The first full trailer for “Monsters: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menendez” dropped online Wednesday, and watching it will likely make you a little kinder to your kids.
“American Horror Story” pioneer Ryan Murphy brings youMonsterThe Menendez Brothers Murders anthology series focuses on the Menendez brothers murders that rocked Los Angeles long before the OJ Simpson manhunt or Britney Spears mental breakdown. The two boys brutally murdered their parents in cold blood in their Beverly Hills home in 1989. They've been in prison ever since, and now we can finally, hopefully, understand why.
“Prosecutors argued the brothers were seeking to inherit the family fortune, but the brothers maintain their actions were motivated by fear after a lifetime of physical, emotional and sexual abuse — a defense they stand by to this day as they serve life sentences without the possibility of parole,” the trailer description reads. (Related: “American Sports Story” is going to be must-watch.)
The opening supercut is a shocking one, showing Cooper Koch and Nicholas Alexander Chaves as Eric and Lyle, respectively, recounting their actions to a therapist.
Los Angeles, USA: This 1992 file photo shows double murder defendants Eric (right) and Lyle Menendez (left) during their appearance in a courtroom in Los Angeles, California. The Menendez brothers were convicted of first-degree murder on March 20 in their second trial for the murder of their parents. (Photo: Mike Nelson/AFP via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 1, 2022: Nicolas Alexander Chavez attends the Closing Ceremony of the Guadalajara Film Festival at Los Angeles Grand Park on October 1, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – JANUARY 29: Cooper Koch in his role as Erik Menendez in the series “The Menendez Brothers” filmed in Los Angeles, California on January 29, 2024. (Photo: MEGA/GC Images)
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – MAY 15: Javier Bardem attends the UK premiere of the film 'The Little Mermaid' at the Odeon Luxe Leicester Square in London, United Kingdom on May 15, 2023. (Photo by Kar-Wai Tan/WireImage)
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 27: Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem attend the 94th Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood and Highland Park on March 27, 2022 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by David Livingston/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – NOVEMBER 6, 2023: Chloe Sevigny attends the 2023 CFDA Awards at the American Museum of Natural History on November 6, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Taylor Hill/FilmMagic)
Javier Bardem plays the father, Jose, and Chloe Sevigny plays the mother, Kitty, and both of them, especially Bardem, will appear in a number of other Ryan Murphy shows. (Related: If the trailer for 2073 doesn't inspire you to escape modern society, you're already lost.)
Like Taylor Sheridan, creator of Yellowstone and countless other hit series, Murphy likes to work with the same people again and again — Sevigny and Bardem starred in Murphy's film adaptation of Eat, Pray, Love — and I think Bardem's best is yet to come.
“Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” will premiere on September 19th.
