Dahmer is now followed by the Menéndez brothers

True crime series “Monster”
Dahmer is now followed by the Menéndez brothers

With the true crime series “Dahmer” from 2021, the streaming provider Netflix achieved a big, but not uncontroversial hit. The start of the anthology series under the main name “Monster” is dedicated in an incredibly atmospheric, yet disturbing way to the actions of the real serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, played by Evan Peters, 37. The new episodes revolve around a case that caused a media response in the 1990s: The brothers Lyle and Erik Menéndez, according to the later verdict, had literally executed their own parents.

Extremely different stories

In August 1989, the couple José and Mary Louise “Kitty” Menéndez were formed in their house in Beverly Hills, California. The call to the police was made by the victims’ two sons, who said they had just returned from the cinema. But doubts quickly arise about their version of the story – at the latest when they start to throw away their father’s inherited fortune in a lavish manner. It is not long before the two find themselves in custody.

The public prosecutor accuses the brothers of having committed the crime with little motives. During the lengthy trial, which received enormous media attention, they admitted to having murdered their parents. However, they said they had done so out of fear for their own lives. Were the brothers physically, sexually and emotionally abused by their own parents for years?

A well-known cast slips into the tragic Menéndez family

As with “Dahmer,” series creators Ryan Murphy, 58, and Ian Brennan, 46, have assembled a talented cast for “Monster: The Lyle and Erik Menéndez Story.” First and foremost, Oscar winner Javier Bardem, 55, plays the head of the family. Chloë Sevigny, 49, plays his wife Kitty, while the brothers Lyle and Erik are played by newcomers Nicholas Alexander Chavez and Cooper Koch.

In retrospect, the case of Lyle and Erik Menéndez is not only controversial because of the actual crime. The media hype surrounding the trial also caused a lot of criticism. The convicted murderers regularly became TV stars as a result, it was alleged.

Does “Monster: The Lyle and Erik Menéndez Story” manage this balancing act better? From September 19, interested true crime fans got the answer on Netflix.

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