See Sarah Paulson as female serial killer Aileen Wuornos in “Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story”

Key Points

• Sarah Paulson was revealed as serial killer Aileen Wuornos in the Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story trailer.

• Ella Beatty, who is set to play Lizzie Borden, explained why Wuornos is included in the season.

• Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story is set to premiere on Sept. 17.

Sarah Paulson has done it again.

In an unreal twist, the actress is set to appear as serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story. Netflix dropped the trailer for the fourth season in Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan’s famed anthology series on Aug. 20, and the video’s final moments featured an unrecognizable Paulson, cigarette in hand, with a killer (no pun intended) line.

“Oh, I f—ing know what happened,” Paulson’s version of Wuornos drawls, responding to a voiceover noting that “no one really knows what happened that day” between Lizzie Borden and her family.

Paulson’s reveal brought some confusion since Wuornos, who has been credited as the first female serial killer, isn’t involved in Lizzie’s story. While Lizzie was accused of murdering her parents with an axe (so says the famous rhyme) in 1892, Wuornos’ crimes took place between 1989 and 1990.

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Wuornos’ story has already been explored onscreen with Charlize Theron playing the late serial killer (who was executed in 2002 after being convicted of six murders) in 2003’s Monster. The film won Theron an Oscar for Best Actress. Lily Rabe also took on the role of Wuornos in American Horror Story (another Murphy production) season 5 in 2015. (Some fans have already been comparing the three versions on social media.)

Ella Beatty, who will be taking on the titular role in Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story, attempted to explain Wuornos’ inclusion during an interview with Netflix’s Tudum published on Thursday.

“The show is exploring a legacy of female rage and reaction to the set of circumstances that they are presented with,” she shared. “I think there’s a connection [between Borden and Wuornos] that Ryan and Ian were interested in mapping and exploring.”

Beatty’s Lizzie will be joined onscreen by Vicky Krieps (Bridget Sullivan), Charlie Hunnam (Andrew Borden), Rebecca Hall (Abby Borden), Billie Lourd (Emma Borden) and Jessica Barden (Nance O’Neil).

Lizzie’s story will be the first time that Murphy and Brennan take on female killers for the show, which previously chronicled Jeffrey Dahmer, Ed Gein, and the Menendez Brothers.

“Every season of Monster has been an exercise in understanding the person’s psychology,” Beatty told Tudum. “Are they born or are they made? I knew from the beginning that Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan were really interested in exploring what brings a woman to the point of violence.”

The actress added, “I think the story of Aileen Wuornos also served that question and that exploration of why women kill.”

Watch the Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story trailer above. All eight episodes drop on Netflix on Sept. 17.

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly