Monster - Reel Face
 


Browse by Movie
12 Mighty Orphans 
12 Strong 
12 Years a Slave 
13 Hours 
15:17 to Paris, The 
1917 
2 Hearts 
21 
22 July 
300 
300: Rise of an Empire 
42 
80 for Brady 
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood 
A Journal for Jordan 
A Million Miles Away 
A Small Light 
Act, The 
Adaptation 
Adrift 
Against the Ice 
Air 
All Eyez on Me 
All My Life 
All Saints 
Alpha Dog 
American Gangster 
American Hustle 
American Made 
American Sniper 
American Underdog 
Amityville Horror (1979) 
Amityville Horror (2005) 
Annabelle 
Annabelle: Creation 
Anthropoid 
Antwone Fisher 
Argo 
Arthur the King 
Bad Education 
Bandit 
Battle of the Sexes 
Beanie Bubble, The 
Beautiful Boy 
Beauty and the Beast 
Being the Ricardos 
Bessie 
Best of Enemies, The 
Big Eyes 
Big Lebowski 
Big Short, The 
Big Sick, The 
Bikeriders, The 
Black Bird 
Black Mass 
BlackBerry 
BlacKkKlansman 
Bleed for This 
Blind Side, The 
Bling Ring, The 
Blonde 
Bloodsport 
Blue Miracle 
Boardwalk Empire 
Bohemian Rhapsody 
Boston Strangler 
Boys Don't Cry 
Boys in the Boat, The 
Breach 
Breaking 
Breakthrough 
Brian Banks 
Bridge of Spies 
Burial, The 
Butler, The 
Bye Bye Man, The 
Cabrini 
Calendar Girls 
Can You Ever Forgive Me? 
Candy 
Capone 
Captain Phillips 
Captive 
Case for Christ, The 
Casino 
Catch Me If You Can 
Charlie Wilson's War 
Chasing Mavericks 
Chernobyl 
Clouds 
Cocaine Bear 
Concrete Cowboy 
Concussion 
Conjuring 2, The 
Conjuring, The 
Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, The 
Courier, The 
Crowded Room, The 
Crown, The 
Current War, The 
Danish Girl, The 
Danny Collins 
Darkest Hour 
Dear Edward 
Death of Stalin, The 
Deepwater Horizon 
Deliver Us From Evil 
Detroit 
Devil Wears Prada, The 
Devotion 
Diana 
Dig, The 
Dirt, The 
Disappointments Room, The 
Disaster Artist, The 
Dog Gone 
Dolemite Is My Name 
Donnie Brasco 
Downton Abbey 
Dr. Death 
Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story 
Dream Horse 
Dropout, The 
Dumb Money 
Dunkirk 
Eddie the Eagle 
Elvis 
Emancipation 
End of the Tour, The 
Entourage 
Erin Brockovich 
Everest 
Exorcism of Emily Rose, The 
Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile 
Eyes of Tammy Faye, The 
Fabelmans, The 
Farewell, The 
Father Stu 
Fatherhood 
Fault in Our Stars, The 
Favourite, The 
Ferrari 
Fighter, The 
Fighting with My Family 
Finding Neverland 
Finest Hours, The 
First Man 
Five Days at Memorial 
Flamin' Hot 
Florence Foster Jenkins 
For Life 
Ford v Ferrari 
Founder, The 
Foxcatcher 
Franklin 
Free State of Jones 
Freedom Writers 
Frida 
Genius 
Get On Up 
Gigi and Nate 
Girl from Plainville, The 
Glass Castle, The 
Gold 
Goldbergs, The 
Good Nurse, The 
Good on Paper 
Goodbye Christopher Robin 
Goodfellas 
Gran Turismo 
Greatest Beer Run Ever, The 
Greatest Showman, The 
Green Book 
Greyhound 
Gridiron Gang 
Hacksaw Ridge 
Hamilton 
Hands of Stone 
Harriet 
Haunting in Connecticut, The 
Heaven is for Real 
Hidden Figures 
Hill, The 
Hillbilly Elegy 
Hit Man 
Hollywoodland 
Home Team 
Hoosiers 
Hours, The 
House of Gucci 
Hurricane, The 
Hustlers 
I Am the Night 
