Netflix’s Monster The Ed Gein Story explores crimes of the 'Butcher of Plainfield'. Here’s what’s true and what’s not

Netflix’s “Monster” anthology is back with a new subject: Ed Gein, the man who came into the spotlight as the “Butcher of Plainfield.” The new season, Monster: The Ed Gein Story, premiered on October 3 with Charlie Hunnam essaying the lead role.

Gein’s story is as disturbing as it is influential. Residents in Plainfield, Wisconsin, once saw him as nothing more than a quiet farmer. In 1957, that perception changed when police tied him to the disappearance of a hardware store owner, Bernice Worden, and searched his property, the Gein farm. What they found shocked the entire nation. Body parts, masks, and even suits stitched from human skin, among other things.

What is true about Ed Gein’s crimes?

Gein admitted to grave robbing, saying he often read obituaries to track fresh burials. According to TIME, he took body parts from at least nine women between 1947 and 1952. He preserved remains to “just look at,” though investigators later found he had made masks, a full suit of female skin, skulls being used as bowls, and more.

Was Ed Gein a cannibal?

Despite the gruesome findings, Gein clearly denied being a cannibal or practicing necrophilia. “They smelled too bad,” he allegedly told investigators, according to A&E.

Did Ed Gein confess to committing murders?

Yes. Gein confessed to killing two people, tavern owner Mary Hogan in 1954 and Bernice Worden, the hardware store owner, in 1957. Both women had been shot. Rolling Stone reports that police suspected he may have been linked to other missing cases but never proved it.

Did Ed Gein kill his family?

The Netflix series shows Gein killing his brother Henry. But in reality, Henry died in 1944 while the two battled a marsh fire, USA Today reports. Officials said it was heart failure. Gein’s parents died earlier. His father passed away in 1940, and his mother Augusta died in 1945 following two strokes.

Was Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho based on Ed Gein?

Ed Gein’s crimes became the template for fictional killers in books and Hollywood movies. Norman Bates in Psycho, Leatherface in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Buffalo Bill in The Silence of the Lambs all trace back to his story, according to The New York Times.

In an interview with Tudum, Ryan Murphy said, “He influenced some of the biggest serial killers of the 20th century.”

With Monster: The Ed Gein Story, Netflix mixes fact with drama, but the real events remain unsettling.

FAQs

Who was Ed Gein?

Ed Gein was a farmer from Plainfield, Wisconsin, whose crimes in the 1950s included grave robbing and two confirmed murders. He became known as the “Butcher of Plainfield.”

What is Monster: The Ed Gein Story about?

The Netflix series dramatises Gein’s life and crimes, showing how his disturbing acts inspired films like Psycho and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

Did Ed Gein really make masks and suits from human skin?

Yes. When police searched his property in 1957, they found masks, suits, and household objects made from human remains.

How many people did Ed Gein kill?

He confessed to killing two women: Mary Hogan in 1954 and Bernice Worden in 1957. Police suspected him in other cases but never proved more murders.