Killing another human being is arguably the most cruel and unforgiving crime a person could commit, especially when they plan and execute multiple elaborate murders. When murders are planned out, and the killing continues, a serial killer is born. There are four different types of serial killers. Those who crave power and control, those who are compelled to kill, those who feel the need to kill, and those who kill for pleasure (Author Jennifer Chase). Ed Gein, American alleged serial killer whose sickening crimes inspired several horror films and novels, was the type of killer who felt the need to kill. There have been many scientific studies on why serial killers kill, but many facts about them are unknown. Several serial killers undergo extreme trauma in their childhood, which causes them to develop differently, but this fact is not evident within every serial killer. One thing that is certain, though, is that serial killers often lack empathy. Empathy is the ability to understand and feel for another person, which is something Ed Gein must not have understood.
Ed Gein, full name Edward Theodore Gein, confessed to killing only two women, but there are believed to be multiple more, which is why he is considered a serial killer. He shot both of his victims with a .22 caliber rifle, skinned their body parts, and created a “woman suit,” which was a full female body sewn from human flesh. He did not use only these two women's bodies for the suit, though. He created several more items from flesh, including a belt made of nipples, clothing, household items, and masks. He was known as being a grave snatcher, stealing from at least nine graves in Plainfield Cemetery to complete his fantasy (Murder Mile Walks and True-Crime Podcast). It is believed he wanted the flesh suit to resemble his mother, whom he loved dearly. His two known victims did resemble his mother, which is believed to be why he chose them particularly (Jenkins, John Phillip). He was known as the “Butcher Of Plainfield” and “The Ghoul Of Plainfield” because he was living in Plainfield Wisconsin at the time of the murders.
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Ed Gein was born on August 27th, 1906, on his family’s farm in Plainfield, Wisconsin. He was the child of Augusta Wilhemine Gein and George Phillip Gein. His father, George, was an abusive alcoholic who struggled to provide steady income, so Ed tended to favor his mother more, and have a closer relationship with her. His mother, Augusta, was a strict Lutheran who believed all women were no good and sent by the devil to tempt men. He had an older brother, Henry Gein, whom he did not have a close relationship with. Since they were young, they were both expected to work on the farm, which they did. On April 1st, 1940, Ed’s father suffered heart failure as a result of alcoholism and died. This did not affect Ed much, because he was beaten by him constantly. Shortly after, on May 16th, 1944, Ed’s brother died of suffocation, which was believed to be an accident, but Ed may have had something to do with it. There were bruises on Henry’s head, which showed that he was beaten, and left to die in a fire, but it was never proven. After the deaths of his brother and father, Ed was alone in the house with his mother, what he may have wanted all along. As a result of the trauma his mother had gone through, she suffered two strokes, was physically disabled, and needed constant assistance from him. When she died on December 29th, 1945, Ed Gein felt as if he had lost his only source of happiness and his “one true love.” He was not very close with anyone other than his mother, who did not care for him as much as he thought, so he was said to have been very socially awkward. He was never married, or in any other emotional or sexual relationships, mainly because of his mother's strict rules about “not being exposed to the evil of women.” Gein had an eye droop and a speech impediment, which caused him to be bullied as a child. He never fit in, he was always shy, quiet, and socially awkward. When Ed was 12, his mother caught him masurbating in the bath, and proceeded to grab his genitals and call them the “curse of a man.” His mother may be the reason why he was so antisocial and awkward around women. He was punished by her when he would make friends. He was a babysitter and helped around the house, which shows that he was trusted by people in the town. It is believed that Ed Gein’s father would often shoot and gut deer and pigs in front of him, which may show why Ed was inspired by this, and carried this nature throughout his killings. He was also a taxidermist as one point, which seems fitting, considering his fetish with skin. Gein claimed that “the sight of blood made him queasy” which is ironic, considering he killed two innocent women and skinned their bodies for his own creepy project.
When Gein was arrested, his mental capacity was tested. He was an average student in school, and an excellent reader. He was diagnosed with schizophrenia, and was unfit to stand trial. The length of his career is hard to determine, because he only admitted to killing Mary Hogan and Bernice Worden. He killed Mary Hogan, a local tavern worker, on December 8th, 1954. His second victim, Bernice Worden, a hardware store owner, was killed on November 16th, 1957. These murders were three years apart, which shows he has slight self control, and only killed to fulfill his sick dream. Gein was suspected of killing Georgia Weckler, an 8 year old, and Evelyn Hartey, 15 years old, however, those were never proven to be Gein, and it does not match his motive.
