No Pain, No Gein

"A theatrical and visceral essay in moral transgression and society's reaction to the most extreme outsiders who break its norms" - could be the unweildy elevator pitch for the continuing Ryan Murphy-produced MONSTER franchise. The very idea of which is repugnant, or interesting - depending. As I've just written a novel on almost the same subject of moral transgression and society, you could say, I had - ahem - "skin in the game" watching it. A potential chainsaw to grind. But people seemed divided. Always a good sign.

Putting one's personal preferance (and "taste", for god's sake) to one side, there is no questioning (and even Lucy Mangan doesn't question) that MONSTER: THE ED GEIN STORY is the kind of powerful, cinematic storytelling that makes BBC drama look as if it's 40 years out of date. It's polished and incredibly well-crafted "entertainment" (Mother said to add the quote marks. Quiet, Mother!).

What's more, in its blurring of fact and fiction, sometimes venturing into Ken Russell or Dennis Potter extravagance, THE ED GEIN STORY is finally about the stories we tell and about the story that is ourselves. While I'd quibble about some of the detail - did Hitchcock ever meet Bloch? Did he press an eye to the peep hole? And the Weegee girl stuff... - in the end it doesn't matter. The theme is a potent one for anyone brave enough to look in the mirror.

Whether writing a best seller, reading the headlines of the latest mass killer, or dressing up in Halloween cosplay, we are all culpable for creating monsters. If you find that uncomfortable, look away now.