People are shocked after finally realising who plays Alfred Hitchcock in Ed Gein Monsters

Despite landing on Netflix almost a month ago, The Ed Gein Story is still blowing the minds of true crime fanatics each day.

And this week, it's the eerie drama's cast that has set tongues wagging, with several viewers only just having realised that a major Hollywood veteran secretly takes on a secondary role.

For those who haven't yet sunk their teeth into the eight-part series, it marks the third instalment of Ryan Murphy's famous Monsters franchise, with each season dramatically recreating some of the world's most heinous crimes.

Its debut instalment honed in on Jeffrey Dahmer, and saw Evan Peters take on the role of the Milwaukee cannibal that killed and dismembered seventeen men and boys between 1978 and 1991.

Meanwhile, the second series told the tale of the Menendez brothers, who murdered their parents with a shotgun in 1980s Beverley Hills, with Cooper Koch and Nicholas Alexander Chavez playing Eric and Lyle.

Charlie Hunman takes on the role of infamous killer Ed Gein (Netflix)

The latest season, however, takes a much darker turn (and yes, apparently, that is possible), centring on the crimes of Ed Gein.

Charlie Hunnam took on the role of the murderer, whose psychosis-induced frenzies saw him exhume corpses from local graveyards and fashion keepsakes from their bones and skin.

Gein's crimes famously inspired both The Texas Chainsaw Massacre horror movies and what is widely considered the OG scream-fest, Psycho, directed by British director Alfred Hitchcock.

As opposed to your average true crime recreation, however, The Ed Gein Story cleverly incorporates meta commentary on Hollywood's obsession with the Wisconsin killer's crimes - especially Hitchcock's.

Hitchcock, played by Tom Hollander, appears in the series (Netflix)

The much-loved movie-maker appears in the production as a recurring character, flaunting his latest flick whilst upsetting members of the audience with its distressing content.

Apparently, however, being that Hitchcock's character in the production has been moulded with prosthetics to create the director's balding, curvaceous appearance, some fans failed to recognise the actor playing him.

Oh yeah, we probably should have said - English actor Tom Hollander plays Hitchcock.

You know, the baddie from Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest? Jim Beach from Bohemian Rhapsody? Corky from The Night Manager? The BAFTA-winning, SAG-winning, Emmy/Tony/Olivier nominee? Yeah, him.

Well, if you failed to put 2 and 2 together whilst watching The Ed Gein Story, worry not. You're certainly not the only one.

A lot of viewers didn't realise it was Hollander (Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)

Taking to X, one Netflix subscriber gushed: "I'm only just hearing that Tom Hollander is in that Ed Gein show playing Hitchcock. Insanity."

Another tweeted: "The real monster is whoever cast Tom Hollander as Hitchcock. Also Ed Gein is the real monster. But that casting director, too."

"Tom Hollander as Alfred Hitchcock in Monster: The Ed Gein Story," another continued. "Unrecognisable but instantly recognisable.

"What a piece of casting!"