The new Netflix series Monster: The Ed Gein Story paints a disturbing portrait of one of America’s most infamous criminals. The show explores the double life of Ed Gein, a man who was known to his neighbors in Plainfield, Wisconsin, as a friendly handyman and occasional babysitter, while secretly committing horrific acts. This stark contrast between his public persona and private crimes is a central focus of the series, revealing how a community can be deceived by the most unassuming individual.
Who Was the Real Ed Gein?
In the 1950s, Ed Gein was a mild-mannered recluse living on a decaying family farm in rural Wisconsin. To the outside world, he appeared to be a friendly and helpful neighbor. The series shows how this ordinary exterior hid a house of horrors so gruesome it would redefine the American nightmare. Driven by isolation, psychosis, and an all-consuming obsession with his mother, Gein’s perverse crimes birthed a new kind of monster.
Gein confessed to killing two women and was accused of digging up corpses from local cemeteries. His crimes were so shocking that they went on to inspire multiple classic horror films, including Psycho, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and The Silence of the Lambs. The series presents a deep exploration of who Gein was as a person, not just what he did.
The Friendly Facade: Handyman and Babysitter
The series confirms that Gein was indeed known around town as a helpful handyman. He did odd jobs for his neighbors, which allowed him to be seen as a harmless, if somewhat odd, member of the community. This public image was a complete contradiction to the terrible truth of his private life.
The show also touches on Gein’s interactions with local children, including the unsolved case of Evelyn Hartley, a 14-year-old girl who disappeared in 1953. While Gein denied involvement after his arrest, the event coincided with his active years, and her case remains one of the unsolved crimes for which he is suspected. The portrayal of Gein’s relationship with the community makes his eventual unmasking even more terrifying for the people who thought they knew him.
A Life of Secrets and Horror
Behind his helpful exterior, Gein’s home was a nightmare. When authorities finally arrested him in 1957, they discovered the full extent of his crimes. The body of Bernice Worden, a local hardware store owner and his final victim, was found in his shed. His farmhouse was filled with unimaginable horrors, including objects made from human bones and skin.
The series does not shy away from the psychological drivers of Gein’s behavior. It explores his deeply troubled relationship with his mother, Augusta Gein, a religious zealot who raised him with a fear of God and a belief that the world was a sinful place. After the deaths of his father and brother, Ed was left alone to care for his mother, and his obsession with her only deepened, warping his mind and leading to his unspeakable acts.
The Cast Bringing the Story to Life
The series features a star-studded cast that helps to humanize the story and explore its many layers.
- Charlie Hunnam plays the titular Ed Gein. Hunnam aimed to present a authentic and human portrayal of the man behind the monster.
- Laurie Metcalf plays Gein’s mother, Augusta Gein, whose powerful and damaging influence over her son is a key part of the narrative.
- The series also features Tom Hollander as filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock and Olivia Williams as his wife and collaborator Alma Reville, showing how Gein’s story directly inspired the classic film Psycho.
- Addison Rae appears as Evelyn Hartley, the teenager whose disappearance remains a haunting part of the Gein story.
- Lesley Manville plays Bernice Worden, Gein’s final victim, and Charlie Hall plays her son, Deputy Frank Worden, who helped lead the investigation.
As Charlie Hunnam told Netflix about his approach to the role, “I wanted to get as close as possible to who Ed was, to do him justice… This is going to be the really human, tender, unflinching, no-holds-barred exploration of who Ed was and what he did.”
Also Read: How Sarah Paulson’s Advice Shaped Charlie Hunnam’s Ed Gein Performance
Credits: Variety, Netflix Tudum, TVLine
