There are new monsters in the city.
Netflix has released the first photos of “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story”.
Executive produced by Ryan Murphy, Monsters is the next chapter in the true crime anthology series that began with the smash hit Dahmer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. It stars Evan Peters and Niecy Nash, both of whom won Golden Globes for their roles.
“Dahmer” was controversial, with victims’ families criticizing the show. But it was a hit and became the platform’s second most popular show of all time (after “Stranger Things”).
According to the official description of the next chapter of the anthology series on the platform, “Following the huge success of DAHMER, Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan’s true crime anthology series returns with ‘Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story,’ telling the story of the brothers who were convicted in real life of the 1996 murder of their parents, José and Mary Louise ‘Kitty’ Menendez.”
In the teaser trailer, Kitty, played by Chloe Sevigney, can be heard saying, “I need to know what’s going on with you and the boys.”
The Netflix plot synopsis continues: “While prosecutors argued they wanted to inherit their family’s fortune, the brothers maintained – and maintain to this day, as they serve life sentences without the possibility of parole – that their actions were motivated by fear of a lifetime of physical, emotional and sexual abuse at the hands of their parents.”
The platform’s summary concludes that the show “delves into the historic case that took the world by storm, paved the way for today’s audiences’ fascination with true crime, and in turn, asks audiences: Who are the real monsters?”
The series stars Nicholas Alexander Chavez (“General Hospital”) as Lyle and Cooper Koch (“They/Them”) as Erik.
Javier Bardem plays her father and Sevigny her mother.
In the first photo, the family of four is smiling, posing together and looks like a happy and normal family.
The real Lyle and Erik murdered their parents in 1989 and were convicted in 1996. Both brothers are currently serving life sentences without the possibility of parole.
In 2023, former inmate Anerae “X-Raided” Brown – a rapper who served 26 years for murder and met Lyle and Erik in prison – told The Post that Lyle “is a very charismatic, magnetic person. We just became people who could rely on each other.”
He added: “Lyle was the one who taught me the value of using my popularity to my advantage to make a positive impact. He was the first to say, ‘Hey man, I think you should sign up for these classes, it’s a different way to spend your time.'”
When Brown was transferred to Pleasant Valley State Prison in 2008, Erik Menendez was already waiting for him after receiving a letter from Lyle.
“It basically said, ‘I love X-Raided, he’s my little brother and take care of him like you would take care of me,'” recalled Brown, who left the Crips.
Brown praised Erik as a “calm, collected” soul who picked up right where Lyle left off. “He was a positive influence on me and someone I looked up to.”
However, Eugene L. Weems, an MMA fighter who served 17 years for robbery and knew Lyle before he was released in late 2018, had a different explanation.
“He’s a coward, he’s very disrespectful,” he told The Post in 2023 about Lyle.
“He is extravagant and thinks he is better than everyone else. That’s the way he is, that’s the truth. I have dealt with him, we were friends.”
“Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” premieres on Netflix on September 19.
