Monster, an independent movie about serial killer Aileen Wuornos, opens exclusively in New York today (December 24th). The movie traces Wuornos' life from her abusive childhood through her days of turning tricks in Florida, to her murder spree that left six men dead. Monster will be released in Los Angeles on Friday (December 26th), and expands to additional cities on January 9th.

Model-turned-actress Charlize Theron stars in Monster in the title role. She gained 30 pounds for the part and wore fake teeth and heavy make-up to transform herself into Wuornos.

Theron says that disguising her physical beauty allowed audiences to see her in a different light: "This has been great for me because with the transformation I think people had a chance to kind of get away from what they might think of when they think of me."