Footage of real Aileen Wuornos next to Monster on Netflix shows just how accurate scenes were

Someone has shared footage of the real Aileen Wuornos during her trial and put it next to Sarah Paulson playing her during Monster season four, and it’s compelling. 

Sarah Paulson played the killer during The Lizzie Borden Story, and recreated some chilling moments that happened in real life. Aileen Wuornos killed seven men, and was sentenced to death. Wuornos argued that the man had r*ped or attempted to r*pe her, and she had acted in self defence. 

The case attracted lots of attention. During her court appearance, after being sentenced to death, Wuornos wished unspeakable things upon the wife and children of the judge – the same things she claimed happened to her. She called the courtroom “scum” and told the room she would “be up in heaven while y’all are rotting in hell.”

Outside the court, she added: “I’m sick and tired of this. I’ll probably get three more death row sentences and then I gotta go to Pasco and Dixon for two more death row…How many times you gotta kill me? This is bullsh*t.” 

okay so i made a comparison edit of sarah paulson and aileen wuornos just to show y’all how much she ATE this role in the new monster season… like you can tell she sat there studying hours of footage to get every little detail perfect pic.twitter.com/IEHsg0nSlX

— ★ (@POPin4k) September 19, 2026

A Twitter user has now put the real life footage next to that of Sarah Paulson’s portrayal. “Okay so I made a comparison edit of Sarah Paulson and Aileen Wuornos just to show y’all how much she ATE this role in the new Monster season,” they said. “Like you can tell she sat there studying hours of footage to get every little detail perfect.”

The footage shows how Sarah Paulson matched not just the words, but the mannerisms and aura of Wuornos perfectly. “Wow, she did a great job! This is the first time I’ve seen clips of this,” one person in the comments said. Another added: “She seriously nailed it.”

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A further TikTok video has put together real life footage of Michele Gillen, a journalist who interviewed Aileen Wuornos in prison, alongside this exchange in the Netflix show. 

@germnva2

Dahamer, hermanos Menéndez, Ed Gein y ahora Lizzie Borden. Sara Paulson por cierto de Óscar interpretando a Aileen. En quién os gustaría que se centrase la trama de la siguiente temporada? #netflix #monster #sarapaulson #serialkiller

♬ The Winner Is – DeVotchKa & Mychael Danna

Since season four of Monster dropped on Netflix, the inclusion of Aileen Wuornos has had a mixed reception, and has mostly been met with confusion. A lot of people have said it felt random to involve her case, and suddenly skip to it throughout the show. 

Sarah Paulson has explained she took the role because of the one-dimensional way people viewed Aileen Wuornos, and people like her. 

“I’m always going to be interested in the why of human behaviour,” she told Variety. “If there’s any opportunity for me to get inside something that has been predetermined by society and have a little look at it through my own particular lens, I’m always going to want to do that.”

She added the role taught her that she likes “to immerse myself in another person’s experience, in the reality of it.” And whatever you think of Monster as a whole, when Sarah Paulson is in a role, she’s always going to nail it. 

Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story is available on Netflix now. For all the latest Netflix news and drops, like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook.