After the success of Dahmer, a fictional retelling of convicted serial killer Jeffery Dahmer aka Milwaukee Cannibal, director Ryan Murphy brings a new addition to the anthology. This time telling the tale of the Menendez brothers who killed their parents José and Mary Louise “Kitty” Menéndez in cold blood.
Nicholas Alexander Chavez and Cooper Koch play the Menéndez brothers, Lyle and Erik, respectively. Javier Bardem will portray their filthy rich father and former executive at Paramount studios, José. While his wife Louise “Kitty” will be portrayed by Chloë Sevigny.
The trailer follows the brothers as they get out of a car with two massive rifles, enter their house which is followed by gunshot sound and flashes. “Erik and I killed our parents together so I’d say that makes us pretty close,” Koch says at one point.
It gave a glimpse into the seemingly perfect but deeply dysfunctional family. Shedding light on the spoiled brothers who spent their father’s fortune in partying, buying luxury and yet crave for “more out of life.” It seemed like the boys were after surplus money but the second half of the trailer teased a deeper and hidden behind the gruesome murder.
“You don’t murder your parents that way. Literally defacing them. That’s not about money,” says Nathan Lane, playing investigative journalist Dominick Dunne, as the brothers go through trials at court. While some believed that money was the reason, others thought it was a convenient excuse to steer away from the actual narrative.
Erik and Lyle who were convicted and sentenced with life imprisonment without parole claimed that their parents exploited them physically, sexually, and emotionally. The second installment of the Ryan Murphy anthology seems as intriguing as the critically acclaimed series Dahmer.
Despite its graphic screenplay, the show earned 13 Emmy nominations, including a win for Niecy Nash-Betts—who portrayed Dahmer’s nosy neighbor Glenda Clevelandin— in the best supporting actress category.
MONSTERS: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story will be released on September 9, on Netflix.
