10 Movies & TV Shows Inspired by Ed Gein to Watch Before ‘Monster’ Season 3
In 1957, police arrested Ed Gein in connection with the disappearance of hardware store owner Bernice Worden. When they entered his farmhouse, they uncovered a scene of madness they could barely comprehend. The sheer brutality of what they discovered shocked the nation: body parts in various states of decomposition, skin masks, human remains turned into furniture and “projects,” and grisly trophies stolen from graves. The scope of the atrocities was almost beyond belief.
Over the years, Ed Gein’s influence has stretched far beyond the realm of psychiatrists and true crime enthusiasts. The horrific nature of his crimes inspired a whole rogues’ gallery of horror icons, figures, and characters that once haunted cinema screens and lined Blockbuster shelves.
Now, almost 70 years later, Gein’s crimes, once considered putrid and morbidly horrific, have gone on to influence generations of filmmakers and horror writers, shaping some of the most enduring slasher film tropes ever put to film. It’s an odd realization that the acts which once shocked an entire nation are now seen as almost routine when it comes to startling today’s horror audiences.
As Monster: The Ed Gein Story starring Charlie Hunnam drops on Netflix, it’s the perfect time to revisit the many films and TV shows inspired by his grisly crimes. From Leatherface to Buffalo Bill (and a surprising amount of Steve Buscemi), these are the icons of fright who borrowed a page from the playbook of the Butcher of Plainfield.
(Please note that this list pulls from works of fiction that were influenced by Gein, rather than biopics or docuseries.)
Monster: The Ed Gein Story, Series Premiere October 3, Netflix
'Psycho' (1960)
Writer Robert Bloch, who lived just 35 miles from Ed Gein’s hometown, drew on Gein when creating Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins). The overbearing mother, Norman wearing her clothes and preserving her corpse, and his penchant for murdering women all echo Gein’s life, while the decaying Bates Motel mirrors Gein’s farmhouse of taxidermy and shrines.
'Three on a Meathook' (1972)
William Girdler’s grindhouse horror, loosely inspired by Ed Gein, follows four women on a getaway that turns deadly after car trouble leads them to Billy Townsend and his father, Frank. Three women are killed as Frank manipulates Billy into believing he’s the culprit, but the true murderer is Billy’s hidden mother, who survives in secret by eating human flesh. The revelation shatters Billy’s sanity.
'The Texas Chain Saw Massacre' (1974)
“The saw is family.” Tobe Hooper‘s slasher masterpiece that reshaped the horror genre drew heavily from Ed Gein’s crimes for its character development and set design. While the film is best known for the Sawyer family’s love of BBQ and the habits of its most infamous member, Leatherface (Gunnar Hansen), the look, feel, and decor of their home may be the most accurate element of the story.
The film is remembered for Leatherface, who, like Gein, wore the skins of his victims, but the Sawyer farmhouse best mirrors Gein’s macabre aesthetic, furnished with human bones, lampshades made from skin, and various skeletal remains turned into grisly knick-knacks.
'Deranged' (1974)
Marketed as a “human horror story of ghastly proportions,” this low-budget film follows Ezra Cobb (Robert Blossom), a reclusive farmer who unearths his mother and other corpses after her death. Billed as “nothing left to the imagination,” it mirrors Ed Gein’s crimes and even gives Cobb Gein’s trademark ear-flap cap.
'The Silence of the Lambs' (1990)
In The Silence of the Lambs, Jame “Buffalo Bill” Gumb (Ted Levine) was actually a composite of several fiends, including Ted Bundy and Gary Heidnik, but Gein’s predilection for wearing skin suits was used by novelist Thomas Harris as inspiration.
FBI agent John Douglas, the inspiration for the film’s Jack Crawford, gave an interview in 1999 discussing Harris’ inspiration for Buffalo Bill: “I think it’s more scary that there are people like Buffalo Bill.”
'Ed and His Dead Mother' (1993)
The absurdist black comedy stars Steve Buscemi as Ed Chilton, a lovable loser who resurrects his mother (Miriam Margolyes) only to find she’s developed a taste for human flesh. After she kills his uncle and girlfriend, Ed realizes he must put her back in the grave. More comedy than horror, the film playfully riffs on Gein’s fixation with his mother.
'Con Air' (1997)
Not a horror movie, but we would be remiss if we didn’t give Garland Greene (Steve Buscemi), “The Marietta Mangler,” from Con Air a shout-out. While trying to buddy up to Cameron Poe (Nicolas Cage), he tells him a story about having worn one of his victims’ heads as a hat while driving across three states, which is a tongue-in-cheek nod to one of Ed Gein’s possessions.
'House of 1000 Corpses' (2003)
Filmmaker Rob Zombie has stated that while making House of 1000 Corpses, he wanted the Firefly family to feel like the ultimate nightmare version of serial killers. Ed Gein is given a shout-out during Captain Spaulding’s (Sid Haig) Murder Ride while his “hobbies” directly influence the Firefly family’s own lifestyle, as their isolated farmhouse is filled with furniture, accessories, and “art” made of human remains (a.k.a. “Fishboy”).
'American Horror Story: Asylum' (2012)
During the season, Bloody Face terrorized rural Massachusetts, murdering young mothers, skinning them, and turning their remains into grisly trophies, like lamps and candy dishes, much like Gein. He is revealed to be Briarcliff psychiatrist Dr. Oliver Thredson (Zachary Quinto), whose murders stem from his relationship with his mother, echoing Ed Gein’s crimes.
'Child of God' (2014)
Based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy and directed by James Franco, Child of God follows Lester Ballard (Scott Haze), who, after being evicted from his home over a false abuse allegation, becomes a social outcast whose mind begins to fracture. His growing alienation drives him to theft, murder, necrophilia, and other acts of depravity as he retreats into the hills of Tennessee to live in isolation. McCarthy’s 1973 novel was loosely inspired by the crimes of Ed Gein.
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