Ryan Murphy is one of the most notable TV writers and directors of our generation. The mind that brought viewers “Glee”, “American Horror Story”, and “Scream Queens” has a new series– and scandal– out now. “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” follows the 1996 case regarding the Menendez brothers and the murder of their parents.
“Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story”
This is not the first time that Ryan Murphy has made a true crime project, his show “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” made its rounds in 2022. This series faced a lot of backlash, many accusing Ryan Murphy of painting Jeffrey Dahmer closer to a victim than the killer he truly was. There was also a lot of discourse about sensationalizing grisly murders such as Dahmers and the effects they can have on the victims’ families or those close to them.
Many viewers noted how uncomfortable, and unnecessary certain scenes were, some saying that Murphy is playing out his own certain fantasies through his work instead of presenting facts about the cases.
“The Watcher”
Also in 2022, Murphy released a one season miniseries “The Watcher”. “The Watcher” follows the Brannock family with their move into 657 Boulevard after receiving uneasy letters from an unknown source, thus leading to creepy occurrences. The plot was based on a true story of when the Broaddus family in 2014 closed on a home in New Jersey– 657 Boulevard– and then received letters from an anonymous writer, leading to the family leaving the home.
The main difference between the real story and sensationalized story here was that there was an entire plot difference- the family never really moved in. What was also interesting was how Murphy never interviewed the family. A producer met with the family and slowly gained information from them, but Murphy only spoke with the stars about how the series felt to them, not the victims who were affected.
“Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story”
The newest installment in Murphy’s collection is “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story”. The Menendez family was the richest family in the music industry in the1990’s and at the time of the case, due to Jose Menendez being a notable CEO of “Live Entertainment”. In 1996 Jose and Kitty– the parents of Lyle and Erik– were gruesomely murdered. When it was found out that Erik and Lyle killed their parents, many thought that it had to do with the parents fortune.
Social media is having a field day with the new Murphy show. The shows main actors Cooper Koch (Erik) and Nicholas Alexander Chavez (Lyle) have become overnight sensations. The show has reopened the dialogue surrounding the case and the judgement of the brothers.
What social media has been having an issue with, however, is the fact that the brothers are still very much alive and incarcerated for the actions shown in the series. There is also an issue, that seems to be reoccurring with Murphy, that certain aspects of the film are completely sensationalized due to the fact that he did not meet with the subjects that he is portraying. Many critics have brought up the fact of the title, saying that “monsters” immediately describes the brothers instead of their parents who abused them consistently over the years. Another repeated gripe with Murphy’s “Monsters” is that there are certain scenes involving explicit imagery that are deemed unnecessary and insulting to the victims. There are nude scenes that are not needed, there are close-ups of characters where a wide-shot would have sufficed, and many other examples. Many of those on social media say how distasteful it is that the brothers were victims of sexual assault and yet they are being sexualized in the series.
Though there is some credit being given to the leads Koch and Chavez for seeking out commentary from their real-life counterparts on how to do them justice, this put the spotlight on Murphy even more. This is due to the issue many have with the series that the brothers themselves never greenlit it and continue to say how untruthful the series is. Murphy has not backed down, however and urges viewers to see it and make their mind up themselves.
So what now?
While it is easy to stand back and chastise something for not being 100% accurate, in this day and age people rarely do more work to search for answers. Ryan Murphy’s series “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” may not be 100% truthful but for those who have never seen the case, they may take it at surface value– hence the danger with it. The Menendez brothers say that the series makes them look like vicious, rich, spoiled killers- instead of two boys who had finally put up with enough abuse at the hands of their parents.
Is this the end of Ryan Murphy? Probably not.
But should it be the end of blindly believing a director that doesn’t reach out to victims they show in their projects? Yes.