Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story Feature Scores
Explore all 53 feature scores for Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story, organized into pros and cons.
Scores by Feature
Summary
53 reviewed features-
Very positive 4.5-5.018 (34%)
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Positive 3.5-4.49 (17%)
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Neutral 2.5-3.410 (19%)
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Negative 1.5-2.415 (28%)
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Very negative below 1.51 (2%)
Pros
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Acting is the clearest consensus strength. Multiple reviews praised the cast as excellent or able to sell the heightened material, though a few felt the writing limited what performers could do.
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Ornate interiors, haunted textures, and convincing period presentation earned strong praise across several reviews.
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The cross-era, female-killer framing struck several reviewers as fresh and unusual, with one calling the project unique on television.
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Casting drew strong praise, from Beatty's immediate fit for Lizzie to broader comments about an impressive ensemble.
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Audience reactions reported in one article included viewers finishing all eight episodes in a single sitting.
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Sarah Paulson's Aileen Wuornos transformation was praised for hair and makeup work that convincingly nails the look.
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The opening axe-murder sequence's foley work was called a masterpiece, making sound one of the premiere's standout technical elements.
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Sarah Paulson's supporting work was singled out as so compelling that even a creator joked she could elevate a phone-book reading.
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Rebecca Hall's Abby was praised as a phenomenal, highly entertaining villain.
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Entertainment value is polarized: some found it energetic, highly watchable, and blood-splattered fun, while one reviewer quit after two episodes.
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Reviewers receptive to gothic camp enjoyed the first episode's restraint, playful tone, and reduced reliance on the franchise's usual gimmickry.
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Ella Beatty's lead work drew solid-to-strong notices, with reviewers praising her restraint and emotional shifts even when one found her merely good.
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The series' look is a consistent positive, described as stylish, handsome, strange, and visually compelling.
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Period presentation is mixed: some reviewers found the details and production unusually authentic, while another felt the Massachusetts setting barely registered.
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The soundtrack is adventurous and often effective, though reviewers noted both inspired needle drops and choices that felt painfully obvious.
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Character work is uneven. Some reviews praised the human stakes and Bridget's complexity, while others felt major figures were thin or unrealistically written.
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Early audience reactions cited by one article suggested strong immediate engagement, with viewers described as hooked.
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Beatty and Vicky Krieps were specifically praised for chemistry that helps ground the first episode's otherwise lurid setup.
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The romanticized imagery around Lizzie and Bridget drew favorable comparisons to lush, rapturous period filmmaking.
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Formal clothing contributes to the claustrophobic period world, reinforcing the pressure of rigid social expectations.
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Max Winkler's command of the show's unusual dramatic-comic tone was specifically praised as clear from the outset.
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The midseason shift to Aileen Wuornos was praised by the creator as a structural move that broadens and deepens the story.
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Lizzie and Bridget's relationship was called the strongest part of the series by one reviewer, who valued how it grows from companionship into something more dangerous.
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The bloody effects were specifically praised as impressively executed even by a reviewer who disliked much of the season.
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One review praised the unresolved mystery for staying sharp, memorable, and difficult to shake.
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Cramped rooms, formal clothes, and rigid social codes create a convincing pressure-cooker world shaped by judgment and confinement.
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Emotional impact varies with tolerance for the spectacle: one review found the story haunting, while another said provocation diluted the feelings underneath.
Cons
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Historical faithfulness is the most consistent weakness. Reviews repeatedly faulted fabricated relationships, altered events, and major liberties with an unresolved case.
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Realism is a major weakness, with several reviews describing the series as salacious, implausible, or far removed from known history.
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Sexual content drew some of the strongest disagreement: critics often saw fetishistic or misplaced sexualization, while one reviewer enjoyed its bold directness.
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Multiple reviewers felt eight episodes was too much for the material, citing padding, side quests, and a format that feels longer than necessary.
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The gore is similarly divisive. Several critics found it lurid, fetishistic, or unnecessary, while another embraced the blood-soaked excess as part of the fun.
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The eight-episode run was repeatedly criticized for padding, tonal impatience, and detours that slow the central story.
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Story reactions split sharply: some found the retelling interesting and absorbing, while others called it directionless, over-invented, or a disservice to the real case.
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Writing drew heavy criticism for character choices and invented material that some reviewers felt disrespected the historical story.
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The Aileen Wuornos material and other side stories are repeatedly said to pull focus from the more compelling Borden household conflict.
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Two reviewers found the narrative scattered and forced, especially when side stories pulled attention away from the Borden case.
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One fact-checking review mocked Andrew Borden's accent-stutter combination as implausible, making vocal authenticity a clear complaint.
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One early-viewing reaction found the first episodes slow enough to prompt yawning, scrolling, and an early exit.
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One reviewer objected to the title itself, arguing that the extensive fictionalization makes it misleading as 'The Lizzie Borden Story.'
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The premiere divided reviewers: one enjoyed its restraint, while others thought the opening was sordid or flat rather than compelling.
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One reviewer failed to connect with the characters strongly enough to continue past the second episode.
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The show is a poor choice as a history lesson; its heavy dramatization makes it entertainment rather than a reliable account.
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The ending's suffrage celebration was criticized for muddled irony, with its intended point getting lost in a scene played too sincerely.
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The premiere's dialogue was criticized as over-the-top, fitting the season's deliberately heightened but divisive style.
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One review felt the season leans too hard on sensationalist media frenzy instead of the underlying truth of the case.
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Tone is one of the show's biggest fault lines: some praise the fun, weird blend, while others find the camp, sensationalism, and detours disjointed.
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The themes are highly divisive. Some reviewers saw a distinctive exploration of repression and female rage; others called the treatment superficial or unsatisfying.
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The feminist framing splits reviewers: some see relevant exploration of gender and female rage, while others find it reductive or adolescent in execution.
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At its best the show works as a bitter domestic nightmare, but another reviewer found the opening insufficiently dramatic or cinematic.
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Critical reception was described as mixed rather than clearly positive or negative.
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As a Monster installment, the season is divisive: some found it fresh or enjoyed the Aileen expansion, while others called those links heavy-handed or the franchise's weakest use of them.
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The dark comedy lands for some viewers and completely misses for others, ranging from 'frequently hilarious' reactions to one reviewer who did not laugh at all.
Cast & Creators
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Aileen WuornosPaulson receives some of the season's strongest praise for her committed Aileen Wuornos, though one review says the performance adds little new despite that commitment.
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Abby BordenHall is one of the strongest points of agreement, repeatedly described as a scene-stealer and top performer even when one review faults the material for limiting her character.
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Elizabeth BáthoryKrieps is widely praised as Bridget, including 'superb' notices, while one review is much cooler on her Elizabeth Báthory performance.
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Lizzie BordenBeatty is often praised as engaging and capable of carrying the story, though some reviewers find her blankness hard to read or her range limited.
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EmmaLourd is part of an ensemble praised for understanding the show's heightened register, and another article includes her in an explicitly impressive cast.
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Andrew BordenHunnam draws mixed notices: one review praises the ensemble's heightened-register work, another calls him understated, and a third says the writing leaves his character underdeveloped.
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DirectorWinkler's direction divides reviewers: his command of the strange tone earns praise, while the arterial excess and treatment of blood draw criticism.
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CreatorBrennan's creative contribution is criticized for prioritizing invention over history and for an overly reductive treatment of blood, gender, and character writing.
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CreatorMurphy's approach draws mostly negative comments about historical invention and reductive framing, though one reviewer calls parts of the production among his best work.