Highlights:
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Netflix released first-look images of Charlie Hunnam as Ed Gein in Monster: The Ed Gein Story.
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This is the third season of the Monster anthology, after Jeffrey Dahmer and the Menendez brothers.
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The series covers Gein’s life, murders, grave robbing, and his influence on horror films like Psycho and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.
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Gein was declared unfit for trial in 1958 due to schizophrenia and remained in psychiatric care until his death in 1984.
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The season explores Gein’s psychosis, isolation, and cultural impact, with Tom Hollander as Alfred Hitchcock and Olivia Williams as Alma Hitchcock.
Netflix is set to release the next installment of its true-crime anthology, Monster: The Ed Gein Story. The series, produced by Ryan Murphy, focuses on Ed Gein, the Wisconsin murderer and grave robber whose crimes shocked the world and influenced decades of horror cinema.
The new season follows the success of Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story (2022) and Monster: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story (2024). Netflix has released first-look images of Charlie Hunnam portraying Gein. The streaming giant has teased that the season will explore both Gein’s life and his influence on the horror genre.
The Story Behind Monster: The Ed Gein Story
Ed Gein was born in 1906 in Plainfield, Wisconsin. Raised under the strict and controlling guidance of his mother, Augusta, Gein developed a troubled relationship with the world around him. After his mother’s death in 1945, his behaviour grew increasingly erratic.
Gein admitted to killing two women—Mary Hogan in 1954 and Bernice Worden in 1957—but authorities suspect he may have committed additional murders. More notorious than his killings were his grave robbing activities. Gein exhumed corpses and fashioned body parts into furniture, masks, and a “woman suit” made from human skin. These actions earned him the nickname “Butcher of Plainfield.”
In 1958, Gein was found unfit to stand trial due to schizophrenia and was confined to Central State Hospital. He was later found guilty of Worden’s murder but remained in psychiatric care until his death from lung cancer in 1984 at age 77.
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How Monster Explores Gein’s Impact on Horror
Although Gein had only two confirmed victims, his influence on popular culture is significant. His crimes inspired some of the most famous horror films:
- Psycho (1960): Norman Bates’s obsession with “Mother” mirrored Gein’s relationship with Augusta.
- The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974): Leatherface’s use of human skin masks was inspired directly by Gein.
- The Silence of the Lambs (1991): The character Buffalo Bill reflects Gein’s “woman suit.”
Other films, such as Three on a Meathook (1972), Deranged (1974), and Ed Gein: The Butcher of Plainfield (2007), also drew from his crimes. By exploring these connections, Monster situates Gein at the center of modern horror’s development.
What Viewers Can Expect from Monster
Netflix has described the season as an examination of Gein as a man “driven by isolation, psychosis, and an obsession with his mother,” whose crimes “ignited a cultural obsession with the criminally deviant.” The series aims to cover both the historical events of his life and the lasting cultural impact of his crimes.
The season also introduces historical figures connected to Gein’s influence on film. Director Alfred Hitchcock, who used Gein’s story as inspiration for Psycho, is portrayed by Tom Hollander, while Olivia Williams plays Hitchcock’s wife, Alma.
Charlie Hunnam’s casting as Gein positions the new season as a continuation of Netflix’s exploration of notorious killers through its Monster franchise. The production emphasizes accuracy, context, and the broader impact of Gein’s story on American horror.
A Continuing Fascination
Ed Gein’s crimes continue to captivate audiences due to their combination of psychological horror and real-world brutality. Netflix’s Monster revisits one of history’s most disturbing cases while examining how his actions shaped horror cinema for decades. By focusing on Gein, the series also highlights the ways real-life crimes influence cultural storytelling.
With Hunnam in the lead and Ryan Murphy producing, Monster: The Ed Gein Story is poised to attract fans of true crime and horror alike, offering a detailed look at the origins of some of cinema’s most infamous villains.
