People distracted after realising why Ed Gein’s voice sounds so familiar in disturbing Monster series

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People distracted after realising why Ed Gein’s voice sounds so familiar in disturbing Monster series

Netflix viewers have likened Charlie Hunnam's portrayal of the Butcher of Plainfield to a very unlikely character

The hype surrounding Monster: The Ed Gein Story doesn't seem to be going away anytime soon, with Netflix viewers continuing to rave over Ryan Murphy's latest series.

The eight-parter stars Sons of Anarchy actor Charlie Hunnam as the Butcher of Plainsfield, who was found guilty of murdering two women in 1950s Wisconsin. He was also found to be a prolific grave-robber, often making household items out of freshly-deceased human remains.

In fact, Gein and his heinous crimes rocked the world so much that they became inspiration for a number of Hollywood horror cult classics, including Psycho, The Silence of the Lambs and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

Now, while the TV series is clearly all true crime fans can talk about, many viewers have pointed out several limitations with it, including the 'made-up' storyline, and how distracted they felt after realising why Gein’s voice sounded so familiar

Check out the official Netflix trailer here:

Now, Monster: The Ed Gein Story seeks to tackle every facet of Gein’s life: his mother Augusta Gein's (Laurie Metcalf) abuse, his apparent fascination with Nazi war criminals, his horrific crimes against the women of Plainfield, as well as his incarceration and diagnosis.

And, even Gein’s voice felt inspired by the formative relationship with his mum.

"It was an affectation, it was what Ed thought that his mother wanted him to be," Hunnam explained to Tudum. "It wasn’t an authentic voice that lived in him. It was this persona, it was this character that he was playing because his mother desperately wanted a daughter, and she was given a son.

"In her more hostile, vile moments, she would tell him, 'I should have castrated you at birth.'"

Ed Gein, AKA the Butcher of Plainfield, was a prolific grave-robber and killed two women in 1950s Wisconsin (Bettmann / Contributor / Getty Images)
Ed Gein, AKA the Butcher of Plainfield, was a prolific grave-robber and killed two women in 1950s Wisconsin (Bettmann / Contributor / Getty Images)

According to Tudum, the voice the 45-year-old Brit chose for his interpretation was inspired by an obscure source: an audio tape of Gein himself upon his arrest, which only Hunnam was able to listen to.

"The tape has never been released because they didn’t read Ed’s Miranda rights before they conducted this interview," the actor noted. "So it was always thought that that tape would be inadmissible."

Hunnam was able to help track down the tape, which served as a valuable source of inspiration for his mumbling, shuffling interpretation of Gein.

Despite all that, it's clear viewers couldn't help but draw parallels between Hunnam's shakey, soft-spoken and high-pitched with none other than Winnie-the-Pooh.

(The Walt Disney Company)
(The Walt Disney Company)

One X user penned: "I'm still shocked that Charlie Hunnam's voice for Ed Gein literally sounds like Winnie the Pooh."

"Ed Gein sounding like Winnie the Pooh really is throwing me off," admitted a second while a third chimed in: "Watching the Ed Gein show on Netflix and his voice just reminds of Winnie the Pooh."

A fourth hit out: "Why does Ed Gein sound like Winnie the F*cking Pooh?"

"Just started that Ed Gein thing on Netflix. Why is old mate talking like Winnie the Pooh?" echoed another.

And a final X user echoed: "Charlie Hunnam's voice for Ed Gein sounds like Winnie the Pooh but I actually don't hate it at all, it honestly makes his performance more unsettling."

What do you make of it?

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

Featured Image Credit: Netflix

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