6 Chilling Lizzie Borden Portrayals to Watch Before Netflix’s ‘Monster’
More than 130 years after the infamous axe murders in Fall River, Massachusetts, Lizzie Borden remains one of America’s most enduring true crime legends. Acquitted of the murders of her father and stepmother, she has spent more than a century inspiring countless films, television series, stage productions, and even cartoons, with each generation reinventing her as everything from a cold-blooded killer to a misunderstood woman and a horror icon.
Now, the legend is getting another high-profile retelling in Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story, the fourth season of Ryan Murphy‘s hit Netflix anthology series. Premiering September 17, the new installment stars Ella Beatty as the woman at the center of one of America’s greatest mysteries.
Before Beatty picks up the axe, take a look back at some of the most memorable depictions of Lizzie Borden over the years, from chilling and dramatic interpretations to delightfully offbeat takes that have kept her legend alive for generations.
Monster, Season 4, Thursday, September 17, Netflix
6. The Simpsons, "Treehouse of Horror IV: The Devil and Homer Simpson" (1993)
It’s just a brief visual gag in The Simpsons‘ “Treehouse of Horror IV,” but a memorable pop culture reference that shows how deeply embedded Lizzie is in American folklore. Voiced by Pamela Hayden, an axe-wielding Lizzie is part of the Jury of the Damned in a trial over Homer’s (Dan Castellaneta) soul and is joined by Richard Nixon, Benedict Arnold, and the starting line of the 1976 Philadelphia Flyers. She acts as the forewoman of the jury and finds Homer’s soul not the property of the Devil Flanders (Harry Shearer).
5. Clone High, several episodes (2002-2003)
In the animated sci-fi comedy Clone High, a teenage Lizzie Borden appears as a clone of the historical figure who struggles to fit into high school because she inherited her genetic counterpart’s homicidal tendencies. She, of course, carries a hatchet around school, along with a pink backpack. She is a member of a group of social outcasts called the Bleacher Creatures.
4. Alfred Hitchcock Presents, "The Older Sister," Season 1, Episode 17 (1956)
In this classic episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents filled with suspense and dark irony, the story takes place one year after the murders and focuses on a reporter (Polly Rowles) trying to interview Lizzie (Carmen Mathews) and her sister Emma (Joan Lorring). During the questioning, it becomes clear that Emma committed the brutal murders, while Lizzie took the blame and was acquitted.
3. Lizzie Borden Took an Ax (2014)
A biographical TV movie that premiered on Lifetime on January 25, 2014, Lizzie Borden Took an Ax stars Christina Ricci as the infamous accused killer. Ricci’s delightfully gothy, campy performance made the film a hit and introduced Lizzie Borden to a new generation of viewers. Embracing a stylish, gothic atmosphere while leaning into melodrama, it became one of the more entertaining and over-the-top depictions of the Borden case.
Its success led to the eight-episode sequel series The Lizzie Borden Chronicles, which aired from April 5 to May 25, 2015, with Ricci reprising the role.
2. Lizzie (2018)
Lizzie is a biographical psychological thriller starring Chloë Sevigny as Lizzie Borden and Kristen Stewart as the Borden family’s maid, Bridget Sullivan. Sevigny delivers a restrained, psychologically complex performance in what is arguably the strongest theatrical film about Borden. Beautifully acted and visually striking, the film offers a haunting and atmospheric reimagining of the infamous case with feminist undertones.
1. The Legend of Lizzie Borden (1975)
A historical TV movie that aired on ABC on February 10, 1975, The Legend of Lizzie Borden stars Elizabeth Montgomery in what many fans consider the definitive screen portrayal of the accused murderer. The film became a television classic and remains one of the most influential dramatizations of the case.
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