Sarah Paulson is set to play serial killer Aileen Wuornos in the latest series of Ryan Murphy's anthology crime drama, Monster – and she looks totally unrecognisable.
The 51-year-old actress - who has collaborated with Ryan Murphy on numerous occasions, including in American Horror Story, Ratched and All's Fair - debuted the character in the newly released trailer for Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story.
The upcoming eight-part Netflix series centres on Lizzie Borden, the woman accused of the 1892 axe murders of her parents. While Aileen Wuornos is not a direct part of the story, she is inspired by Lizzie's legacy in scenes set decades later.
At the end of the trailer, a voice says, "No one really knows what happened that day." Aileen responds: "Oh, I [expletive] know what happened."
© COURTESY OF NETFLIXWho is Aileen Wuornos?
Aileen Wuornos is one of the most notorious female serial killers in history. Between 1989 and 1990, while working as a sex worker, Aileen killed seven men in Florida. She was later convicted of six of the killings and was executed by the state of Florida in 2002.
Sarah Paulson isn't the first actress to play the infamous killer on-screen. Charlize Theron won an Oscar for her portrayal of Aileen in Patty Jenkins's 2003 film Monster.
© AlamyWhat is Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story about?
Ella Beatty (Feud: Capote vs. The Swans) steps into the role of Lizzie Borden, who was tried and acquitted in the 1982 axe murders of her father and stepmother in Fall River, Massachusetts.
© COURTESY OF NETFLIXThe official 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."
Meet the cast of Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story
Ella Beatty stars as the titular Lizzie Borden.
Ryan Murphy frequently casts the same actors across his TV productions, so viewers can expect to see some familiar faces, including Vicky Krieps (Phantom Thread, Monster: The Ed Gein Story) as Bridget 'Maggie' Sullivan, the Bordens' live-in maid, Charlie Hunnam (Monster: The Ed Gein Story, Sons of Anarchy) as Andrew Borden, Lizzie's father, and Billie Lourd (American Horror Story, The Last Showgirl) as Emma, Lizzie's older sister.
© SUZANNE TENNER/NETFLIXRebecca Hall (Christine, Passing) also stars in the series as Lizzy's stepmother, Abby Borden, alongside Jessica Barden (Dune: Prophecy) as Nance O'Neil, a friend of Lizzie's and Sarah Paulson (Ratched) as Aileen Wuornos.
When will Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story be released?
Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story will arrive on Netflix on 17 September.
