Police came looking for one missing woman. What they found in his farmhouse became one of the most influential crime scenes in the history of American horror fiction.
An Isolated Childhood
Edward Theodore Gein was born August 27, 1906, in La Crosse, Wisconsin, to George Gein, a violent alcoholic often unemployed, and Augusta Gein, a domineering, deeply religious woman who taught her sons that women outside the family were inherently sinful. In 1914, Augusta moved the family to an isolated farm in Plainfield, Wisconsin, where Ed would remain for the rest of his life.
Losing Everyone
George Gein died in 1940 from complications of his alcoholism. In 1944, Ed's older brother Henry died in a fire on their property under circumstances that were officially ruled accidental, though some later questioned whether Ed was involved -- a suspicion that has never been substantiated. Augusta suffered a stroke shortly after and died in 1945. Biographer Harold Schechter has written that Ed, left completely alone for the first time, nailed his mother's bedroom door shut and preserved it largely untouched.
Grave Robbing
Between roughly 1947 and 1952, Gein visited local cemeteries at night, exhuming the bodies of recently buried middle-aged women who reminded him of his mother, and removing body parts, which he brought back to his farmhouse. We are not detailing what he did with these remains; it has been extensively documented elsewhere by researchers who have studied the case in depth.
The Arrest
In November 1957, Gein became a suspect in the disappearance of Bernice Worden, a local hardware store owner. A search of his farmhouse turned up her body, along with evidence connecting him to at least one other killing and to years of grave robbing. He was found not guilty by reason of insanity and committed to a state psychiatric hospital, where he remained until his death in 1984.
His Influence on Fiction
Gein's case directly inspired several of the most significant works in American horror history, including Robert Bloch's novel "Psycho" (and Alfred Hitchcock's film adaptation), "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre," and the character of Buffalo Bill in "The Silence of the Lambs." His case has continued to draw renewed public attention through documentaries and dramatizations decades after his death.
FAQ
How many people did Ed Gein kill?
He was formally connected to two killings; the majority of his crimes involved robbing graves rather than murder.
What happened to Ed Gein after his arrest?
He was found not guilty by reason of insanity and spent the rest of his life in psychiatric institutions, dying in 1984.
Which horror films did Ed Gein inspire?
His case is a documented direct influence on "Psycho," "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre," and "The Silence of the Lambs," among others.