The trailer for Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story has now dropped – and with it, further clarity on how the series will tackle the topic of its first female 'monster'.

With the series landing on Netflix next month, the trailer not only showed us how some of the story is set to unfold but also gave us a glimpse into how Borden's actions can be seen to impact later killer figures, like serial killer Aileen Wuornos.

Played by regular Ryan Murphy collaborator Sarah Paulson, the series will adopt its flash-forward format it seems, like it did in the previous Ed Gein instalment.

The star of that series, Charlie Hunnam, will also be starring in the new Lizzie Borden-centred series, with daughter of Annette Bening and Warren Beatty, Ella Beatty taking centre stage as Lizzie herself.

But what is the case of Lizzie Borden and when will Monster season 4 be released? Read on for everything we know so far.

Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story release date

Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story will be landing on Netflix on Thursday 17 September.

While the first season of Monster was released in 2022, the yearly release pattern has remained fairly consistent with season 2 being released in 2024 and season 3 being released in 2025.

Who will star in Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story?

The cast of Monster season 4 has been confirmed, with Ella Beatty taking on the lead role after "an extensive search" for the leading star.

Charlie Hunnam, who led season 3 as Ed Gein, will be starring in season 4 as Lizzie's father Andrew while Rebecca Hall will star as his wife and Lizzie's stepmother Abby.

Another season 3 face, Vicky Krieps, will be starring in the fourth season but this time as the Bordens’ live-in maid, Bridget Sullivan. Billie Lourd (American Horror Story) will also star as Lizzie’s older sister Emma, while Jessica Barden (The End of the F***ing World) will play Lizzie’s actress friend Nance O’Neill.

Barden's real-life husband, Max Winkler, directed Monster: The Ed Gein Story and is set to return as director of the first episode of the fourth season.

After production shots were leaked of Paulson last year in character, we get a glimpse of her character in the recently released trailer, confirming that she will star as Aileen Wuornos.

Explaining more about the important role that Wuornos plays in the upcoming season, series star Ella Beatty told Tudum: "The show is exploring a legacy of female rage and reaction to the set of circumstances that they are presented with.

"I think there’s a connection [between Borden and Wuornos] that Ryan and Ian were interested in mapping and exploring."

The cast list for Monster season 4 is as follows.

• Ella Beatty as Lizzie Borden
• Charlie Hunnam as Andrew Borden
• Rebecca Hall as Abby Borden
• Vicky Krieps as Bridget Sullivan
• Billie Lourd as Emma Borden
• Jessica Barden as Nance O’Neill
• as Aileen Wuornos

What will Monster season 4 be about: Who was Lizzie Borden?

The fourth season of Monster will focus on the show's first ever female 'monster', centring on the case of Lizzie Borden.

The synopsis reads: "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."

The series takes quite the time jump backwards as the case unfolds in 1892.

Whereas in previous seasons, the subjects have been found guilty of their crimes, Lizzie was actually tried and acquitted of the axe murders of her father and stepmother, which took place in Fall Rivers, Massachusetts.

Growing up fairly religious with her sister Emma, Lizzie was involved in various religious organisations and groups. Three years after the death of her mother, her father Andrew married Abby. Lizzie and Emma were said to be increasingly at odds with their father and new stepmother, over financial matters especially. Their relationship with Abby was said to be fraught, with the girls referring to Abby simply as 'Mrs Borden' and suspecting that she was with Andrew for his money and good financial and societal standing.

On the morning of 4th August 1892, Andrew and Abby were found murdered in their home. Lizzie discovered her father, who had been napping on the sofa, and alerted Bridget the maid. Once they searched the house, they also found Abby in an upstairs bedroom. It became clear that the pair had been murdered and mutilated with an axe.

The investigation of the crimes came under the spotlight for its lack of diligence, as well as the lack of concrete evidence and continued theories about who killed Andrew and Abby. The police at the time would reference Lizzie's attitude, while residents suspected Lizzie of purchasing prussic acid (which is poisonous) the day before the murders.

The week between the murders and Lizzie's arrest, she burned a dress which she had claimed had been stained with paint. Prosecutors later alleged that it wasn't paint but blood on the dress, which Lizzie had allegedly burnt in order to destroy evidence.

Her trial was highly publicised and Lizzie did not take the stand in her own defence, with the testimony from others proving to be inconclusive. On 20th June 1983, Lizzie was acquitted and nobody else was ever charged with the murders. Borden was ostracised by her local community in Fall River, with her reputation taking another plummet when she was accused of shoplifting some years later.

Lizzie and Emma had inherited a major portion of Andrew's estate and had lived together for another 10 years before Emma abruptly moved out in 1905, with the pair never speaking again afterwards. It was said that the rift was caused by Lizzie throwing a party for her friend and actress Nance O'Neil. While details of the sisters' falling out have never been known, there was plenty of gossip surrounding Lizzie and Nance at the time due to the close nature of their friendship.

Lizzie died of pneumonia on 1st June 1927 at the age of 66, with Emma also passing away nine days later from chronic nephritis.

It's clear from the trailer that the new series is set to hone in on the theory that Lizzie and maid Bridget were involved in a romantic relationship and had conspired to kill Andrew and Abby.

Speaking about the forthcoming season, series star Ella Beatty told Tudum: “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.

“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.”

Is there a trailer for Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story?

Yes! The trailer for Monster's fourth season can be found below.

Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story comes to Netflix on 17 September.

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