In 1957, a missing-person call in small-town Wisconsin led police to a farmhouse that would redefine horror forever. What they found inside Ed Gein’s home shocked the nation — and inspired Psycho, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and The Silence of the Lambs. Kat takes you deep into the chilling true story behind “The Butcher of Plainfield” — a quiet, lonely man whose obsession with his mother and the dead blurred the line between grief and madness.

References:

1. “Ed Gein.” Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Gein
2. “Ed Gein.” Britannica – biographical overview and case summary. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ed-Gein
3. “Real-Life Psycho Ed Gein Dies.” History.com ( https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/july-26/real-life-psycho-ed-gein-dies
4. Crime + Investigation Network (UK). “Ed Gein – The Butcher of Plainfield.” https://www.crimeandinvestigation.co.uk/crime-files/ed-gein
5. A&E / Biography. “Ed Gein’s Childhood: The Butcher of Plainfield Fixated on His Domineering Mother.” https://www.aetv.com/articles/ed-geins-childhood-the-butcher-of-plainfield-fixated-on-his-domineering-mother
6. TIME Magazine. “Portrait of America’s Original Psycho Killer. https://time.com/3879490/ed-gein-portrait-of-americas-original-psycho-killer
7. Lawyer Monthly. “Ed Gein Timeline – True Story, Crimes, Trial & Legal Legacy.” https://www.lawyer-monthly.com/2025/10/ed-gein-timeline-true-story-crimes-trial-legal-legacy
8. Harold Schechter. Deviant: The Shocking True Story of Ed Gein, the Original Psycho. Pocket Books, 1989
9. Radford University Serial Killer Database. “Ed Gein Case Summary (Psyc 405).” https://maamodt.asp.radford.edu/Psyc%20405/serial%20killers/Gein%2C%20Ed.pdf
10. FBI Behavioral Science Unit archives (publicly released summaries)

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