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Ed Gein had chilling four-word response when asked about disturbing acts with corpses

Home> Entertainment> Netflix

Published 09:59 8 Oct 2025 GMT+1

Ed Gein had chilling four-word response when asked about disturbing acts with corpses

Monster: The Ed Gein Story landed on Netflix just last week (3 October)

Rhiannon Ingle

Rhiannon Ingle

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The twisted, stomach-churning crimes of Ed Gein seem to be all anyone can talk about right now, after Ryan Murphy's latest instalment of the Monster series dropped on Netflix last week (3 October).

Titled Monster: The Story of Ed Gein, the eight-parter follows 'The Butcher of Plainfield', who was convicted of murdering two women in 1950s Wisconsin, and later became the inspiration for a number of Hollywood horror cult classics due to his grave-robbing offences that saw him make household items like bowls and chairs out of freshly-deceased human remains.

Technically, he can't be classed as a serial killer given the fact he was only convicted of killing two people - Mary Hogan in 1954, and Bernice Worden in 1957 - and, to be a serial killer, you need to commit three or more murders in separate events, with a period of time, known as a 'cooling-off period', between each murder.

However, he was suspected in other deaths, including that of his brother, but no further crimes were proven.

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Although Gein - who had a very fraught relationship with his domineering mother - confessed to killing two women, authorities discovered remains connected to at least 10 women on his property, but he was found not guilty by reason of insanity, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Instead, he was confined to the Mendota Mental Health Institute in Madison, Wisconsin, where he remained until he died at the age of 77 in 1984, and was buried in Plainfield Cemetery.

Now, Murphy's Monster series raises several questions, including whether Gein was also a cannibal, with many reports about him also being a necrophiliac.

And the real-life Gein had a seriously chilling four-word response when asked about his alleged disturbing acts with corpses.

Grave-robber Ed Gein was convicted of killing two women in 1950s Winsconsin (Bettmann / Getty Images)
Grave-robber Ed Gein was convicted of killing two women in 1950s Winsconsin (Bettmann / Getty Images)

According to A&E, the killer's interest in human anatomy never turned to hunger or sexual desire, as Gein reportedly found bodies unappealing in a cannibalistic and sexual way because, as he told investigators after his arrest, 'they smelled too bad'.

"Apparently Gein practised neither cannibalism nor necrophilia, but preserved the remains just to look at," TIME also reported in 1957, answering the questions that were often raised soon after his arrest that year.

Charlie Hunnam stars as Gein in Ryan Murphy's Monster series (Netflix)
Charlie Hunnam stars as Gein in Ryan Murphy's Monster series (Netflix)

TIME reported that Gein kept tabs on local obituaries to keep an eye out for fresh bodies being buried at his local cemeteries. He would then go dig up the grave sites he read about in the paper, and steal body parts to preserve.

The outlet also stated that, according to the psychiatrists, cutting up body parts and preserving them 'satisfied two contradictory urges' for Gein: "To bring [his mother] back to life and have her with him always, and to destroy her as the cause of his frustration."

Monster: The Ed Gein Story is currently available to stream on Netflix.

Featured Image Credit: Bettmann/via Getty Images

Topics: Ed Gein, Netflix, TV And Film, True Crime, US News

Rhiannon Ingle
Rhiannon Ingle

Rhiannon Ingle is a Senior Journalist at Tyla, specialising in TV, film, travel, and culture. A graduate of the University of Manchester with a degree in English Literature, she honed her editorial skills as the Lifestyle Editor of The Mancunian, the UK’s largest student newspaper. With a keen eye for storytelling, Rhiannon brings fresh perspectives to her writing, blending critical insight with an engaging style. Her work captures the intersection of entertainment and real-world experiences.

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