Ryan Murphy’s newest true crime entry, Monster: The Ed Gein Story, is making waves on Netflix — but not quite reaching the viral phenomenon of its predecessor, Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.
According to Netflix’s official rankings, the chilling new series amassed 20.7 million views between October 13 and 19, securing the No. 1 position on the weekly global TV chart. This marks a strong first full week for the series following its four-day debut period, which logged an impressive 12.2 million views.
Slower Daily Growth Compared To Dahmer’s Surge
Despite a promising start, the pace of The Ed Gein Story appears to be slowing. Data indicates that average daily views dipped from 4.1 million during its opening weekend to 2.9 million in the following week.
By comparison, Dahmer maintained around 4.4 million daily views during its first week — sustaining audience momentum through word-of-mouth buzz and online virality. While Ed Gein still dominates Netflix’s crime lineup, its growth curve mirrors The Menendez Story rather than the record-breaking Dahmer trajectory.
Context: How It Stacks Up Against Other Monster Installments
Murphy’s Monster anthology continues to draw fascination for its dark storytelling, but The Ed Gein Story seems to lack the cultural wildfire that surrounded Dahmer. With audiences already familiar with Murphy’s narrative style, this third installment faces the challenge of sustaining intrigue in a saturated true-crime market.
While Dahmer still holds its place at No. 4 on Netflix’s all-time most-watched list, analysts suggest The Ed Gein Story may not break into that echelon unless a fresh surge of interest appears.
Other Top Netflix Titles This Week
Outside the true-crime genre, lighter and festive content is gaining traction. Is It Cake? Halloween sliced into second place with 5.7 million views, while the Victoria Beckham docuseries followed closely with 5.6 million.
Meanwhile, dramedy Boots, based on Greg Cope White’s memoir The Pink Marine, debuted modestly with 4.7 million views. In the films category, thriller The Woman in Cabin 10 topped with 21.2 million views, while animated hit Demon Hunters and true-crime doc My Father the BTK Killer rounded out the top three.
Jay Ho Insight
Ryan Murphy’s Monster: The Ed Gein Story holds its ground as Netflix’s top weekly show but doesn’t replicate the lightning-in-a-bottle success of Dahmer. While fans continue to binge dark crime tales, it’s clear that not every monster story strikes the same cultural nerve. Still, Murphy’s mastery of unsettling realism ensures Ed Gein remains hauntingly unmissable.
