As depicted in Netflix’s latest installment of Monster, Ed Gein is one of the most chilling figures in American crime history. His disturbing actions changed horror forever, inspiring fictional killers like Norman Bates from Psycho, Leatherface from The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and Buffalo Bill from The Silence of the Lambs. Yet despite decades of interest, many wonder about the truth. What parts of the Psycho story came from Gein’s life, and how much was invented? For those interested in true crime stories, understanding Gein provides crucial context about how real violence evolves into cultural mythology.
Did Ed Gein kill his brother in real life?
One of the earliest mysteries surrounding Ed Gein involves his brother Henry’s suspicious death. On May 16, 1944, a brush fire broke out on the family farm in Plainfield, Wisconsin. Ed and Henry both worked to put it out when Henry reportedly went missing. Hours later, Ed led the police directly to his brother’s body.
As TODAY reports, Henry’s cause of death was listed as asphyxiation leading to heart failure. However, investigators at the time noted bruising on Henry’s head that didn’t match the circumstances. Officials never completed a formal autopsy, leaving the true cause of death unresolved.
Henry had begun questioning their mother’s control over Ed, suggesting he wanted his brother to break free. Some theorists believe this made Henry a threat that Ed eliminated. However, according to Britannica, “It is unknown if Ed Gein killed his brother, Henry” and Ed denied harming his brother with no evidence emerging to prove otherwise. The death was officially ruled accidental.
What mental disease did Ed Gein have?
Authorities discovered Ed Gein’s damaged psychological state long before his trial. His mother, Augusta, raised him in an abusive and religiously extreme environment. He grew up isolated and confused about morality and sexuality. When Gein’s mother died in 1945, his mental state collapsed completely.
TODAY notes that, in January 1958, Gein was found unfit to stand trial after a schizophrenia diagnosis. He was committed to Central State Hospital in Waupun, Wisconsin. The psychiatric evaluation diagnosed him with “schizophrenic reaction of the chronic undifferentiated type,” a condition that had been developing for “an undetermined number of years.”
According to TIME Magazine, psychiatrists believed Gein was cutting up women who reminded him of his deceased mother to “bring her back to life and have her with him always, and to destroy her as the cause of his frustration.” His behavior went far beyond criminal intent, placing him firmly within severe psychiatric disorder. He remained institutionalized until his death in 1984.
Is ‘Psycho’ about Ed Gein?
The relationship between Psycho and Ed Gein is more nuanced than many realize. Robert Bloch lived just a few miles from Gein’s hometown when he wrote his 1959 novel Psycho. However, Bloch clarified in interviews: “I did not use Ed Gein as a basis for Norman Bates at all; I used the circumstances, which were: somebody could live in a small town, where everybody knows everybody else’s business and conduct a series of murders without anyone suspecting.”
The character of Norman Bates shares Gein’s maternal obsession and social awkwardness. Nevertheless, Bloch invented the story of the Bates Motel and its infamous shower scene. Alfred Hitchcock adapted Bloch’s novel into the 1960 film, amplifying the psychological horror and the mother-son dynamic. Anthony Perkins’ performance defined modern cinematic horror.
Years after writing Psycho, when more details about Gein emerged, Bloch was surprised by the similarities. As Esquire reports, Bloch stated: “I’d discovered how closely the imaginary character I’d created resembled the real Ed Gein both in overt act and apparent motivation.” However, he emphasized that Ed Gein “did not run a motel. He killed nobody in the shower. He did not preserve the body of his mother.”
Overall, Norman Bates was inspired by Gein’s crimes and psychological profile, but the story itself is a work of fiction. Bloch and Hitchcock took the shocking reality of Gein’s actions and transformed them into something larger – a cultural touchstone that continues influencing storytelling based on true events today.
How many people did Ed Gein actually kill?
Despite his terrifying reputation, courts convicted Ed Gein of only two murders: Mary Hogan in 1954 and Bernice Worden in 1957. When police entered his farmhouse after Worden disappeared on Nov. 16, 1957, they discovered an unimaginable scene. However, investigators determined that most of the human remains came from nearby graveyards rather than additional murders.
The inventory of items found reads like a horror movie script. According to TIME Magazine’s 1957 coverage, police discovered bowls made from human skulls, chairs upholstered with human skin and lampshades covered with faces. They found a belt made from human nipples and organs preserved in jars. Perhaps most disturbing was a full bodysuit crafted from female skin that Gein would wear, attempting to become his mother.
Although rumors suggested higher victim counts, no concrete evidence ever surfaced. The true horror of Gein’s crimes was not the number of victims but how he desecrated and transformed their remains. His fascination with anatomy and his desire to reconstruct the female form were tied directly to his obsession with his mother.
In November 1968, a court found him guilty of first-degree murder in the death of Bernice Worden but also found him legally insane at the time of the crime. Gein returned to psychiatric confinement at Central State Hospital, where he remained until his death on July 26, 1984, from respiratory and heart failure due to cancer at age 77.
Did Ed Gein help capture Ted Bundy?
Despite myths circulating online, no evidence supports the claim that Ed Gein helped the FBI capture Ted Bundy. Authorities institutionalized Gein in a Wisconsin psychiatric hospital during the 1960s, and he remained there until he died in 1984. Police arrested Bundy in the 1970s, decades after authorities had already confined Gein.
The rumor appears to have originated from a fictionalized scene in the 2024 Netflix series Monster: The Ed Gein Story. The show depicts investigators consulting Gein while profiling Bundy, but this scene was entirely fictional. No official records or FBI reports link Gein to any active investigations after his arrest.
Netflix’s series offers a fresh perspective on the infamous killer, exploring his upbringing under an abusive mother and his psychological deterioration. While the show attempts to humanize Gein without excusing his actions, it includes several dramatized elements that never actually occurred, as The Hollywood Reporter notes.
A look at his lasting impact on horror
Ed Gein’s impact on horror extends far beyond Psycho. Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) borrowed Gein’s use of human remains as household decorations. Leatherface’s skin masks directly reference Gein’s grotesque creations. Jonathan Demme’s The Silence of the Lambs (1991) features Buffalo Bill, a serial killer who skins his victims, drawing heavily from Gein’s methods and motivations.
Other films influenced by Gein include Deranged (1974), which more directly depicts his story, and elements can be seen in movies like The Hills Have Eyes and House of 1000 Corpses. These transformed Gein from a real criminal into a cultural symbol representing the horror of the mundane and the danger lurking in isolated, rural America.
Gein’s story remains a haunting reminder of how real human behavior shapes entire genres of fiction. The connection between Psycho and Gein reflects society’s fear of what hides beneath ordinary appearances. Whether through Hitchcock’s classic, Bloch’s novel or Netflix’s newest retelling, the fascination with Ed Gein continues, proving that sometimes the most terrifying monsters are the ones who look just like us.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Ed Gein have a girlfriend in real life?
Although Adeline Watkins (portrayed on-screen by Suzanna Son) told the Minneapolis Tribune about her alleged two-decade romance with Ed Gein, she later suggested to the Stevens Point Journal that the initial reports about their time together were “exaggerated.”
Did Richard Speck write to Ed Gein?
There is no credible evidence that Richard Speck ever corresponded with Ed Gein. Rumors of serial killers communicating with one another are common in prison folklore, but no verified letters or records have surfaced to support this claim.