I Can Only Imagine 
I Saw the Light 
I Still Believe 
I Wanna Dance with Somebody 
I, Tonya 
Imitation Game, The 
Infiltrator, The 
Inventing Anna 
Invincible 
Irishman, The 
Iron Claw, The 
Jaws 
Jerry and Marge Go Large 
Jersey Boys 
Jesus Revolution 
Jimi: All Is by My Side 
Jobs 
Joe Bell 
Joy 
Judas and the Black Messiah 
Judy 
Just Mercy 
Kill the Messenger 
Killers of the Flower Moon 
King Arthur 
King Richard 
Lady Bird 
Lady in the Lake 
Last Duel, The 
Last Full Measure, The 
League of Their Own, A 
Lee 
Lion 
Lone Survivor 
Lost City of Z, The 
Lost Girls 
Loving 
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom 
Maestro 
Maggie Moore(s) 
Maid 
Man Who Invented Christmas, The 
Manhattan 
Mank 
Marshall 
Masters of the Air 
Mauritanian, The 
McFarland, USA 
Megan Leavey 
Men of Honor 
Midway 
Military Wives 
Million Dollar Arm 
Minamata 
Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, The 
Miracle 
Miracles from Heaven 
Molly's Game 
Monster 
Monuments Men, The 
Mothman Prophecies, The 
Mrs. America 
Mule, The 
Munich: The Edge of War 
My All American 
Napoleon 
Next Goal Wins 
Not Without My Daughter 
Notorious 
Nun, The 
Nyad 
Old Man & the Gun, The 
On a Wing and a Prayer 
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood 
One and Only Ivan, The 
Only the Brave 
Operation Finale 
Operation Mincemeat 
Oppenheimer 
Ordinary Angels 
Our Friend 
Outlaw King 
Outpost, The 
Pain & Gain 
Pain Hustlers 
Passion of the Christ, The 
Patch Adams 
Paterno 
Patriots Day 
Pawn Sacrifice 
Penguin Bloom 
People v. O.J. Simpson, The 
Pianist, The 
Pope's Exorcist, The 
Post, The 
Prayer Before Dawn, A 
Promise, The 
Public Enemies 
Pursuit of Happyness, The 
Queen of Katwe 
Queenpins 
Quiet Ones, The 
Race 
Radio 
Railway Man, The 
Reagan 
Reality 
Remember the Titans 
Rescued by Ruby 
Respect 
Revenant, The 
Richard Jewell 
Right Stuff, The 
Rite, The 
Rocketman 
Rookie, The 
Rudy 
Rush 
Safety 
Saving Mr. Banks 
Saving Private Ryan 
Schindler's List 
Scoop 
Seabiscuit 
Self Made 
Sergio 
Serpent, The 
Skin 
Slender Man 
Social Network, The 
Society of the Snow 
Son of God 
Soul Surfer 
Sound of Freedom 
Spencer 
Spotlight 
Staircase, The 
Steve Jobs 
Stronger 
Sully 
Survivor, The 
Tag 
Tender Bar, The 
Tetris 
Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The 
Texas Rising 
Theory of Everything, The 
Thing About Pam, The 
Thirteen Lives 
Tiger King 
Till 
Titanic 
To Write Love on Her Arms 
Togo 
Tolkien 
Top Gun: Maverick 
Trees of Peace 
Trial of the Chicago 7, The 
True Spirit 
Unbroken 
Unfrosted 
United 93 
United Kingdom, A 
United States vs. Billie Holiday, The 
Unsung Hero 
Upside, The 
Vice 
Victoria and Abdul 
Waco 
Walk the Line 
Walk, The 
War Dogs 
Watcher, The 
We Own This City 
We Were the Lucky Ones 
WeCrashed 
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story 
Welcome to Marwen 
When the Game Stands Tall 
When They See Us 
White Boy Rick 
White House Plumbers 
Wicked Little Letters 
Wild 
Wolf of Wall Street, The 
Woman in Gold 
Woman King, The 
Worth 
Young Woman and the Sea 
Zodiac 
Zookeeper's Wife, The 


