Netflix’s ‘Monster: The Ed Gein Story’ Sparks Backlash Over Portrayal of Anthony Perkins

Ryan Murphy has become synonymous with provocative true-crime television, gaining notoriety for dramatizing infamous cases such as “Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” and “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story.” His new project, “Monster: The Ed Gein Story,” released on Netflix, continues this trend by exploring the crimes of Ed Gein, the notorious murderer whose actions inspired a generation of horror films, most notably Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho” .

However, the series has quickly drawn widespread criticism, specifically for its portrayal of Anthony Perkins—the actor who played Norman Bates in “Psycho”—and the implications it makes about his private life .

Viewers and critics have expressed concern that “Monster: The Ed Gein Story” blurs the lines between historical fact and fiction by closely linking Anthony Perkins’ closeted sexuality with the psychosexual pathology of Ed Gein and his fictional counterpart, Norman Bates. Perkins, whose portrayal of Bates became iconic, was a gay man forced to hide his sexuality due to pervasive homophobia in Hollywood during the mid-20th century .

Critics argue that the series risks reinforcing damaging stereotypes by implicitly connecting Perkins’ real-life struggles as a closeted gay man with the monstrous acts of Gein, a murderer and grave robber. This narrative choice has been described as both “sensationalist” and “irresponsible,” with some viewers stating it leaves them feeling “dirty for watching” .

On social media, LGBTQ+ advocates have voiced concerns that the show’s intertwining of Perkins’ identity with Gein’s crimes perpetuates harmful conflations of queerness and deviance—a trope historically used to stigmatize LGBTQ+ individuals in media. The show’s approach has revived longstanding debates about how queer figures are depicted, especially in the context of true crime and horror genres.

The controversy surrounding “Monster: The Ed Gein Story” also highlights broader issues about the responsibilities of creators when dramatizing real people’s lives, particularly those from marginalized communities. Anthony Perkins remained closeted throughout his career, a decision shaped by the deeply entrenched homophobia of his era. He died in 1992, never publicly acknowledging his sexuality, though it was widely speculated and later confirmed by his family .

The decision to portray Perkins alongside Ed Gein has been met with accusations that the series exploits his story for shock value, rather than offering a nuanced exploration of the actor’s life or the systemic pressures he faced. This echoes criticisms Murphy has received for previous “Monster” installments, with some saying his shows “glorify” or “sensationalize” violence and trauma without adequate context or respect for the individuals involved .

The controversy over “Monster: The Ed Gein Story” reflects ongoing tensions in media about the responsibilities of storytellers, the challenges of representing marginalized communities, and the ethics of true crime entertainment. As the conversation continues, advocates stress that representation matters—not just in terms of who is depicted, but how their stories are told.

For the LGBTQ+ community, the depiction of Anthony Perkins in this context is a stark reminder of the importance of respectful, authentic storytelling that fully acknowledges the complexity of queer lives, past and present.