Bernice Worden was killed in her own hardware store, but it is unknown where exactly Mary Hogan was killed. He brought their bodies to his farm, and did the skinning there. He attracted interest from the police when Worden went missing, because he was seen with her before her disappearance and the last purchase she sold was a gallon of antifreeze to Ed Gein. Her son was Deputy Sheriff Frank Worden, and he found the blood stains in her store. The cash register was empty and a .22 rifle was missing. On November 18th, 1957, Ed Gein was arrested. Shortly after, they searched his farmhouse. They found the body of Bernice Worden, hung upside down, decapitated, with her limbs tied and her torse cut open, like a deer. They found Mary Hogan’s body, as well as nine other bodies, but Ed Gein did not talk, or confess to the murders until the day after.
Ed Gein’s trial began on November 21st, 1957. He pleaded not guilty on reason of insanity. He spent ten years in the Central State Hospital for the Criminally Insane before he was declared mentally stable enough to withstand a trial. His trial lasted a week, in which he was found guilty for the murder of Bernice Worden. He never went through a trial for Mary Hogan, though, because of the cost. Ed was spared the death penalty, because he was declared mentally insane, although the death penalty was not common in Wisconsin. He was sentenced to life in prison at Mendota State Hospital, where he was known to be a reasonable and kind patient. He died at the age of 77 on July 26th, 1984, due to stage-three lung cancer.
Ed Gein inspired many characters in television shows, as well as movies. Leatherface from “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” is based off of Ed Gein, which is shown through the characters obsession of human skin and the mask the character wore, which was made from real human flesh. Buffalo Bill from “The Silence of the Lambs” was evidently based off of Gein, which is shown through his obsession with female flesh, and making masks from them, similarly to “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.” Norman Bates from “Bates Motel” and “Psycho” is based off of Gein, which is extremely evident if you compare the two. The author of “Psycho” did not intend to make the novel about Ed Gein, because his crimes were just beginning to be released when the author was writing the book, but he was shocked at how similar the fictional character was to Gein (Pak, Eudie.) “Bates Motel” is based off of the novel, but includes more details that are similar to Ed Gein’s life. There are several more characters and movies based off of the flesh-fascinated killer, and probably more to come.
Ed Gein may have committed several more murders, including the death of his brother, but those may never be proven. The lack of resources for the police in this time period may have helped Gein get away with more than he would have in today’s time period. Gein’s childhood may have shaped him into the person he was, due to his strict mother and abusive alcoholic father, but that is no excuse for his horrendous actions. It is fascinating to learn about a killer who did such drastic things, but it seems as if Gein did not love to kill, unlike several other serial killers. He felt the need to kill, or was persuaded to do so by the voices in his head. He robbed graves instead of killing, and only killed two women, although two is too many.
The method in which he killed the women, shooting them and hanging them upside down with their arms tied and torsos cut as if they were deer or pigs, may have originated from his mother’s strict religion. His mother made him believe all women were bad, and only used for men’s satisfaction. Watching his father gut several animals may have given him the idea to do the same to the women. The main reason he committed these crimes was because he had a twisted fantasy to bring his beloved mother back from the dead. She was his only real friend, and he seemed to be extremely dependant upon her, although she did not seem to have the same fascination with him. She pushed him away from everyone else, forcing him to be more emotionally dependant on those around him.
If the death penalty would have been more normalized in the 1960s, Ed Gein would have probably been executed for his actions, despite being declared mentally insane. The justice system gave him the easy way out, keeping him in mental institutions until his death. He will forever be remembered as the psychopath who made items out of human flesh and had a creepy fascination with his mother.
Works cited
- “Examining Four Types of Serial Killers.” Author Jennifer Chase, 8 May 2015, authorjenniferchase.com/2015/05/07/examining-four-types-of-serial-killers/.
- Jenkins, John Philip. “Ed Gein.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 23 Aug. 2019, www.britannica.com/biography/Ed-Gein.
- “Infamous Murderer & Serial Killer Profiles - #4 Ed Gein.” Murder Mile Walks and True-Crime Podcast - One of the Best 'Quirky, Curious and Unusual Things to Do in London' This Weekend, www.murdermiletours.com/blog/infamous-murderer-serial-killer-profiles-4-ed-gein.
- “Ed Gein Kills Final Victim Bernice Worden.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 13 Nov. 2009, www.history.com/this-day-in-history/ed-gein-kills-final-victim-bernice-worden.
- Pauley, Patti, and Patti Pauley. “Ed Gein: An American Psychopath And His Human Flesh Collection.” IHorror, 24 Oct. 2019, www.ihorror.com/ed-gein-an-american-psychopath-and-his-human-flesh-collection/.
- Pak, Eudie. “Ed Gein: 7 Horror Movies Inspired the Body Snatcher and Murderer.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 23 Oct. 2019, www.biography.com/news/ed-gein-inspired-horror-movies.
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