‘Monster: The Ed Gein Story’ Tops Netflix Charts but Trails Behind ‘Dahmer’ in Sustained Viewership

Netflix’s latest entry in Ryan Murphy’s chilling Monster anthology, “Monster: The Ed Gein Story,” may be leading the streamer’s global charts this week, but a deeper look at the numbers suggests that its dominance could be short-lived. While the series has generated substantial curiosity and discussion, it’s not sustaining the same viewing power that its predecessor, Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, commanded upon release.

A Promising Start With Early Decline

According to Netflix’s internal metrics, The Ed Gein Story debuted strongly, notching around 4.1 million views per day during its opening weekend — a figure that initially put it on track to follow in the footsteps of Murphy’s earlier hit. However, the momentum has waned considerably, with average daily views falling to 2.9 million by the end of its first full week.

That decline represents nearly a 30% drop in engagement, signaling that while audiences were intrigued by the story of one of America’s most infamous killers, the appetite for another grim true-crime dramatization may be fading faster than expected.

Industry analysts note that this trend could point to viewer fatigue in the true-crime genre. “Dahmer was lightning in a bottle — a mix of shock, tragedy, and cultural curiosity,” says entertainment analyst Mariah Jenkins. “But as Netflix continues to mine real-life horror for content, it’s harder to maintain that same level of impact.”

Comparing the Monsters: Dahmer vs. Gein

When The Jeffrey Dahmer Story premiered in 2022, it became a cultural phenomenon almost overnight. The limited series, starring Evan Peters as the titular serial killer, amassed 300 million hours viewed in its first week, equivalent to roughly 4.4 million average daily views. More importantly, it maintained those numbers in the weeks following its debut — a testament to both word-of-mouth momentum and repeat viewing.

The Ed Gein Story, by contrast, hasn’t generated the same staying power. Despite being the top-ranked English-language TV title on Netflix’s weekly charts, it is tracking closer to the performance of Season 2, The Erik & Lyle Menendez Story, which averaged about 2.8 million daily views during its first week.

That puts Ed Gein in solid, if unspectacular, territory. It’s performing well enough to satisfy the curiosity of Monster fans but not well enough to reach the stratospheric success of Dahmer, which still sits at No. 4 on Netflix’s all-time most popular series list.

Why Ed Gein May Not Be Scaring Up the Same Buzz

Several factors could explain the difference in traction. First, timing plays a key role. Netflix released The Ed Gein Story in mid-October — typically a strong month for horror content — yet this year’s Halloween season seems to be skewing lighter. Viewers are gravitating toward more playful and family-friendly titles rather than darker, psychologically intense fare.

Secondly, cultural familiarity may be at play. Dahmer’s crimes, while horrifying, have been widely publicized for decades and became ingrained in pop culture. Ed Gein, on the other hand, though equally notorious in criminal history, is less familiar to younger audiences. “Gein inspired countless horror movies — Psycho, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Silence of the Lambs — but the man himself isn’t a household name anymore,” Jenkins notes. “That makes it harder for casual viewers to connect.”

Critics also point out that The Ed Gein Story takes a more subdued, psychological approach compared to Dahmer’s relentless intensity. “It’s more atmospheric than shocking,” wrote Variety’s Caroline Framke. “There’s less sensationalism, more introspection — and that may not be what audiences expecting another Dahmer-style spectacle want.”

Netflix’s Viewership Shift and Changing Tastes

Complicating comparisons between the two seasons is Netflix’s change in viewership reporting methods. When Dahmer debuted, the platform reported its performance in total hours viewed. Today, Netflix tracks total “views” (defined as total hours watched divided by runtime). While this provides a clearer picture of unique viewership, it also makes direct comparisons between older and newer series approximate at best.

Still, the decline in daily views provides a clearer sense of trajectory — and it shows Ed Gein cooling off faster than expected. Unless the series experiences a late surge in interest, it’s unlikely to crack Netflix’s “Most Popular” Top 10, which requires tens of millions more cumulative views.

Lighter Fare Wins the Week

Interestingly, as audiences pull back from heavy psychological dramas, they appear to be embracing lighter content. The second-most-watched title of the week was “Is It Cake? Halloween”, a special holiday edition of the popular baking-illusion competition series. The show pulled in 5.7 million views, outpacing all but The Ed Gein Story and demonstrating a clear shift in viewer preferences as Halloween approaches.

“The trend suggests that viewers might be looking for seasonal fun over real-life horror,” says Jenkins. “People want to celebrate, not be disturbed.”

Looking Ahead

Despite the slowdown, The Ed Gein Story remains a strong performer for Netflix and a likely indicator that the Monster anthology still has life left in it — just not the monster-sized numbers of its debut season.

Ryan Murphy’s franchise, now three stories deep, continues to push boundaries in dramatizing America’s darkest true crimes. But as audiences grow more selective — and perhaps more sensitive to the ethics of true-crime storytelling — Netflix may need to rethink how it keeps the Monster brand fresh without repeating itself.

For now, The Ed Gein Story remains king of the charts — but the real monster, it seems, might be viewer fatigue.