Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story might not be as gruesome as its Jeffrey Dahmer predecessor, but be warned: the Netflix series doesn’t hold back, with the very first episode depicting the murder scene in “graphic” detail.
Warning: the following contains spoilers and some may find this content distressing.
Season 2 of Ryan Murphy’s true crime anthology series centers the case of Erik and Lyle Menendez, the brothers who killed their wealthy parents, Jose and Mary Louise “Kitty”, in 1989.
As well as dramatizing the events leading up to the crime and the legal battles that followed, the new Netflix show makes the bold move of loading Episode 1 with the grisly slayings.
It begins with Jose (Javier Bardem) and Kitty (Chloë Sevigny) watching TV in the den of their Beverly Hills mansion, when Lyle (Nicholas Chavez) and Erik (Cooper Koch) walk in carrying 12-gauge shotguns.
Erik starts by shooting his father a number of times, before turning the gun on Kitty and shooting her through the hand. This moment is notably graphic, with the camera closing in on her fingers as they’re ripped off in a bloody explosion.
Lyle then shoots their parents multiple times from behind as they both groan in agony, before landing a blow right through Jose’s head. Again, it’s a gruesome sequence – viewers see the bullet traveling through his eye socket, creating a gaping hole in his head.
Just finished the first episode of MONSTERS and Nicholas Alexander Chavez is ELECTRIC as Lyle Menendez. It’s a star-making performance. Studios should be looking at him immediately if they aren’t already. EXTREMELY graphic murder scene. Brace yourselves…
— Jeff Sneider (@TheInSneider) September 19, 2024
It’s a disturbing scene to watch, not least because this is a true story. According to the autopsy, Jose was shot six times, including a fatal shot in the back of the head, and Kitty was shot 10 times.
The chilling sequence has caught the attention of viewers since Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story dropped on Netflix today (September 19), leaving many shocked by the gory first episode.
After praising Nicholas Alexander Chavez’s “electric” performance as Lyle, leading entertainment writer and insider Jeff Sneider said, “Just finished the first episode of Monsters… Extremely graphic murder scene. Brace yourselves…”
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Another agreed, “I was actually shaken by how graphic the murder scene was. It’s Ryan Murphy, I shouldn’t have been, but it was horrific to watch.” And a third added, “Just finished first episode. More graphic than I expected.”
Elsewhere, one X/Twitter user stated, “I can’t process what I just saw, I finished the first chapter of Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, I can only say that the first chapter surprised me a lot, I never imagined they were going to put THE SCENE.”
“The murder scene was BRUTAL, didn’t expect that happening,” said another.
However, one viewer has pointed out an apparent inaccuracy – according to reports, Jose was first shot in the back of the head, and never saw his killers.
“Why does every show about the Menendez brothers get the shooting scene WRONG EVERY TIME!!! Their parents were facing away from them and Jose never saw who shot him #MonstersNetflix,” they wrote.
However, an X/Twitter user responded, “It’s a TV show and showing their reaction is more cinematic. It’s not that hard to understand. Things are going to be dramatized.”
Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story is streaming on Netflix now. If you’re familiar with the case or you don’t mind spoilers, you can read our breakdown of the ending.
For more true crime news, read about the most shocking moments in Into the Fire: The Lost Daughter, whether Brenda Bowman was ever arrested, and how to watch the Huw Edwards documentary in the US.