{"id":9243,"date":"2026-09-20T11:00:03","date_gmt":"2026-09-20T10:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thetab.com\/filmshrine\/?p=9243"},"modified":"2026-09-20T02:22:41","modified_gmt":"2026-09-20T01:22:41","slug":"monster-netflix-was-aileen-wuornos-lizzie-borden-connection-explained","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thetab.com\/filmshrine\/2026\/09\/20\/monster-netflix-was-aileen-wuornos-lizzie-borden-connection-explained\/","title":{"rendered":"Was Aileen Wuornos really obsessed with Lizzie Borden? The truth behind Netflix’s Monster"},"content":{"rendered":"

Given the case of Lizzie Borden unfolded in the 1890s, you were no doubt left wondering what Aileen Wuornos has to do with the latest chapter of Monster<\/a>. Their stories are connected, but not quite in the way they\u2019re portrayed. <\/span><\/p>\n

Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story is the fourth installment of Ryan Murphy<\/a> and Ian Brennan\u2019s true crime anthology series, following on from Jeffrey Dahmer, the Menendez Brothers and Ed Gein. <\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s the first time the Netflix<\/a> show has centred on a female-led case, which unfolded in 1892 when Lizzie\u2019s father Andrew<\/a> and stepmother Abby were brutally murdered with a hatchet at their home in Fall River, Massachusetts. Although Lizzie was the number one suspect, she was ultimately acquitted due to a lack of evidence – and no one was ever charged. <\/span><\/p>\n

As for Aileen Wuornos, she was one of the most famous – and tragic – female serial killers in history. After being caught in 1991, she confessed to killing seven men between 1989 and 1990. In October 2002, she was killed by lethal injection. <\/span><\/p>\n

In Monster, Aileen is played by frequent Murphy collaborator Sarah Paulson<\/a>. And she\u2019s shown to be a huge Lizzie Borden fan, so much so that she goes to stay at Lizzie\u2019s house with her girlfriend, Shelby (Jessie Lee) – a fictionalised character based on Aileen\u2019s real-life ex-girlfriend, Tyria Moore.<\/span><\/p>\n

Was Aileen Wuornos really obsessed with Lizzie Borden? <\/h2>\n
\"Sarah
Credit: Netflix<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In short, no, there is no evidence Aileen was a fan of or inspired by Lizzie in real life. This is entirely a creative decision made up by the writers of Monster<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

And despite Monster showing Aileen and her girlfriend staying overnight at the Borden house, that couldn’t have happened. Aileen was arrested in 1991 and remained behind bars until her execution in 2002, but the house didn’t open as a bed and breakfast until 1996.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Netflix series does get a lot of details about Aileen correct, however, including her conviction, the abuse she experienced in her childhood, and the fact that her first victim – Richard Mallory – had served a prison sentence in Maryland for a violent attempted rape. <\/span><\/p>\n

A special shoutout also needs to be made for Paulson\u2019s performance:<\/span><\/p>\n

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okay so i made a comparison edit of sarah paulson and aileen wuornos just to show y\u2019all 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<\/a><\/p>\n

— \u2605 (@POPin4k) September 19, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n