FX

Charlie Hunnam has undergone a shocking transformation for his chilling new role.

Back in September, Ryan Murphy announced that the Queer As Folk star would be leading the third season of his hit Monsters series, portraying serial killer and bodysnatcher Ed Gein.

Often referred to as the “Butcher of Plainfield” or the “Plainfield Ghoul”, Gein robbed graves and collected body parts, which he used to concoct household items and clothing. Although Gein admitted to the two murders of Mary Hogan in 1954 and Bernice Worden in 1957, he was suspected of killing more.

Gein, who died in a mental health facility in 1984, has since served as inspiration for iconic fictional villains such as Norman Bates in Psycho, Buffalo Bill in Silence of the Lambs and Leatherface in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise.

Since that fateful day, fans have eagerly awaited new information about Monsters season three and Hunnam’s portrayal of the terrifying murderer.

Fortunately, on 20 November, behind-the-scenes photos from the show’s set made their way to the internet and included a first look at The Gentleman star’s staggering transformation.

In a handful of pictures, a clean-shaven Hunnam is shown sporting a red and black flannel jacket, brown pants and a sleek 1950s hairstyle, looking eerily similar to Gein.

Another snapshot features Phantom Thread star Vicky Krieps, whose role is being kept under wraps, wearing a bright yellow dress and blonde wig.

Since the set photos were released, fans of Hunnam have flocked to social media to share their reactions to his transformation.

One person on X/Twitter wrote: “Someone tell Ryan Murphy to stop casting attractive people in these things like.”

Another user tweeted: “Great to see some first looks of Charlie as Ed Gein. I do love a clean-shaven Charlie. A little uneasy knowing the character he’s playing. He’s going to hit this character out of the part.”

Hunnam’s on-set photos come a month after Murphy spoke to Collider about Monsters season three, including his decision to spotlight Gein in the new batch of episodes.

“After we did Menendez, Ian, and I were talking about it, and we were interested in this idea of, ‘Where did our cultural interest in serial killers begin? Where did this all start?'” he explained to the news outlet.

“Based on our research, the very first one who became a celebrity at that level was Ed, who was an instant crazy celebrity from the moment he was arrested. Nobody had ever heard of anything like that.”

Murphy also opened up about Hunnam’s involvement with the project, revealing that his friend and Monsters director, Max Winkler, suggested the 44-year-old for the role.

“So I met with Charlie, and he’s just the most lovely person, and he liked what we were doing. He liked what it was about. Every generation gets the monster that they deserve, you know? So we’re writing about a lot of things, but he’s a wonderful guy,’ Murphy added.

In addition to Hunnam and Krieps, Monsters season three will star Laurie Metcalf, Tom Hollander, and Olivia Williams.

As of writing, Murphy and Netflix have yet to announce a release date for the new batch of episodes.