Where Was Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story Filmed? Inside Netflix's Los Angeles and Italy Production

Quick Facts: Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story Filming Locations

• Los Angeles played 1892 Fall River, with period-dressed locations standing in for the Massachusetts mill town more than 2,500 miles away.

• Filming ran fall 2025 to March 2026, with Los Angeles as the main production base.

• The Italy shoot lasted about five weeks, from January 22 to February 25, 2026, in and around Rome.

• Castello Orsini-Odescalchi in Bracciano, a lakeside castle outside Rome, was reported as a setting for the Elizabeth Báthory flashbacks.

• Vicky Krieps plays two roles, the Borden family's maid Bridget Sullivan and Hungarian noblewoman Elizabeth Báthory.

• The real Lizzie Borden House in Fall River is a working bed-and-breakfast and museum, and it appears in the show's storyline.

• All eight episodes premiered September 17, 2026, on Netflix, with Ella Beatty starring as Lizzie Borden.

Meet the Cast Behind the Story

Set in Fall River, Massachusetts, around the infamous 1892 Borden murders, the season puts Ella Beatty at the center as Lizzie Borden. Charlie Hunnam plays her father, Andrew, with Rebecca Hall as her stepmother, Abby, and Billie Lourd as her older sister, Emma. Vicky Krieps takes on two very different roles as the Borden family’s maid, Bridget Sullivan, and Hungarian noblewoman Elizabeth Báthory.

Jessica Barden appears as Lizzie’s actress friend Nance O’Neil, while Joey Pollari plays her uncle John Morse and Sarah Paulson enters the story as Aileen Wuornos. Ian Brennan, who created the anthology with Ryan Murphy, wrote all eight episodes, and Max Winkler directed six, including the premiere.

Ella Beatty as Lizzie Borden in episode 401 of Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2026

Los Angeles Plays 1892 Massachusetts

Recreating Victorian-era Fall River in modern Los Angeles is a familiar trick for productions with this kind of budget, and Monster leaned on it fully. Crews dressed locations around the city for the period, stripping out anything that read as contemporary and filling the frame with 19th-century architecture, costumes and props to build the Borden family's world.

One reported location is easy to visit. Heritage Square Museum in Montecito Heights is an open-air collection of rescued Victorian buildings, and its Hale House, built in 1887, reportedly served as the exterior of the Borden home. The museum is open to the public, which makes it the rare Monster location you can walk right up to.

Hale House at Heritage Square Museum in Los Angeles, which reportedly served as the exterior of the Borden home in Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story.

Why the Production Flew to Italy

From January 22 to February 25, 2026, a production unit worked in and around Rome in Italy's Lazio region. That's a big detour for a show set in Massachusetts, and it comes down to one storyline: Vicky Krieps' second role as Elizabeth Báthory, the 16th- and 17th-century Hungarian noblewoman accused of torturing and murdering young women.

Italian reports place the shoot at Castello Orsini-Odescalchi, a fortress overlooking Lake Bracciano, and in the historic center of Bracciano itself. In the show, Bridget tells Lizzie the story of Báthory, and those flashbacks needed a setting Los Angeles couldn't fake. The castle is open to visitors and makes an easy day trip from Rome.

Castello Orsini-Odescalchi in Bracciano, outside Rome, reportedly a setting for the Elizabeth Báthory flashbacks in Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story.

The Real Lizzie Borden House Is Part of the Story, and You Can Visit It

Netflix says the season was filmed largely in Los Angeles, with the Báthory flashbacks shot in Lazio, so the Borden home you see on screen is a recreation.

The real house still plays a part, though. In one of the show's stranger turns, serial killer Aileen Wuornos, played by Sarah Paulson, checks into the Borden bed-and-breakfast roughly a century after the murders.

That bed-and-breakfast is real. The house at 230 Second Street in Fall River, where Andrew and Abby Borden were killed in 1892, has operated as an inn and museum since 1996, with tours and overnight stays.

Plan it as its own trip, since Fall River is about an hour south of Boston and nowhere near either filming location.

The real Lizzie Borden House at 230 Second Street in Fall River, Massachusetts, where the 1892 murders took place. It now operates as a bed-and-breakfast and museum.

Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story builds its 1892 Massachusetts in Los Angeles and finds its Hungarian castle outside Rome, and neither is anywhere near Fall River. That leaves fans with three very different trips to choose from: a Victorian house museum in LA, a lakeside fortress in Lazio, or the real Borden home in Massachusetts. Only one of them will rent you a room for the night...if you're brave enough to book it.

Frequently Asked Questions: Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story Filming Locations

Where was Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story filmed?

The season was filmed primarily in Los Angeles, California, which stands in for 1892 Fall River, Massachusetts. The Elizabeth Báthory flashbacks were filmed in Italy's Lazio region, in and around Rome.

Did they film at the real Lizzie Borden House?

There's no indication the production filmed at the real house. Netflix lists Los Angeles and Italy's Lazio region as the filming locations, and the Borden home on screen is a recreation.

Why did the production film in Italy?

The Italian locations were used for flashbacks to Elizabeth Báthory, the Hungarian noblewoman played by Vicky Krieps. Reports name Castello Orsini-Odescalchi in Bracciano, outside Rome, as one of the settings.

When did Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story premiere?

It premiered on Netflix on September 17, 2026, as a complete eight-episode season.

Who plays Lizzie Borden?

Ella Beatty stars as Lizzie Borden, with Charlie Hunnam and Rebecca Hall playing her father and stepmother.

Is Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story based on a true story?

Yes, it's based on the real 1892 murders of Andrew and Abby Borden. The series blends historical fact with heavily dramatized and invented elements, including the Aileen Wuornos storyline.

Can you visit the real Lizzie Borden House?

Yes. The house at 230 Second Street in Fall River, Massachusetts, operates as a bed-and-breakfast and museum with tours and overnight stays.

Can you visit the Monster filming locations?

Heritage Square Museum in Los Angeles, a reported filming location, is open to the public. Castello Orsini-Odescalchi in Bracciano also welcomes visitors and is a day trip from Rome.