Monsters connects Menendez case to Poltergeist star’s infamous murder

Despite the Menendez brothers case being the star of the show in Netflix’s Monsters, there’s a hidden story that’s one of Hollywood’s most enduring tragedies.

As the controversy surrounding the Netflix series goes on, one of the show’s biggest criticisms comes from Ryan Murphy’s inclusion of a romantic relationship between the brothers. As Murphy has said, however, this plot comes from real-life influences, namely that of Dominick Dunne’s coverage of the case.

When the Menendez brothers were on trial, Vanity Fair true crime reporter Dominick Dunne (played by Nathan Lane in the show) was a prominent voice on the case. In reality, Dunne was also still reeling from his own personal tragedy at the same time: the murder of his daughter, Dominique Dunne.

If that name sounds familiar to you, it’s because Dominique Dunne starred in the 1982 horror movie Poltergeist, playing the teen daughter Dana Freeling.

What happened to Dominique Dunne?

Dominique Dunne, known for her role as Dana in Poltergeist, was murdered by her abusive ex-boyfriend John Thomas Sweeney on October 30, 1982.

Dunne wrote about his experience of his daughter’s murder and the subsequent trial in a 1984 Vanity Fair article titled ‘Justice: A Father’s Account of the Trial of his Daughter’s Killer‘.

Dunne had been in an on-and-off relationship with Sweeney between 1981 and 1982, wherein Sweeney proved to be a possessive and aggressive partner. In September 1982, Sweeney choked Dunne during an altercation, which led to Dunne ending their relationship.

However, on October 30, Sweeney turned up to Dunne’s home, luring her outside under the guise of having a conversation. Dunne’s friend and co-star David Packer was at the house at the time, and waited inside until he heard screams and a loud thud.

When he went outside, he found Sweeney kneeling over Dunne, who was unresponsive. He called the police, and when they arrived, Sweeney told them: “I killed my girlfriend.”

Dunne remained alive in hospital for days after the attack until she was declared brain dead and removed from life support. Sweeney would only be convicted of voluntary manslaughter and sentenced to six years.

During the sentencing, Dunne recalled in his article: “As we sat there like whipped dogs and watched the spectacle of justice at work, I felt a madness growing within me.”

His resulting outburst, and a brief glimpse of Dominique’s attack, is shown in Episode 7 of Monsters.

Although Dunne’s murder isn’t a direct relation to the Menendez case, it’s important that these moments were included in order to better understand Dominick Dunne’s part in the media frenzy that surrounded the brothers’ trial.

His trauma is explored to convey why he might have taken his scrutinizing approach to the Menendez case and why he favored the prosecution’s side, 13 years after witnessing the trial of his daughter’s own murderer.

For more, learn all about the other disturbing details in the Menendez case. You can also find out which true crime stories Ryan Murphy and Netflix should tackle next, and take a look at all the best new documentaries out this month.