top of page
Check back soon
Once posts are published, you’ll see them here.
Search

Series: The Monster of Florence (2025): Il Mostro and the 17-Year Reign of Terror

  • Writer: dailyentertainment95
    dailyentertainment95
  • 3 days ago
  • 5 min read

An Italian True Crime Limited Series The Monster of Florence is a four-episode Italian true crime miniseries and docudrama with a runtime of approximately 1 hour per episode, and a 15 certificate. The series is co-created by Leonardo Fasoli and Stefano Sollima (known for Gomorrah and ZeroZeroZero), and is based on legal proceedings and real investigations. It chronicles the harrowing, unsolved case of the Monster of Florence (Il Mostro di Firenze), an enigmatic serial killer who targeted and murdered eight couples (16 victims) in secluded spots around Tuscany, Italy, between 1968 and 1985. The series focuses on the complex, controversial investigation, particularly the early "Sardinian Trail" of suspects, and how the trauma profoundly affected Italian society.

Why to watch this series: An Auteur's Dive into an Unsolved Case

  • The Sollima/Fasoli Pedigree: The series is helmed by the creators of the critically acclaimed Italian crime dramas Gomorrah and ZeroZeroZero. Their involvement guarantees a gritty, rigorous, and unromanticized approach to the criminal underworld and police procedure.

  • A Gripping True Story: The Monster of Florence case is one of Italy's most notorious and complex true crime mysteries—an unsolved case that terrorized a nation for 17 years and is frequently compared to America's Zodiac Killer.

  • Focus on the "Possible Monsters": Instead of offering a definitive answer, the series' narrative strategy is to focus on the suspects—the "possible monsters"—from their point of view. This creates a compelling, "Zodiac-esque" psychological look at how suspicion and hysteria blurred the line between guilt and myth.

  • Respectful Portrayal of Victims: The creators' stated intention is to "not to solve, not to explain, but simply to remember" the victims, ensuring the focus remains on the human cost and the consequences of the crimes rather than sensationalizing the violence.

What Trend is followed?: The Auteur-Driven True Crime Re-Examination The Monster of Florence follows the trend of the "auteur-driven true crime re-examination," where acclaimed directors use the limited series format to provide a deep, often non-linear, and critical look at famous, complex, and sometimes failed historical criminal investigations.

  • "Horror Must Be Traversed": The series aligns with the trend of a gritty, unromanticized approach to true crime, with Sollima emphasizing that "horror, in order to be truly portrayed, must be traversed. Not avoided."

  • Ambiguity and Institutional Failure: Like acclaimed dramas Zodiac or Mindhunter, the series prioritizes showing the "labyrinth" of the investigation—the political conflicts, missteps, and changing theories—over providing definitive closure.

  • The Local Narrative for a Global Audience: As a high-profile Netflix production, it feeds the global appetite for international true crime by focusing on a culturally specific, historical case that is a source of national trauma (Italy's "first modern serial killer").

Director's Vision: An Atavistic Look at Misogyny and Violence

  • Non-Linear Complexity: Director Stefano Sollima's vision is to use a disjointed/non-linear storytelling approach, jumping back and forth across various timelines (from 1982 to 1968), to reflect the police's genuine struggle with the case's complexity and how the truth was elusive.

  • Misogyny as a Root Cause: The narrative delves into the "atavistic Italy" of the era, heavily focusing on the misogynistic violence and abuse suffered by the initial victim, Barbara Locci, and suggesting a thematic link between widespread gender-based hatred and the escalation of the serial killings.

  • Documentary-like Rigor: The creators rely on documents, court records, and expert testimony to maintain "narrative fidelity," ensuring a sober and documentary-like tone despite the dramatic reconstructions.

Themes: Hysteria, Unresolved Trauma, and Systemic Failure

  • Unsolvable Mystery: The central theme is the enduring power of an unsolved case and the collective trauma it leaves behind, keeping the victims' families in a state of unresolved grief.

  • Hysteria and the Media: The series explores how the seventeen-year investigation and the media's obsession fueled national panic, suspicion, and "hysteria," causing innocent men to be accused and creating a cultural myth around the killer.

  • The Monster Within: The series suggests that the true "monster" could be anyone—or, more metaphorically, that the misogyny and casual violence in the everyday lives of the Sardinian suspects reflect a broader darkness within the society that allowed such a killer to operate.

Key success factors: Sollima's Name and True Crime Craze

  • Stefano Sollima's Authority: The involvement of the critically acclaimed creator of Gomorrah gives the series immediate artistic weight and credibility within the crime genre.

  • High-Profile Cold Case: The case itself is a legendary and highly influential cold case (it inspired Thomas Harris to set Hannibal in Florence), guaranteeing a built-in audience of true crime enthusiasts.

  • Netflix Platform: The series' release on Netflix, particularly around the Halloween season, taps into the global demand for dark, gritty, real-life crime stories.

Awards and Nominations: Early Festival Recognition The series has received 1 win & 5 nominations total, including a prominent screening at the Venice Film Festival 2025, confirming its status as a prestige limited series.

Critics reception: Respectful but Divided on Structure The Monster of Florence has received a mixed to average critical reception, with praise for its ambition and themes, but criticism for its disjointed narrative structure and perceived lack of a central protagonist.

  • Metacritic: The series holds a Metascore of 58 out of 100, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.

  • RogerEbert.com: Criticized the show for being "so unfocused that it comes off hollow," arguing that it relies too much on the "structural trickery" of following multiple suspects rather than the investigation itself.

  • Heaven of Horror: Highly recommended the series for its intense, fascinating look at the killer and for maintaining a focus "on the victims... Not to show us the brutal murders, but show us that these victims were real people."

Reviews: Highly Polarized User reviews are highly polarized, ranging from utter dismissal to high praise for the show's dark subject matter.

  • Negative Reviews (1/10): Label the production "Absolute insane utter rubbish," arguing that the poor performances and nonsensical script "trivializes everything" about the important real-life case.

  • Moderate Reviews (6/10): Found the series "Not that bad" and "interesting," though they felt more could have been explored and suggested reading the book for a fuller understanding.

Release dates: Theatrical and Streaming

  • Release date on streaming: The series was released on Netflix on October 22, 2025.

  • Theatrical Release: The series has no theatrical release.

What Movie Trend film is following: The True Crime as Social Commentary The series follows the trend of "True Crime as Social Commentary," using a historical murder case not just to solve a mystery, but to dissect the social mores, misogyny, and institutional failings of the era in which the crimes occurred. The focus is less on who the killer was and more on what the killer revealed about the society that created him.

What Big Social Trend is following: The Accountability for Gender-Based Violence The show taps into the major global social trend of demanding accountability for gender-based violence and misogyny. By heavily emphasizing the abuse suffered by the first victim and the pervasive patriarchy of the time, the series makes a strong, contemporary statement about the long history of violence against women in a patriarchal society, linking historical crimes to present-day issues like femicides.

Final Verdict: A Challenging and Grim True Crime Portrait The Monster of Florence is a challenging, grim, and artistically ambitious true crime limited series. Fans of director Stefano Sollima will appreciate the unvarnished look at the crime's human and institutional cost. While its non-linear structure and refusal to provide closure may frustrate viewers looking for a typical whodunit, its rigorous attention to the complexity of the unsolved case and its powerful social commentary make it a significant and intense watch for dedicated true crime and arthouse drama enthusiasts.


Subscribe Form

Thanks for submitting!

  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn

©2020 by DailyEntertainmentWorld. Proudly created with Wix.com

bottom of page