Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story Filming Locations

“Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story” takes Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan’s true-crime anthology back to 1892 and one of America’s most enduring murder mysteries. Ella Beatty plays Lizzie Borden, who was tried and acquitted of killing her father Andrew and stepmother Abby in their Fall River, Massachusetts home. Charlie Hunnam portrays Andrew, Rebecca Hall plays Abby, Vicky Krieps appears as the Borden family’s maid Bridget Sullivan, and Billie Lourd plays Lizzie’s sister Emma. The eight-episode season arrives on Netflix on September 17, 2026.

The story may belong to Massachusetts, but the production largely does not. Netflix officially launched principal photography in Los Angeles, California, while a substantial second unit later worked in Rome, Italy for five weeks. Chicago has also appeared in recent production reporting, although evidence for that portion of the shoot is considerably less complete. Most importantly, there is still no reliable indication that the actual Lizzie Borden House in Fall River was used.

Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles was the main production base for “Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story.” Netflix officially announced on October 9, 2025 that Season 4 was in production in the city, and production databases also identify Los Angeles as the principal location.

Behind-the-scenes photography from the opening weeks showed Beatty, Hunnam, Krieps and other performers working on period-dressed Los Angeles sets. Extras appeared in late 19th-century clothing, while houses, streets and exterior spaces were altered to create the world surrounding the Borden family.

That is an ambitious transformation. Fall River in 1892 was a New England mill city filled with tightly packed wooden houses, brick commercial buildings and horse-drawn traffic. Modern Los Angeles obviously does not provide that look automatically, so production design plays a major role in hiding contemporary California.

Matthew Ferguson served as production designer, continuing his work across the “Monster” anthology, while Melissa Licht returned as set decorator. Their involvement is particularly significant for a season in which the Borden residence is not simply a crime scene. Netflix’s synopsis describes the house as an oppressive environment central to Lizzie and Bridget’s relationship.

No trustworthy public production sheet has yet identified individual Los Angeles streets or historic homes used for Season 4. Rather than guessing from paparazzi photographs, Los Angeles should currently be listed as the confirmed location at city level.

Was the Real Lizzie Borden House Used?

No confirmed filming has been reported at the Lizzie Borden House at 230 Second Street in Fall River, Massachusetts.

This is an important distinction because the real property still exists and remains remarkably closely associated with the murders. Andrew and Abby Borden were killed inside the house on August 4, 1892, and the property now operates as a historic attraction and inn.

When Netflix production began, Massachusetts outlets specifically noted that there was no confirmation that Season 4 would shoot at the house. More recent Fall River coverage describes the new season as having been produced in Los Angeles rather than reporting a local filming unit.

The house seen in the Netflix series should therefore not automatically be assumed to be the genuine Borden residence. Given the amount of interior action required and the violent material depicted there, controlled sets and Los Angeles stand-ins would also give the filmmakers considerably greater freedom with cameras, lighting, walls and practical effects.

The real Second Street house belongs to the history behind the series, not the confirmed filming map.

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Rome, Italy

The production made a substantial move to Rome in early 2026.

Unlike vague social-media reports, the Italian shoot is firmly documented by Italy for Movies, the national production-location portal operated with Cinecitta and Italian film authorities. Filming began in Rome on January 22, 2026 and continued through February 25, amounting to approximately 30 shooting days across five weeks.

It was not a tiny pickup unit either. Around 200 local crew members were involved, alongside approximately 30 international professionals. That scale indicates a meaningful part of Season 4 was produced in Italy.

What remains unclear is exactly what Rome represents onscreen. The official production record names Rome but does not identify individual palaces, villas, streets or studio stages. Italian reports additionally refer to filming in Rome and its surroundings without publishing an address-level location list.

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Season 4 expands beyond the Borden murders to include other notorious women from different periods, including Sarah Paulson as Aileen Wuornos and Krieps in an additional role connected to Elizabeth Bathory. Rome may have supported some of that wider historical material, but Netflix has not publicly matched the Italian shoot to a particular storyline.

Until those details emerge, Rome itself is confirmed. Specific Roman landmarks are not.

Was Monster Season 4 Filmed in Chicago?

Chicago is reported, but it is not as firmly documented as Los Angeles or Rome.

An August 2026 production overview states that Season 4 shot in Los Angeles, Chicago and Rome. However, earlier reporting while cameras were still rolling described the Chicago portion as only rumored and said it could not be independently confirmed.

I could not find an official Netflix announcement, Illinois film-office record or reliable local filming notice that identifies a Chicago address or shooting period specifically for “The Lizzie Borden Story.”

For an accurate location guide, the best approach is therefore to classify Chicago as a reported secondary filming location, not place it alongside Los Angeles and Rome with the same degree of certainty.

That may change once crew resumes, permits or post-release interviews reveal more.

When Was Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story Filmed?

The main production period stretched from fall 2025 into early 2026. Netflix formally confirmed filming underway in Los Angeles on October 9, 2025, although production tracking places activity beginning as early as September. The Rome unit then operated from January 22 through February 25, 2026, with broader production reports placing completion around March.

That long schedule makes sense for an eight-episode period drama requiring multiple historical worlds rather than a straightforward recreation of one Massachusetts house.

For now, the most accurate filming map is surprisingly simple: Los Angeles is the primary confirmed production center, Rome hosted a substantial five-week unit, and Chicago remains reported but less firmly verified. Fall River is the real setting of the Borden murders, but the famous Second Street murder house has not been established as a Season 4 filming location.

That difference is worth keeping clear. “Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story” may look deeply rooted in 1890s Massachusetts, but much of its Fall River was created thousands of miles away.