The biographical crime drama anthology series ‘Monsters‘ continues to dive into the darkest corners of true crime. Now, its third season is set to focus on another one of the most infamous and disturbing figures in American criminal history: Ed Gein, also known as the “Butcher of Plainfield.”
Following the success of the first two seasons, which examined Jeffrey Dahmer and the Menendez brothers, this new season, starring Charlie Hunnam as Gein will explore the chilling true story of a man whose gruesome acts are still unexplained.
Ed Gein’s Dark Childhood And Descent Into Madness
Ed Gein was born on August 27, 1906, in La Crosse, Wisconsin, to George and Augusta Gein. His upbringing was defined by isolation, violence, and a strict religious environment. Augusta, who was a very religious woman, instilled in Ed and his brother Henry a profound hatred for women.
She preached that women, aside from herself, were sinful temptresses, and she ruled her household with an iron fist. Gein grew up in near-total seclusion on their remote farm in Plainfield, Wisconsin. Moreover, throughout his life, he interacted with very few people outside his family.
Augusta’s teachings left Ed with deep psychological scars that would later manifest in nightmarish ways. Moreover, Ed’s father, George, was a violent alcoholic who failed to provide any emotional support for his children. After George’s death in 1940, Gein became even more dependent on his mother.
However, tragedy struck again in 1944 when his brother Henry died under mysterious circumstances (likely at the hands of Ed himself). When Augusta passed away in 1945, Ed was left alone in the family’s large, decrepit farmhouse. Moreover, it was after her death that Gein’s mental state began to unravel completely.
He sealed off the rooms his mother used, preserving them like a shrine. He then started fixating on death, corpses, and the female body. The gruesome details of Gein’s crimes, however, would only come to light years later, after two brutal murders and the discovery of his collection of human remains.
The Butcher Of Plainfield’s Gruesome Crimes
In the years following his mother’s death, Ed Gein developed an obsession with grave robbing. Between 1947 and 1952, he exhumed bodies from local cemeteries. After taking the bodies he would mutilate them and use their parts to craft a macabre assortment of objects.
When authorities finally searched his home in 1957, they discovered a collection that was both shocking and revolting. There were skulls mounted on bedposts, bowls made from human skulls, lampshades, and chairs upholstered in human skin.
In addition to all this, there was a grotesque “woman suit” made from the skin of his victims. Moreover, these gruesome items were all part of Gein’s twisted attempt to recreate his dead mother by wearing the skin of other women.
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The full horror of Ed Gein’s actions came to light when police connected him to the murders of two local women: Mary Hogan, a tavern owner, and Bernice Worden, a hardware store owner. Worden’s decapitated and mutilated body was found hanging in Gein’s shed.
When police raided Gein’s farmhouse, they discovered the remains of at least 15 women. However, he was officially charged with only two murders. Despite the overwhelming evidence, Gein was declared legally insane. He was deemed unfit for trial after being diagnosed with schizophrenia.
He was committed to the Mendota Mental Health Institute in Wisconsin, where he spent the rest of his life. In 1968, he was tried for the murder of Bernice Worden but was once again declared insane and was sentenced to life in a mental institution. Ed Gein died of respiratory failure in 1984 at the age of 77.
Ed Gein’s Lasting Legacy On Pop Culture
The horrors of Ed Gein’s crimes have left an indelible mark on both true crime history and popular culture. His story of grave robbing, murder, and necrophilia inspired some of the most iconic fictional characters in horror cinema. Ed was behind Norman Bates in ‘Psycho‘, Leatherface in ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre‘, and Buffalo Bill in ‘The Silence of the Lambs‘.
In case you missed it: Ryan Murphy Explains Why ‘Monsters’ Hints At A Romantic Relationship Between The Menendez Brothers
His case has become a grim reminder of the disturbing depths to which human depravity can sink. With ‘Monsters’ season 3 focusing on Gein’s life, audiences will once again be confronted with the tale of a man whose disturbed psyche led him to commit unthinkable acts.