REEL FACES HOME


Monster (2003)
Starring Charlize Theron, Christina Ricci, Bruce Dern
based on the true story of Florida serial killer Aileen Wuornos
Reel Face: Real Face:
Charlize Theron Charlize Theron
Born:
August 7, 1975
Birthplace:
Benoni, South Africa
Aileen Wuornos Aileen 'Lee' Carol Wuornos
Born:
February 29, 1956 as Aileen Carol Pittman
Birthplace: Rochester, Michigan, USA
Died: October 9, 2002 - execution by lethal injection

"I'm one who seriously hates human life and would kill again. So what's the point! Let's move on. I am asking here then for the Florida Supreme Court to step in and 'Do Something.'" - Aileen Wuornos (in a letter to the Florida Supreme Court pleading for execution, June 2001)

Questioning the Story:
  



Is Aileen Wuornos really considered to be the first female serial killer?
No. Although the media hyped Aileen Wuornos as the first female serial killer, in reality women have been murdering just as long as men. There methods are usually somewhat different, often preferring poison to a gun. This may be why Aileen was wrongly touted as 'the first female serial killer.' She killed her victims by way of a gun instead of the stereotypical devices that women serial killers have often used in the past.

Genene JonesFor example, in 1981 the pediatric department of the Bexar County Hospital in San Antonio, Texas watched as many as twenty-five infants die due to cardiac arrest or runaway bleeding. The hospital soon discovered that most of the deaths occurred while the infants were in the care of licensed vocational nurse Genene Jones (right). After as many as forty-two baby deaths ended up under investigation, the grand jury returned indictments against Jones. She was charged with murder after the discovery of excess drugs in one patient's body. A second trial found her guilty of administering an overdose of the blood thinning drug heparin to a different child. This 1984 trial decision caused hospitals across Texas to begin shredding records of her employment. Why did she do it? Possibly to be seen as the hero when she was able to save some of the children. -stagedirect.com/massmurder

How many murders did Aileen Wuornos really commit?
Aileen admitted to killing seven men, including a missionary. She was only convicted of killing six men because the missionary's body was never found. In the film Monster, this missing seventh man is very similar to the last man that Aileen (Charlize Theron) murders. -dailystar.com

Why did Aileen Wuornos commit the murders?
Aileen Wuornos - Elementary SchoolAbandoned by her teenage mother, Aileen was left in the care of her grandparents when she was just a toddler. Her father, whom she never met, hanged himself in a Kansas prison. He had been serving a life sentence for raping a 7-year-old girl. Aileen claimed to have been sexually abused by her grandfather and raped when she was 13. She had her first child when she was 14, a baby boy, which she put up for adoption. Her grandmother died soon after the baby's birth. Aileen subsequently dropped out of school, left home, and became a prostitute. In the years that followed, Aileen's grandfather committed suicide and her brother Keith died of cancer. By no means should her childhood be a justification for her actions, but it definitely could have left her with severe emotional scars. Murdering, which she claimed with her first victim was an act of self-defense, was also a way for her to make money to support herself and her girlfriend/friend Tyria Moore, who was 24 when they met at a gay bar in Daytona. -About.com (Lesbian Life)

Was Aileen Wuornos ever married?
Yes. Shortly after arriving in Florida, Aileen married an elderly man named Lewis Fell, who earned a substantial income from railroad stocks. Fell took out a restraining order on Aileen after she was arrested back home in Michigan for hurling a cue ball at a bartender's head. The marriage was subsequently annulled after Lewis Fell claimed that Aileen had squandered his money and would beat him with his cane whenever she wanted more cash. -CrimeLibrary.com

Is there any evidence that Aileen's first murder was an act of self-defense?
Richard MalloryFor some time this remained uncertain. With nothing to support her claims, Aileen was convicted of killing Richard Mallory (right, click to enlarge) in January of 1992. In November of that year, Dateline NBC reporter Michele Gillens discovered that Richard Mallory had served 10 years for violent rape in another state. Aileen was never given a re-trial.
-About.com (Lesbian Life)



While on death row was Aileen really legally adopted?
Yes. Although it's not shown in the film, while on death row Aileen was befriended and legally adopted by Arlene Pralle, who claimed to have received her orders to do so from God. -CrimeLibrary.com



Did Aileen Wuornos really wish to be put to death?

Yes. Aileen wrote to Florida's seven Supreme Court Justices on two different occasions requesting that they cancel her pending appeals. Regarding her guilt and preference for the setting of an execution date, she stated, "While I say, fine and dandy, so be it, and if you'd like I'll be more than happy to take a polygraph, too, just so matters are that much more justified before proceeding." -news-journalonline.com

What was the meaning behind Aileen's strange last words?
In all of my research, it seems that no one is really sure of the meaning behind Aileen Wuornos' last worlds where she said, "I'd just like to say I'm sailing with the Rock and I'll be back like Independence Day with Jesus, June 6, like the movie, big mothership and all. I'll be back." I don't want to speculate, so I'll leave it up to you to figure out a meaning.

How was Aileen Wuornos executed?
Aileen Wuornos was executed by lethal injection on October 9, 2002 at Florida State Prison.

