Ryan Murphy is no stranger to controversy. And his latest Netflix project, ‘Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story‘, is making headlines for all the wrong reasons. The series delves into the infamous case of the Menendez brothers, who were convicted of murdering their parents in 1989.
While the show attempts to explore the emotional and psychological abuse the brothers claim to have endured, it hasn’t been met with universal praise. In fact, Erik Menendez has publicly slammed ‘Monsters‘ for what he called a “dishonest portrayal” of their story.
Ryan Murphy Breaks Down The ‘Incest’ Theory
Ryan Murphy isn’t one to back down from criticism. In a recent interview with ET, he defended the show’s creative decisions, particularly regarding the controversial implication of a romantic relationship between Lyle and Erik.
For Murphy, ‘Monsters‘ isn’t just retelling the same old facts. It presents the various theories and perspectives surrounding the case, even the uncomfortable ones.
Addressing the backlash head-on, Ryan Murphy explained why ‘Monsters‘ included the controversial idea that there may have been a romantic relationship between the Menendez brothers. “It’s a ‘Rashomon’ kind of approach, where there were four people involved in that. Two of them are dead,” Murphy explained.
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“What about the parents? We had an obligation as storytellers to also try and put in their perspective based on our research, which we did.” Murphy continued, “If you watch the show, what the show is doing is presenting the points of view and theories from so many people who were involved in the case.“
According to him, this narrative wasn’t invented but was drawn from journalist Dominick Dunne’s work during the Menendez trial. “Dominick Dunne wrote several articles talking about that theory. We are presenting his point of view. … And we had an obligation to show all of that and we did,” he said.
Murphy said that “if you watch the show, I would say 60 to 65 percent” of the scripted narrative centers “around the abuse and what they claim happened to them. And we do it very carefully and we give them their day in court and they talk openly about it.“
Erik Menendez Fires Back At Ryan Murphy
Erik Menendez, now 53-year-old, didn’t take the portrayal lightly. Just a day after ‘Monsters‘ hit Netflix on September 19, he issued a lengthy statement condemning the show and its creator.
“It is sad for me to know that Netflix’s dishonest portrayal of the tragedies surrounding our crime have taken the painful truths several steps backward,” Erik wrote.
Related: Who Are The Menéndez Brothers Married To? Where Are They Now?
In his statement, Erik also accused Murphy of “horrible narrative” shaping. “It is with a heavy heart that I say, I believe Ryan Murphy cannot be this naive and inaccurate about the facts of our lives so as to do this without bad intent,” Erik remarked.
“Back through time to an era when the prosecution built a narrative on a belief system that males were not sexually abused, and that males experienced rape trauma differently than women. Those awful lies have been disrupted and exposed by countless brave victims over the last two decades who have broken through their personal shame and bravely spoken out,” he added.
‘Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story‘ is currently streaming on Netflix.
