Following the triumph of Netflix’s Monsters series, the creative mastermind behind the show has revealed a new subject for the upcoming third season.
The anthology series, originally crafted by Ryan Murphy, has so far delved into two high-profile murder cases and is poised to explore the inspiration behind numerous iconic horror characters in its next instalment.
For the next iteration, Monster will spotlight on the murderer and body snatcher Ed Gein, who has been dubbed as the real Leatherface, among other monikers.
This comes after the first two series which retold the crimes of Jeffrey Dahmer and the Menendez brothers. But who exactly is Ed Gein, who will portray him in the series, and what makes him such a fascinating subject for the Netflix show? Here’s everything you need to know.
Who is Ed Gein?
Born in 1906 in Wisconsin, Ed Gein was an infamous killer and grave robber who murdered at least two women and is linked to several unsolved cases, reports the Mirror.
He resided on a farm with his family in Plainfield from around 1915. His father passed away in 1940 while his brother Henry died under mysterious circumstances in 1944. Although the cause was believed to be a fire that spiralled out of control, doubts have been cast over the younger sibling’s involvement.
Gein’s mother then passed away in 1945, leaving him alone and is believed to have triggered him becoming unstable. He preserved her room and left it unchanged from when she was last alive, while the rest of his home descended into chaos.
What were Ed Gein’s crimes?
Gein was employed as a handyman and babysitter, but in December 1954, Mary Hogan, a 54 year old woman who ran a local pub, vanished.
In November 1957, Bernice Worden, aged 58, disappeared from her hardware store along with the cash register. A blood trail was noticed leading out of the building’s rear.
Worden’s son, a deputy sheriff, grew suspicious of Gein and initiated an investigation. When the authorities searched his house, they discovered the woman’s decapitated body hanging from the ceiling. Her head was found in a sack and her heart had been placed inside a plastic bag, but that wasn’t all they uncovered.
They stumbled upon a larger collection of human organs, as well as clothing, accessories, and household items made from body parts and human skin. This discovery led to Gein being dubbed the Butcher of Plainfield.
He eventually confessed to killing both women, who he said reminded him of his deceased mother. He also admitted to exhuming bodies to engage in necrophilia and creating suits from skin to wear around his house.
After Gein’s arrest, he was deemed unfit to stand trial due to a diagnosis of schizophrenia and was sent to Central State Hospital in Wisconsin. Ten years later, he was declared fit for court and found guilty of murder, but was again declared insane and recommitted.
Although he only confessed to killing two women, Gein was associated with other disappearances and admitted to digging up graves in a nearby cemetery.
What became of Ed Gein?
Gein passed away due to complications from lung cancer and respiratory illnesses on July 26, 1984, at the age of 77 and was laid to rest in his home town.
His grave turned into a macabre tourist attraction until his entire headstone vanished in June 2000. It was recovered a year later and put into storage, leaving Gein’s final resting place unmarked ever since.
As for his farmhouse where the horrifying discoveries were made, a report in 1958 claimed it was destroyed by fire following whispers it could be transformed into a museum. However, the cause of the fire was never officially confirmed.
Who will portray Ed Gein in Netflix series Monsters?
Charlie Hunnam is set to take on the role of Ed Gein for the forthcoming series. The British actor is recognised for his portrayal of Jax in Sons of Anarchy and has also starred in Pacific Rim and Rebel Moon Part One. Hunnam is also slated to feature in the new series Criminal on Amazon Prime in the near future.
There is no official release date for the next Monster iteration but production is rumoured to kick off this month.
It’s not the first time Gein has served as inspiration for film or television as he is credited with being the basis for some iconic characters. His relationship with his late mother inspired Robert Bloch’s novel Psycho which was eventually adapted by Alfred Hitchcock for the big screen.
His gruesome habits with body parts also inspired the character of Buffalo Bill in The Silence of the Lambs as well as Leatherface from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
Hunnam and Murphy, gearing up for their next Netflix project, could find a wealth of source material in a recent documentary. The 2023 release, Psycho: The Lost Tapes of Ed Gein, delved into unheard audio between Gein and law enforcement officers. Director James Buddy Day shared his perception shift after hearing these tapes, remarking: “I had always assumed that Ed Gein was this meek, mild person, and that really comes through in the tapes.”
He further noted the contrast between the often-glamorised representation of serial killers and Gein’s reality, saying: “But when you hear his voice and you hear that interaction between him and the authorities, it really sets him apart from the serial killer myth, this kind of handsome, Anthony Perkins type who can talk his way out of anything.”
Day concluded with a chilling thought on Gein’s ‘true’ nature: “Ed Gein is the opposite of that. But that’s what I think is so scary about him. He really is a monster in plain sight.”
Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story and Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story is available to stream on Netflix now