Ed Gein – History’s Most Influential Serial Killer

Ed Gein is one of the most influential serial killers of all time. The legacy of his dark acts have been seen in countless horror and crime novels. Many of horror’s most enduring, and creative, characters were actually influenced by the madness of Ed Gein.

Ed Gein was a serial killer that lived from August 27, 1906 until he died in a prison hospital on July 26, 1984. He was known to have killed two people and was suspected of killing six more.

Ed Gein was most well known for the fact that he was a necrophiliac. He gained arousal from dancing around in costumes that were made of human body parts. He was also known for the fact that his madness stemmed from a strange relationship that he had with his mother.

A further fact about Ed Gein was that he dug up corpses to use the body parts for decoration around his house. When he was arrested, police found that his entire house was filled with, “decorations.” Most of these are too graphic to explain in this medium.

There were allusions in the book, Psycho, by Robert Bloch to the Ed Gein case. Two years before the book was written, the Gein case made news and Bloch received inspiration from these true events. Many aspects of the character of Norman Bates can be directly linked to Ed Gein.

When Hitchcock directed the movie, Psycho, he drew extra inspiration from Gein. Hitchcock once stated that, “The scariest aspects of the movie come from the fact that people can relate it to a case that scared them to the bone.

Ed Gein directly influenced Leatherface, from the movie, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Gein was caught with masks that were made from the skin that he cut off of the skulls of his victims. He also made masks from the corpses that he dug up.

Buffalo Bill from the, Silence of the Lambs, movies was also inspired by Ed Gein. The horror that many people experience when watching Buffalo Bill comes from a true story.

Ed Gein influenced many of the aspects of House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil’sRejects by Rob Zombie. Prevalent in the movies are, “decorations,” similar to those found in the Gein house. The skin mask also makes appearances in both movies.

Ed Gein was a very disturbed individual. His crimes are still considered by many to be some of the most horrible ever attempted. Gein has inspired many writers, musicians, and actors over the years, and will continue to inspire many more.