The Ed Gein Story Behind ‘Monsters’ Season 3

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The Netflix series ‘Monsters’ has announced its next subject as the infamous American murderer and body snatcher. Charlie Hunnam, from Sons of Anarchy, will be portraying the monster known as Ed Gein. This will be the third season of the ‘Monsters’ anthology series. Show creator Ryan Murphy announced that production will begin next month and will be released to Netflix sometime at the end of 2025 or early 2026. Ed Gein has inspired many classic horror movies such as Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Psycho, and Silence of the Lambs.

The Butcher of Plainfield

Ed Gein was born on August 27, 1906, in La Crosse, Wisconsin. He grew up with an alcoholic father, an extremely religious mother, and an older brother. After his father passed away, he and his brother stepped up to provide for their family. Years later, his brother died in a raging house fire. At first, they believed him to have died from the fire, but later events showed that Gein might have been responsible. He was quite attached to his mother after the death of the rest of his family. When she died, he became unhinged. Gein lost his entire family in five years. He tended to keep to himself and developed new interests, such as anatomy.

Gein became known as The Butcher of Plainfield in 1957 after admitting to murdering two women and cutting off their limbs. Authorities believe he is connected to many other unsolved murders, but they are unable to confirm this. Over the years he lived in Plainfield, and during that time a few people in the area had gone missing. In 1954, Mary Hogan was reported missing. She was a local tavern owner, which Gein frequently visited. In 1957, Bernice Worden owned a local hardware store, which she was reported missing from one day. A trail of blood was left leading out the back of the store, and the cash register was stolen as well.

Gein was arrested after Bernice Worden disappeared, and police searched his home. The discovered human organs were preserved in jars and household items made of human body parts. He admitted to digging up people’s graves to cut off their body parts and skin to make those items. Were they his victims instead? Originally, he was supposed to stand trial in 1958 but was deemed unfit due to his schizophrenia diagnosis. However, in November 1968, he was tried and convicted of Bernice Worden’s murder. They found him insane at the time of the murder and committed him to a psychiatric facility.

Anthology Series ‘Monsters’

The Netflix series ‘Monsters’ focuses on one infamous true crime case each season. It seeks to take on multiple perspectives and follows the infamous killer’s story. Season 1 of ‘Monsters’ is about Jeffrey Dahmer, who is played by Evan Peters. It follows the point of view of Dahmer’s victims because the co-creators wanted to give them a voice. Season 2 of ‘Monsters’ follows the Menendez Brothers story and has been quite controversial. The ‘Monsters’ series gets people to converse and truly think about the crimes that were committed. It makes people question reality and brings their stories back to the media’s attention. Season 3 should be no different when it explores the life and dastardly crimes of Ed Gein.

Final Thoughts

Ed Gein died at age 77 in 1984. He passed away at the Mendota Mental Health Institute from lung cancer and other respiratory illnesses. His grave is located in a cemetery near Plainfield, Wisconsin. Tourists would visit his gravesite and chip away at it, keeping pieces as souvenirs. In 2000, someone stole his entire headstone, but it was found the following year and placed in storage. Gein was a gruesome serial killer and will make an interesting addition to Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan’s ‘Monsters’ series.

Article originally written by Gabriella Dobson.