Netflix’s latest season of Monsters is based on the horrifying true story of two brothers who murdered their parents in the 1980s, and it has become a sensation on the streaming platform.
The Ryan Murphy series, titled Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, has reignited interest in the case of Erik and Lyle, who were found guilty of killing their parents at their Beverly Hills home in 1989.
The dramatisation features Cooper Koch as Erik and Nicholas Chavez as Lyle, while Javier Bardem and Chloe Sevigny play their doomed parents Jose and Kitty Menendez. The series is a sequel to the streaming giant’s previous success, Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, which saw Evan Peters portray the notorious serial killer.
A third instalment focusing on Ed Gein, a murderer and grave-robber active in the 1950s, has already been given the green light.
Koch’s portrayal of Erik has received widespread acclaim from audiences, particularly for his performance in the fifth episode, The Hurt Man, where his character reveals the abuse he endured from his father. The heart-wrenching scene was shot in one continuous take, with a script that ran to 34 pages, reports the Mirror.
Fans of Koch are now uncovering his lesser-known role in a film that viewers have described as “traumatising”. Koch played the role of Benjamin in the 2023 horror/thriller Swallowed, directed by Carter Smith. It follows two friends, Benjamin (Koch) and Dom (Jose Colon), as they indulge in one last night of partying before parting ways, as Benjamin is set to leave Maine behind to pursue a career in the adult film industry in Los Angeles.
However, their night takes a dark turn when they agree to a last-minute drug smuggling job, swallowing parcels they believe contain drugs. But the contents are not what they expected, and the pair must fight to survive the night.
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SkySwallowed has received an 82% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with a slightly lower audience score of 73%. One reviewer praised Cooper Koch as “the best part of Swallowed”, while another described it as “a lean and mean horror film with an LGBTQ twist, solid performances, and taut direction.”
However, another reviewer warned that the film is not for the faint of heart, stating: “The body horror in Swallowed is a different kind of disturbing, because, well, you have to get the drugs out of Dom somehow. It’s not for the squeamish.”
Los Angeles Times critic Noel Murray praised the film as a “memorably intense experience” with “sharp points to make about how the lives of outsiders and outlaws can tip in an instant into sloppy chaos.”
Swallowed is currently available to watch on NOW TV with a premium subscription. It’s also available on to rent on YouTube, Prime Video, Google Play Movies and Apple TV.