New sneak peek at The Monster of Florence surfaces as Netflix gears up to tell the story of Italy's most chilling serial killer case this October

Netflix is sharpening its true crime edge this fall with The Monster of Florence, a four-part limited series set to drop on October 22. A newly released teaser gives a first, grim look into the dark heart of Italy’s most haunting unsolved mystery—a series of brutal double homicides that terrorized Tuscany for over two decades. The show, led by acclaimed Italian director Stefano Sollima, doesn’t just revisit the crimes, but drags viewers deep into its psychological aftermath.

The sneak peek sets a chilling tone: bloodstained crime scenes, shadowy forest backdrops, and a heavy atmosphere of paranoia that lingers in the air like the mist over the Tuscan hills. It’s a slow-burning descent, more unnerving than flashy, that hints at the methodical brutality of a killer who was never caught but left an entire country looking over its shoulder. The .22 caliber Beretta, the couples targeted while parked in cars, and the eerie silence that followed—all return in vivid detail.

This isn’t merely another dramatization of a serial killer's story. Sollima, famed for Gomorrah and ZeroZeroZero, has once more joined forces with longtime partner Leonardo Fasoli, who has helped him build a story focusing on the aftermath rather than the forensics. This is not about piecing together a puzzle but rather surviving a continuously evolving nightmare.

The Monster of Florence: A true-crime tale rooted in authenticity

The Monster of Florence is notable for its use of location shooting. The calm pastoral drives, while featuring the outskirts of Florence alongside lonely backwoods, capture each shot with a haunting surrealism. For over a year, Sollima dedicated himself to the case research by archiving evidence, interviewing specialists, and going over the crime scenes, not to make them dramatic, but to ensure the story was genuine.

The new screen actors Marco Bullitta, Valentino Mannias, and Francesca Olia bring fresh blood without distraction. These aren’t household names, and that’s by design. The creators want the attention to remain on the plot instead of the cast. This approach enhances the film's documentary-style suspense, ensuring the narrative centers on the victims, their terror, and the infuriatingly ungraspable creature at the heart of it all.

A chilling case that still casts a shadow

From the late '60s to the mid-'80s, the “Monster of Florence” case left eight couples brutally murdered, with an entire generation living in fear. Even with thorough probes, several detentions, and a media circus, no one was ever sentenced for the crimes. That lingering feeling of fear became a part of Italian heritage, and that is precisely what Sollima utilizes.

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With Netflix behind the project and production support from The Apartment and Sollima’s own AlterEgo banner, the series already feels poised to be more than just a streaming drop.

Awards buzz is quietly building, and industry watchers are wondering if this could make its way to festivals like Venice before its global launch. One thing’s for sure—when The Monster of Florence finally lands in October, it’s bound to rekindle old fears and introduce new audiences to a story that refuses to rest.

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