Netflix's Monster Season 4 Reveals Truth Of 134-Year-Old Axe Murders In Bloody Trailer

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Lizzie Borden wearing a blue dress with a white collar, covered in bloodied feathers

Published Aug 20, 2026, 9:00 AM EDT

Adam has been writing in the entertainment news space for over a decade. Beginning his career of covering film and TV at CinemaBlend, he has also appeared on The Flash Podcast and done several radio spots.

The new trailer for Netflix’s Monster season 4 is pulling the curtain back on the axe murders that have been ingrained in United States history for well over a century.

The true crime anthology series has been airing on the streaming platform since 2022, with the first three seasons covering Jeffrey Dahmer, Lyle and Erik Menendez, and Ed Gein, respectively. All those serial killers are from the last several decades, but Monster season 4, a.k.a. Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story, winds the clock back to the late 19th century to focus on the titular murder suspect, played by If I Had Legs I'd Kick You’s Ella Beatty.

In 1892, Borden was tried and acquitted of the axe murders of her father and stepmother in Fall River, Massachusetts. No one else was ever charged for the murders, and Borden spent the rest of her life ostracized by her hometown’s citizens despite the trial’s outcome. Now the latest Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story trailer has provided viewers with a first taste of how Netflix is exploring the events leading up to these brutal killings, and the subsequent investigation:

The preview lays out how Borden feels repressed in her wealthy New England family life. She finds a confidant in Vicky Krieps’ Bridget Sullivan, a.k.a. Maggie, the Borden family’s maid, who also feels, as described in the season's official synopsis, “trapped in a house built on humiliation and cruelty.” These women “escape into a fantasy of sex, power, and revenge,” as demonstrated through their intimate conversations and practice in using weaponry. While the deaths of Borden’s parents remains an unsolved mystery, it’s shown that Borden and Sullivan at least formulated a murderous plan together.

Beatty and Krieps are joined in Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story by Charlie Hunnam as Andrew Borden, Lizzie’s father; Rebecca Hall as Abby Borden, Lizzie’s stepmother; Jessica Barden as Nance O’Neill, an actress who befriended Lizzie; Joey Pillar as John Morse, Lizzie’s maternal uncle, Billie Lourd as Emma Borden, Lizzie’s sister; and Sarah Paulson as Aileen Wuornos, a serial killer who murdered seven men between 1989 and 1990, and is seen at the end of the trailer. Krieps additionally plays the role of Hungarian noblewoman Elizabeth Báthory, who was convicted of killing hundreds of girls from 1590 to 1610.

As with the prior three Monster seasons, Ian Brennan, who co-created the anthology series with Ryan Murphy, is the showrunner behind The Lizzie Borden Story. Max Winkler helmed all but episodes 4 and 6 of season 4, with Sarah Adina Smith helming the remaining two. The Lizzie Borden Story was announced in July 2025, and principal photography unfolded from September to March. Krieps, Hunnam, and Pollari all previously worked with Brennan on Monster: The Ed Gein Story, while Barden, Lourd, and Paulson have history with Murphy from the American Horror Story franchise.

Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story premieres Thursday, September 17 on Netflix. The Gentlemen season 2 and Stranger Things: Tales from '85 season 2 are among the other Netflix originals premiering next month.