How did Monster director Patty Jenkins obtain her material for the film?
Making her major motion picture filmmaking debut, director Patty Jenkins obtained a lot of her research material for the film by exchanging letters with the real Aileen Wuornos before Wuornos' 2002 execution. In a CNN interview Jenkins said that she also used, "Court documents ... lots of footage of her interviews, all of the transcripts and depositions from those trials. There have been a ton of books written about them. And talking to [Aileen]." -CNN

Is it true that actress and star Charlize Theron was the producer of the film Monster?
Yes. Charlize Theron was in fact the producer of the film Monster. In the CNN interview, director Patty Jenkins said the following about Theron's additional role on the set, "It was great. She really signed on as producer because I think that she knew, as did I, that there is a long hard road for a movie like this. And [the movie] can get pushed and pulled in all kinds of different directions. So instead of being this ... overlord as producer ... she really just put herself in a position where she could really defend what it was we wanted to do. And fight for it." -CNN

How concerned were the filmmakers with realistically depicting the true story?
Speaking about the realistic details of the film, director Patty Jenkins said, "
All those details in the film were meticulously worked on. I am really obsessive about those details and so is Charlize. I can't stand characters with contradictory information. And that's the reason why, hopefully, there's the level of reality there -- because we made that reality." -CNN

Is it true that the filmmakers actually shot in the same bar that the real Aileen Wuornos used to visit?
The Last ResortYes. Wanting to pay particular attention to the level of detail in the film, the filmmakers went to Port Orange, Florida to film at The Last Resort (right), a local bar there that the real Aileen Wuornos used to frequent regularly. The bar's owner, Al Bulling, said of Charlize Theron, "Every minute she was in this bar she was in character. Everything she did - from lighting cigarettes to laughing - was on target ...and how she acted, it was beyond excellent." Bulling wasted no time in marketing the bar's notorious visitor, selling T-shirts that declare The Last Resort as the "world famous home of ice cold beer and killer women." You can also buy bottles of Wuornos' favorite hot sauce that Bulling renamed "Crazed Killer Hot Sauce." The real Al Bulling is seen briefly in the film as a bartender who tells a drunk Theron-as-Wuornos that she can't run a tab for more beer. She begs "Al will give me credit," and he gives her another beer. On a side note, Bulling said that he can remember Wuornos asking for a ride home at times, but that she never propositioned anyone in the bar. After Aileen Wuornos' 1991 arrest made the news, three women showed up at the bar with photos to find out if their missing husbands had ever been seen in the bar with Aileen. -dailystar.com

Have any other movies been made about Aileen Wuornos?
Jean SmartYes. In addition to Monster, there have been several films and television programs about Aileen Wuornos. Nick Broomfield directed two documentaries, Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer (1992) and Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer (2003). In 1992, the made-for-television movie Overkill: The Aileen Wuornos Story aired, starring Jean Smart (Bringing Down the House, 2003). Actress Jean Smart is pictured at right. Aileen Wuornos has also been featured on 60 Minutes, A&E, and Court TV.

With Aileen Wuornos so accurately portrayed by Charlize Theron, just how accurate was Christina Ricci's depiction of Wuornos' friend/lover?
Not very accurate, at least physically. To begin with, Wuornos' companion did not go by the name Selby. Her name was Tyria Moore and she was a strawberry-redhead. This lack of resemblance was likely intentional for legal reasons. Tyria Moore is still alive and could sue the filmmakers. -girlswithguns.org

How did Charlize Theron physically transform herself for the role of Aileen Wuornos?
Actress Charlize Theron underwent quite a drastic transformation to play the part of serial killer Aileen Wuornos. Theron - who began her career as a model in her native South Africa before coming to the U.S. as a ballerina with the Joffrey Ballet - packed on between twenty-five and thirty pounds for the role. Makeup artist Tony G put on her makeup. This included two pairs of teeth, sculpted by Art Sakamoto, which she had to learn to speak with. Gelatin weighted down her eyelids, which caused them to sag, making her look tired. Other than her teeth, no prosthetics were used, just layers of paints. -monsterfilm.com

Charlize Theron Transformation
click to enlarge
Courtesy of MonsterFilm.com


Wuornos' Letters and other Documents:
Below you can read two letters written by Aileen Wuornos, both to the Florida Supreme Court requesting for the dismissal of her appeals. They express her wish that an execution date be set. Her cursive is a little hard to read here at times, but it's still legible. The third document is the death warrant issued by Florida Governor Jeb Bush, which accommodates Wuornos' preference for execution.

Letter to the Court (Filed 4-26-2001) [pdf]
Letter to the Court (Filed 6-11-2001) [pdf]
Death Warrant (Filed 9-05-2002) [pdf]



Link to Learn More:
Monster/ Kevin Lang's Review
Aileen Wuornos at CrimeLibrary.com
More Briefs and Documents from Aileen Wuornos' Case



Watch the Monster Movie Trailer:

Monster movie trailer



Message Board (Discuss the Film):