Monster – Ryan Murphy defends himself against criticism from Erik Menendez

On August 20, 1989, brothers Lyle and Erik Menendez committed a crime for which they are still in prison; they murdered their parents and to this day claim that their actions were a reaction to abuse.

Meanwhile, this part of her life has been taken over by Ryan Murphy, the man behind American Horror Story and American Horror Storiesand released as a series on Netflix. The series is titled Monster: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menendez and will also be the indirect successor of Monster: The Story of Jeffrey Dahmer be understood. The aim isto tackle a different true crime case with each season.

Now the story of the Menendez brothers. But how much truth is there in Murphy’s production? According to Erik Menendez, who spoke out on social media via his wife Tammi Menendez, there is very little: “I thought the days of lies and destructive portrayals of my brother Lyle were finally over, but the series is more than outrageous in this regard,” Menendez is sure.

Now on Netflix: Monster: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story

“They did it on purpose. I can’t imagine Ryan Murphy being so naive and spreading false information without having malicious intentions. It’s sad that Netflix is ​​once again obscuring the truth with this format and taking us back to a time when society still assumed that men could not be victims of abuse or that they deal with the trauma of such experiences differently than women.”

“These lies have now been exposed by countless and courageous victims who have long since put aside their shame and spoken the truth.” Isn’t the truth enough? Why does Murphy have to undo two decades of development by casting a false light on child abuse?”

“I can only hope that we never forget that violence against children is a secret crime, even though it is not a solution and is very tragic,” said Menendez. And what does Murphy think about all these accusations? He defends himself in an official statement via Entertainment Weekly: “It’s really interesting that he condemns the series without having seen it,” said Murphy.

Ryan Murphy defends his research

“Knowing that your life has been made into a film and can be watched by the whole world on TV must be hard.” But he doesn’t mention a single word that around 60 to 65 percent of the series deals with the abuse he describes. We were very careful about that and even dedicated the day in court to them, where they spoke openly about it.”

“In an age where anyone can talk, write and have opinions about sexual abuse, everything is often seen as controversial.” But four people were ultimately involved in this crime, two of whom are in total. What about the parents? “We had a duty to them as storytellers to portray their side of things – and we researched that too,” Murphy concluded.

At this point, it might be worth reminding yourself that at the end of the day, no biopic or true crime format can ever tell the whole truth and that some fiction is inevitable. Outsiders and filmmakers can only rely on statements and then decide what they consider to be the truth. And for Menendez, Monster: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menendez a lie.

© Netflix

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