The Ultimate Guide to <em>Monster: The Ed Gein Story</em>
He was a son only a mother could love—and that statement is more messed up considering who we're talking about. The notorious killer Ed Gein, nicknamed the "Butcher of Plainfield," is the inspiration for the latest season of the anthology series Monster, created by TV juggernaut Ryan Murphy.
In 1957, Ed Gein gained notoriety when his grisly crimes committed in his hometown of Plainfield, Wisconsin, were made public. He committed at least two confirmed murders—Mary Hogan in 1954 and Bernice Worden in 1957—and remains a suspect in several more, including those of eight-year-old Georgia Weckler and 14-year-old Evelyn Grace Hartley, who went missing in October 1953.
Perhaps more notorious was what Ed Gein did with his victims: fashioning household knickknacks, keepsakes, and even clothing using their remains. Gein was a self-taught taxidermist who used those skills for his macabre crafts. From tights made out of women's legs to jackets and corsets made from torsos—it would be impressive if it weren't also so terrible. Gein died in 1984 from lung cancer while a patient at Mendota Mental Health Institute in Wisconsin.
If by now you've binged your way through Monster: The Ed Gein Story on Netflix but crave more of his sordid story, look no further. (Also, kudos to you: Ed Gein is not for the queasy.) Being one of the most prolific killers in American history, Gein has an outsize legacy in popular culture, being the inspiration for countless books and movies and still drawing the attention of true-crime authors who can't look away from his heinous mind.
Below, we've assembled a semi-comprehensive collection of books, documentaries, movies, and, yes, more TV to watch if all eight episodes of Monster aren't enough to sate you.
What to ReadNaturally, a killer like Ed Gein is a popular subject for true-crime writers. Among aficionados, the most popular book about Ed Gein is still Deviant, published in 1989 from author Harold Schechter. Other books include Skinned: The Untold Shocking True Story of Serial Killer Ed Gein by Gary Covella, which was published this August, and Ed Gein—Psycho! by Paul Anthony Woods, published in 1995. There's also The Ed Gein File: A Psycho's Confession and Case Documents by John Borowski, which isn't a book so much as it is a collection of documents: Gein's confession, autopsy reports, even police interviews. It's great stuff that works as a companion to other Ed Gein–related media.
Last but not least, Did You Hear What Eddie Gein Done? is a 2021 graphic novel by Eric Powell and Harold Schechter (again), which essentially adapts Schechter's research into a black-and-white graphic novel. It's a stirring true-crime comic that borders on being an outright horror story; if you don't think some pen and ink can scare the bejeezus out of you, you've not read this one.
True crime doesn't just thrive on the page—it thrives in your ears. True-crime podcasts are huge, and a number of shows have dedicated episodes to Ed Gein. In no particular order, here are a few of our favorites:
The Last Podcast on the LeftMorbidHot on the Case- The Real Serial Killer Who Inspired Every Horror Movie
Monster: The Ed Gein Story isn't the only thing you can watch for more of his story. While there is a bizarre absence of Ed Gein documentaries out there, his crimes left a strong impression on the American public, including Hollywood filmmakers. Movies like Psycho (1960) by Alfred Hitchcock, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) by Tobe Hooper, and Silence of the Lambs (1991) by Jonathan Demme all draw inspiration from Ed Gein.
There's also no shortage of true-crime YouTubers who've dedicated episodes to Ed Gein.
Psycho (1960)
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