The four-part Netflix miniseries The Monster of Florence (original Italian title Il Mostro) premiered worldwide on October 22, 2025 — and it left me with mixed feelings. I love true-crime stories that dare to dig into the psychological undercurrents of real events, but this one only partially succeeds in turning its chilling true story into compelling television.
One case, many perspectives
The show is based on the infamous double murders that terrorized the Florence region between the late 1960s and the mid-1980s. It attempts to chronicle these crimes across multiple decades, shifting perspectives between suspects, investigators, and victims. On paper, that structure sounds exciting, but in practice, it often feels fragmented. There’s no strong emotional throughline that carries the viewer from one episode to the next. Sometimes the focus is on the detectives, sometimes on potential killers, and then suddenly on the victims — but it never fully commits to one direction. The result is a fascinating puzzle that looks impressive but never quite clicks together on a deeper emotional level.
Atmosphere and performances
That said, the series absolutely nails the atmosphere. The cinematography captures the Tuscan countryside so vividly you can almost feel the dust on those country roads. The nighttime scenes, with their interplay of shadows and light, are gorgeously shot and radiate a constant sense of unease. The sound design and score heighten that tension, pulling you into a world of paranoia and fear. Visually, this is top-tier work — easily on the level of high-end European crime dramas.
The performances are solid across the board. Valentino Mannias, as Salvatore Vinci, stands out with a performance that mixes charm and menace in equal measure. Still, I couldn’t find a character to really connect with. Too many figures drift in and out of the story without much emotional weight. Even the female characters — central to the real-life tragedy — are surprisingly underdeveloped. The first episode hints at how powerful the series could be if it focused more on the victims and their families, but that thread quickly fades as the narrative becomes more procedural and detached.
Style before human consequences
Thematically, The Monster of Florence brushes against important issues: misogyny, violence, institutional failure, and media obsession. But it rarely dives deep enough to make those themes hit home. Instead, the show often seems more fascinated by the aesthetics of horror than by its human cost. It’s clear that director Stefano Sollima has a strong visual sensibility — but sometimes it feels like style outweighs substance. The pacing is slow, the narrative sprawling, and while it’s always interesting to look at, it’s not always engaging to watch.
Verdict
My verdict: The Monster of Florence is a technically accomplished but narratively uneven crime drama. It has atmosphere, visual flair, and a meticulous sense of place, but it lacks focus and emotional depth. I’d give it a 6 out of 10. True-crime fans will find plenty to appreciate here — the period detail, the eerie realism, the haunting tone — but those hoping for a gripping, character-driven investigation might walk away a little disappointed.