By Velvet Winter of the ABC
The Menendez family and their grisly story get the Ryan Murphy treatment in Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story. Photo: Supplied: Netflix
Warning: This article discusses abuse.
After working on Glee, American Horror Story and American Crime Story, Murphy came out with the confusingly titled Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.
It raked in 13 Emmy nominations (plus one win for actor Niecy Nash) and notched up 1 billion view hours within its first 60 days on the platform - one of only four shows to ever achieve this feat.
Now, the streaming giant is unleashing Murphy on another dark chapter in American history, with his anthology series Monster next taking on the true story of brothers Erik and Lyle Menendez, who were sentenced to life without parole in 1996 for murdering their parents.
Here's what you need to know.
Erik Menendez (R) and brother Lyle listen to court proceedings during a May 17, 1991 appearance. Photo: Reuters: Lee Celano
Who are Erik and Lyle Menendez?
Up until 1989, Erik and Lyle Menendez were normal, albeit privileged, young men. They lived in a Beverly Hills mansion with their parents, Mary Louise (better known as Kitty) and José, an entertainment executive.
On 20 August 1989, the brothers - Erik, 18, Lyle, 22 - shot their parents multiple times at home, killing them both. Then they left the property.
When the bodies of their parents were discovered by police hours later, they feigned innocence, leading police to spend months investigating if the murders were mob-related, due to José's connection to the entertainment industry.
In the months after their parents' deaths, Erik and Lyle went on a shopping spree, buying businesses and luxuries like sports cars.
It wasn't until March 1990 that the brothers were arrested and it would be another three years before they both went to trial.
Why did the Menendez brothers kill their parents?
After their arrest, the brothers confessed to shooting their parents. During their first trial, which began in 1993, Erik's lawyer Leslie Abramson claimed they had been pushed to the crime out of fear for their lives.
The brothers testified that José had molested Lyle from the ages of six to eight, and Erik from ages six to 18; that their father's abuse and their mother's neglect led them to live in constant fear; that, in their eyes, shooting and killing their parents was an act of defence.
Prosecutors argued the brothers had killed their parents in order to get their hands on their $US14 million inheritance sooner.
The high profile of the case saw it broadcast on cable channel CourtTV, and the brothers' tearful testimony turned the murder trial into an international spectacle.
After months of testimony, two separate juries could not make a decision on whether the brothers were guilty of voluntary manslaughter or murder.
A retrial began in late 1995, with both men tried in front of a single jury and without any cameras inside the courtroom. Judge Stanley Weisberg ruled that the defence had not adequately provided proof of the brothers' prolonged abuse at the hands of their father.
Twenty weeks later, a jury found Erik and Lyle guilty of first-degree murder. They were later sentenced to life without parole.
Where are the Menendez brothers now?
Erik and Lyle, now both in their 50s, are still in prison, having made multiple unsuccessful appeal attempts.
In 2018, more than 30 years after their convictions, the brothers were moved into the same housing unit in a Southern California prison. A prison spokesperson said they can and do interact.
What is Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story about?
Like the previous season of Monsters, this iteration follows the Menendez brothers as they deal with the aftermath of their crimes while also luxuriating in their parents' money pre-arrest, before delving into their seven-year court run.
But it also looks further into the time that led up to the crime, focusing on Erik and Lyle's restrictive life with their parents, and the actions that drove them to the murders.
Who stars in Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story?
Nicholas Chavez as Lyle (L), Cooper Koch as Erik and Ari Graynor as lawyer Leslie Abramson. Photo: Netflix
Relative newcomers Cooper Koch (Swallowed) and Nicholas Chavez (General Hospital) play Erik and Lyle, respectively.
But beyond the brothers, the cast is stuffed full of A-listers. Javier Bardem (Dune, No Country For Old Men) and Chloë Sevigny (a Murphy mainstay since 2011's American Horror Story: Asylum) play parents José and Kitty.
Ari Graynor (I'm Dying Up Here) will feature as Leslie Abramson, LA defence attorney and eventual lead counsel for Erik.
Nathan Lane (The Lion King, Beau is Afraid) plays late Vanity Fair reporter Dominick Dunne, who extensively covered the murders. Lane recently told the Hollywood Reporter that the show opened his eyes to the real-life ordeal.
"I think it was easy for people in the beginning to think these two spoiled rich kids will kill their parents for the money, for the inheritance, but it's much more complicated," he said.
"It doesn't change the fact that they committed this horrific act, but I think maybe you start to understand what led to that."
Javier Bardem and Chloë Sevigny as Menendez parents José and Kitty. Photo: Netflix
What are the critics saying?
Despite the popularity of his first Monsters show, Dahmer copped flack for exploiting the victim's real-life tragedy in the name of entertainment.
This time around, early reviews question the necessity of rolling out the Menendez's story again, while still praising the core actors.
"Despite the gripping subject matter and the outstanding performances, Monsters… has no idea what it wants to be. Therefore, it just dissolves into a retelling of unspeakable abuses and gruesome crimes," Variety's Aramide Tinubu said.
"When we engage in the platforming of murderous and unwell people, no matter how heinous their upbringings may have been, we lean into our own unchecked monstrosities."
The Independent's Katie Rosseinsky echoed these sentiments.
"[Monsters…] feels like a muddled mix of the best and worst of Murphy's oeuvre. It's likely to please his legions of fans, but may leave his detractors feeling a little queasy."
Meanwhile, Murphy has already moved onto his next grizzly tale, announcing that the next Monsters series will focus on the Butcher of Plainfield Ed Gein, who will be played by Charlie Hunham.
Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story is streaming on Netflix now.
This story was first published by the [abc.net.au/ ABC.]
