Sarah Paulson Transforms Into Aileen Wuornos in Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story
Sarah Paulson is giving viewers their first major look at her chilling transformation into notorious serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Netflix’s upcoming fourth season of Monster, titled Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story.
Netflix released the latest trailer for the Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan anthology series on Thursday, August 20, revealing Paulson’s appearance as Wuornos. The Emmy-winning actress looks dramatically different from her familiar screen roles, with a disheveled hairstyle, altered eyebrows, pale complexion and visibly distressed appearance designed to resemble the real-life killer.
Paulson’s appearance comes as one of the trailer’s biggest surprises. The new season primarily focuses on Lizzie Borden, the Massachusetts woman accused of killing her father and stepmother with an axe in 1892. Ella Beatty plays the title character, while Vicky Krieps portrays Bridget “Maggie” Sullivan, the Borden family’s maid.
Wuornos lived nearly a century after Borden, and the two women were not directly connected in real life. Instead, Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story uses Wuornos as part of a larger exploration of female violence and the legacy of women who became infamous for violent crimes. Netflix describes Wuornos as an important part of the season’s thematic storyline rather than simply another historical figure being portrayed.
The trailer concludes with Paulson’s Wuornos delivering a particularly striking response about what happened in the Borden case, immediately signaling that her character will have a meaningful presence in the season.
The decision to include Wuornos allows the series to connect two notorious figures from dramatically different periods of American history. Borden’s 1892 case became one of the country’s most famous unsolved mysteries, while Wuornos was convicted of killing men in Florida between 1989 and 1990. She was executed by lethal injection in 2002.
The role represents another major transformation for Paulson, who has frequently collaborated with Murphy across projects including American Horror Story, Ratched and American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson. Her decision to portray Wuornos is particularly notable because Charlize Theron previously played the killer in the 2003 film Monster, earning an Academy Award for the performance.
Early images and footage of Paulson have already drawn attention because of how closely her appearance resembles Wuornos. The actress has undergone a dramatic physical transformation for the role, with production details emphasizing the character’s worn-down appearance rather than presenting her in a glamorous or conventional way.
Ian Brennan, who co-created the anthology with Murphy, has praised Paul’s work on the project. Netflix’s Tudum also notes that Paulson’s presence gives the season another layer as the story examines the psychology behind female violence and asks broader questions about why women become violent.
The season marks a significant shift for the Monster franchise. Previous installments examined Jeffrey Dahmer, the Menendez brothers and Ed Gein. With The Lizzie Borden Story, the anthology turns its attention to female killers and the social pressures, gender expectations and circumstances surrounding their stories.
Ella Beatty leads the new season as Lizzie Borden, with Rebecca Hall playing Abby Borden, Charlie Hunnam portraying Andrew Borden and Krieps appearing as Bridget Sullivan. Billie Lourd, Jessica Barden and Joey Pollari are also part of the cast.
The new season is scheduled to premiere globally on Netflix on September 17, 2026. All eight episodes are expected to be released at once, giving viewers the opportunity to watch the latest chapter of Murphy and Brennan’s true-crime anthology from its debut.
For fans, the reveal of Sarah Paulson as Aileen Wuornos is one of the season’s most intriguing elements. While Lizzie Borden remains at the center of the story, Wuornos provides a bridge between two infamous cases and helps the series explore the enduring fascination with women accused or convicted of extraordinary violence.
Paulson’s transformation also sets up one of the most talked-about performances of the upcoming Netflix season. Her brief appearance in the trailer has already generated significant attention, particularly because of the physical resemblance to Wuornos and the actress’s history of taking on complex real-life figures.
Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story will premiere September 17, bringing Netflix viewers a fictionalized examination of the infamous Borden case while expanding the story beyond the 19th-century crime itself.
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