture the Victorian aesthetic with their costumes, makeup, and candle-lit stills, the poster takes a different approach. The poster is colored in a striking red and takes a more modern horror approach, evoking female-led films such as Carrie and Pearl.
What do the new Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story plot details reveal?
The upcoming season will be the creator’s fourth installment in the Monster series. The previous installments covered Jeffrey Dahmer, the Menendez brothers, and Ed Gein. It will also be the anthology’s first installment centered on a woman accused of murder.
In the fourth season, audiences will see Beatty as Lizzie Borden, who was accused of committing the gruesome murder of her father and stepmother. Although she had suspicious behaviors like an aborted attempt to buy poison, she was acquitted due to lack of evidence. Moreover, the prevailing belief that an upper-class, church-going woman could never commit such acts saved her from the trial.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, co-creator Ian Brennan stated that he hoped to capture these beliefs at the heart of this Monster season. He added, “They literally thought that a woman was too weak to pick up an axe. To be a woman in that period was to be almost a completely different species. You were treated like you were incapable of not only actions, but thoughts that a man was capable of.”
The latest installment in Murphy’s Monster anthology will consist of eight episodes and premiere on September 17, 2026.