The Butcher of Plainfield: Ed Gein's Horrible Story That Inspired Iconic Horror Films

Serial killers are rarely pleasant people. But few of these monsters evoke the same revulsion as the American maniac Ed Gein, nicknamed the "Plainfield Butcher." This monster possessed a myriad of abnormalities and not only killed people but also mocked their corpses, turning them into grisly artifacts. Gein's house resembled a museum of horrors, where even the most steadfast police officer would be overcome with nausea.

Edward Theodore Gein was born on August 27, 1906, in La Crosse, Wisconsin. His family wasn't entirely dysfunctional. His father, a quiet drunk, wasn't known for abusing his family. Gein's mother, Augustine, was an extremely religious woman and tried to raise Edward and his older brother, Henry, according to Christian precepts. It's also worth noting that she was a very strong-willed woman and easily handled the role of head of a family of three men.

When Ed was nine years old, his family moved to a farm near Plainfield, Wisconsin. The boy and his brother spent their lives on the farm, leaving only to attend school. Upon reaching adulthood, the boys continued to live on the farm, helping their parents with the chores and avoiding contact with outsiders.

In 1940, their father died, and the brothers were forced to find odd jobs to support themselves and their mother. Then, in 1944, another tragedy struck. While Ed and Henry were burning brushwood on their property, the elder Gein fell into the fire and suffered fatal burns. At the time, it was considered an accident, but later, Ed became suspected of being behind his brother's death.

In 1945, Edward Gein's mother died, leaving the large house as the sole occupant. Augustine was the most important person in Gein's life, and he never interacted with other women. After her death, something changed in the 39-year-old man, and he turned the farm into an island of horror and debauchery.

Edward Gein had no education or training, so he made ends meet with odd jobs. He worked as a laborer on neighboring farms, and once even babysat for a family. Neighbors considered Ed a bit odd, but they didn't see him as a threat.

In the early 1950s, people began disappearing in the Plainfield area. They disappeared strangely, often while working. In 1954, Mary Hogan, a tavern manager in nearby Pine Grove, vanished without a trace. Ed Gein was a frequent diner there. And in November 1957, Bernice Worden, the owner of a small store in Plainfield, disappeared. She literally vanished into thin air amidst the white sky, taking with her the cash register containing the proceeds.

Worden's son discovered the theft. He also saw drops of blood leading from the sales floor to the back door of the store. For some reason, the man immediately thought Gein might be involved. He reported his suspicions to the police, and they decided to visit Edward's isolated farm.

What the police saw in Gein's house haunted many of them for the rest of their lives. The body of the unfortunate Bernice Worden was discovered immediately. It was hanging from a hook in one of the rooms, carefully disemboweled and headless. Detectives found the head in a bag in the corner. Her heart, neatly wrapped in a bag, was also there.

A further inspection of the house revealed many other shocking discoveries. Edward Gein's home was filled with human body parts and organs. They were everywhere—in basins and bags, on shelves in jars, hanging from ceiling beams, and simply lying on tables. Gein had fashioned various useful household items from some of the body parts. For example, police found bowls made from skulls, spoons and forks made from bones, and in the wardrobe were two pairs of pants, a vest, a suit made from human skin, several masks, and a belt made from female nipples.

51-year-old Edward Gein was arrested and immediately confessed to the murders of Hogan and Worden. He claimed he killed the elderly women because they reminded him of his mother. However, the number of body parts suggested there were many more victims. After some hesitation, the maniac revealed the origins of his numerous grisly creations.

It turned out that Gein had been digging up corpses in cemeteries for several years to make various items from them. He reported that this hobby brought him incredible pleasure, and the items he made were extremely precious to him. He wore suits made from human skin at home, and sometimes wore a nipple belt under his clothes when going out. The knowledge that he was wearing this item, secretly, filled the psychopath with delight.

Police began investigating Ed Gein's involvement in other unsolved murders, but their investigations were unsuccessful. However, his stories of stealing bodies from several cemeteries were fully confirmed. The story of the murderer, dismemberer, and necrophile quickly became the talk of Plainfield and the surrounding area. A couple of months after Gein's arrest, unknown assailants set fire to his farm. Rumors suggest that the maniac's home was to be turned into a museum.

Edward Gein's guilt was obvious, and the criminal himself did not deny it. Therefore, his defense attorney, William Belter, was forced to argue that he was completely insane. In 1958, after a series of inconclusive examinations, Gein was finally declared insane. He was diagnosed with schizophrenia, which precluded responsibility for the crimes he had committed.

The man was involuntarily committed to the Central State Hospital in Waupun. There, he underwent treatment, including occupational therapy. Edward Gein worked as a mason on the construction of new hospital buildings. In early 1968, Gein was again examined by a panel of psychiatrists. The doctors deemed him sane enough to stand trial.

In November 1968, Edward Gein was found guilty of two aggravated murders. He was sentenced to life imprisonment, but due to his mental illness, he was confined to a psychiatric hospital. In 1974, Gein petitioned for clemency, but he was deemed a danger to society and was not released.

Psychiatric hospital staff described Edward Gein as a docile, friendly, and "soft-hearted" patient. But the court found this insufficient to declare him mentally sane and harmless. Gein spent the rest of his life in hospitals. In the late 1970s, he was diagnosed with cancer.

Because of this, Edward was transferred to the Mendota Institute of Mental Health in Madison, Wisconsin, where conditions were better. There, Edward Gein died of complications from cancer on July 26, 1984, at the age of 77. The serial killer, nicknamed the "Plainfield Butcher," was buried at the county's expense in a regular cemetery near the town where he lived. The story of the killer and necrophile Edward Gein inspired the films "Psycho," "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre," and "The Silence of the Lambs," all of which became horror classics.

The story of Edward Gein is astounding in its brutality and absurd reality, as if ripped from a nightmare. He will forever remain a symbol of horror and twisted obsession. But does such a figure simply disgust you—or, oddly enough, intrigue you about how the human psyche can become so distorted? Do you think monsters are born or are they created by environment and trauma?