Ed Gein, a notorious American serial killer whose gruesome crimes inspired classic horror films such as Psycho and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, is a figure shrouded in chilling history. Known as the Butcher of Plainfield, he confessed to murdering two women and was linked to at least ten more, whose remains were discovered in his home.
Gein was arrested in 1957 following the disappearance of local hardware store owner Bernice Worden. Authorities soon uncovered her dismembered body in Gein’s farmhouse, but that was just the tip of the iceberg. Over a decade, he had accumulated human body parts, fashioning them into furniture, masks, and clothing. His chilling actions were fueled in part by a traumatic relationship with his mother, Augusta Wilhelmine Gein.
Augusta, born in 1878 to German immigrant parents, raised her sons, Ed and Henry, in a strict and isolated environment in rural Wisconsin. He was heavily influenced by her extreme views on women, often hearing her preach about their perceived immorality. This upbringing led to Ed’s social isolation; he had few friends and never dated, developing an intense devotion to his mother instead.
Following the deaths of his father in 1940 and brother Henry in 1944, Ed became increasingly devoted to caring for Augusta until her death in 1945. After her passing, he sealed off her room in the farmhouse, keeping it in pristine condition reminiscent of its state when she was alive—a stark contrast to the rest of his disordered home. For several years post-Augusta’s death, Ed frequented cemeteries at night, exhuming corpses of women who resembled her, which he would use to fulfill his disturbing fantasies.
Gein was eventually apprehended after authorities linked him to Worden’s case. Diagnosed with schizophrenia, he was deemed unfit for trial for several years. Finally, in 1968, he was found not guilty by reason of insanity and committed to the Mendota Mental Health Institute in Wisconsin, where he spent the remainder of his life until his death from respiratory failure in 1984 at the age of 77.
Gein’s life continues to fascinate and horrify, capturing the imaginations of filmmakers and audiences alike, serving as a reminder of the dark complexities of human psychology. The new Netflix dramatization, Monster: The Ed Gein Story, featuring Charlie Hunnam and Laurie Metcalf, reinvigorates interest in his unsettling legacy, further exploring the psychological underpinnings behind his horrific acts.