Ed Gein: The Real Killer Who Inspired Psycho, Leatherface, and Buffalo Bill

In November 1957, the disappearance of 58-year-old hardware store owner Bernice Worden led police to a secluded farmhouse outside Plainfield, Wisconsin. What investigators found inside would become one of the most disturbing crime scenes in American history. The farmhouse belonged to Edward Theodore “Ed” Gein, a quiet handyman and farmer whom neighbors generally considered odd but harmless. Inside his home, authorities discovered Bernice’s mutilated body along with human remains that Gein had transformed into masks, bowls, furniture coverings, and other objects. And most of those remains had not come from murder victims. Gein admitted that for years he had been secretly visiting local cemeteries, exhuming recently buried women, and taking portions of their bodies back to his farmhouse. He also admitted killing Bernice Worden and tavern owner Mary Hogan, who had disappeared in 1954. Although Gein has often been called a serial killer, only those two murders were ever established, and he was ultimately convicted only in Worden’s death. In 1968, Gein was found guilty of murdering Bernice Worden but was determined to have been legally insane at the time of the crime. He spent the remainder of his life in psychiatric institutions and died in 1984 at age 77. Yet Ed Gein’s influence stretched far beyond Plainfield. Elements of his crimes helped inspire some of horror’s most infamous fictional characters, including Norman Bates in Psycho, Leatherface in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and Buffalo Bill in The Silence of the Lambs. His story returned to popular culture again with Netflix’s 2025 series Monster: The Ed Gein Story, although the dramatization included several events and murders that are not supported by the historical record. This is the historical true crime story of Ed Gein, the Butcher of Plainfield—two murdered women, stolen bodies, a farmhouse filled with horrors, and the real-life crimes that helped create some of Hollywood’s most terrifying monsters. He was the real Norman Bates. The real Leatherface. The real Buffalo Bill. This is the true and gruesome story of Ed Gein. Sources used for this podcast Support the show JOIN THE  HITCHED 2 HOMICIDE IN-LAWS AND OUTLAWS Send Kris and Rob a Message START KRIS CALVERT'S BOOKS TODAY FOR FREE H2H WEBSITE H2H on TWITTER H2H on INSTA Ed Gein, Edward Gein, Edward Theodore Gein, Butcher of Plainfield, Plainfield Ghoul, Ed Gein murders, Ed Gein victims, Bernice Worden, Mary Hogan, Ed Gein farmhouse, Ed Gein grave robber, Wisconsin serial killer, Wisconsin true crime, Ed Gein true story, Monster Ed Gein Story, Netflix Ed Gein, Psycho true story, Norman Bates inspiration, Leatherface inspiration, Texas Chainsaw Massacre inspiration, Buffalo Bill inspiration, Silence of the Lambs inspiration, historical true crime, true crime podcast #EdGein, #ButcherOfPlainfield, #PlainfieldGhoul, #BerniceWorden, #MaryHogan, #EdGeinStory, #MonsterEdGein, #WisconsinTrueCrime, #HistoricalTrueCrime, #TrueCrime, #TrueCrimePodcast, #TrueCrimeCommunity, #CrimeHistory, #HorrorHistory, #Psycho, #TexasChainsawMassacre, #SilenceOfTheLambs, #Hitched2Homicide   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.