From 'Psycho' to Leatherface: Notorious Wisconsin killer Ed Gein in popular culture

Ed Gein wasn't America's first serial killer, as he's sometimes been called. (First, there were others before him; second, he admitted to two separate murders, which according to some definitions is one short of attaining "serial" status.)

But in terms of popular culture, Gein became America's first killer — a primary template for the creepy, seemingly "regular" person who's actually a serial murderer.

Gein — who lived in Plainfield, a small rural community in central Wisconsin — gained worldwide notoriety in 1957 when he admitted to killing a woman and dressing her body out like a deer, as well as having killed another woman and digging up several bodies from the local cemetery to use the skin to make lampshades, masks and other items.

In addition to blaring true-crime headlines ("Murder 'Factory' on Farm!"), Gein's story inspired a string of fictional characters and narratives, including the most influential horror story of the postwar era.

The true-crime ecosystem has tapped into Gein lore, too, drawing from previously unreleased recordings and AI-generated recreations of Gein's interrogations.

Here's a look at some of Gein's legacy in popular culture.

'Psycho' and Ed Gein

Writer Robert Bloch grew up in Milwaukee, but in the late 1950s he was living in Weyauwega, about 50 miles from Plainfield. After Gein's crimes became known, Bloch — who sold his first story to Weird Tales, a fantasy/horror pulp magazine, when he was a teenager — started crafting a novel very loosely drawing from the more lurid parts of Gein's story.

"What interested me was this notion that a ghoulish killer with perverted appetites could flourish almost openly in a small rural community where everybody prides himself on knowing everyone else's business," Bloch later wrote.

The result, published in 1959, was "Psycho," about a middle-aged motel manager obsessed with his domineering mother who flirts with and later kills a woman on the run.

Near the end of the novel, the unnamed narrator recounts the aftermath of what happened at the Bates Motel, adding about the media coverage: "Some of the write-ups compared it to the Gein affair up north, a few years back."

Alfred Hitchcock, long considered the master of suspense, loved the novel and, over the objections of his movie studio, had it adapted for the big screen as a graphic horror movie. The 1960 movie — powered by Bernard Herrmann's chilling score, Anthony Perkins' unnerving portrayal of hotel manager Norman Bates (for the movie, much younger than the character in Bloch's novel) and Hitchcock's uncanny showmanship — revolutionized the horror genre.

Can I read/watch "Psycho"?: The novel is still in print and also available from your local library. Hitchcock's movie is available to buy or rent via on-demand services.

'The Silence of the Lambs'

Thomas Harris' 1988 novel, and Jonathan Demme's Oscar-winning 1991 big-screen adaptation of it, center on a novice FBI agent who seeks help in finding a serial killer by consulting with an even more dangerous serial killer: Hannibal Lecter.

The Lecter character wasn't inspired by Gein (those cannibal stories weren't true). Instead, the "Butcher of Plainfield" was an inspiration for the killer known as Buffalo Bill who is being pursued by the FBI. Buffalo Bill kidnaps women, killing and skinning them so he can stitch together a suit made of women's flesh.

Can I read/watch "The Silence of the Lambs"?: The book is available in audio format from its publisher, and is available at your local library. The movie is streaming on HBO Max and is available to buy or rent via on-demand services.

'The Texas Chain Saw Massacre'

In his low-budget 1974 slasher masterpiece, Tobe Hooper based the villain Leatherface on Gein, especially the part about wearing masks made of human skin. According to the filmmakers, the masks were meant to express his personality.

Can I watch "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre?": The movie is streaming on Prime Video and is available to buy or rent via on-demand services.

'Hitchcock'

The 2012 movie, starring Anthony Hopkins as Alfred Hitchcock and Helen Mirren as his wife and collaborator Alma Reville, depicts Hitchcock's pursuit of Bloch's novel in the context of the filmmaker facing a crossroads in his life by betting everything on a new, darker style of thriller. In the 2012 film, while making "Psycho," Hitchcock hallucinates several disturbing conversations with Gein (played by Michael Wincott).

Can I watch "Hitchcock"?: The movie is streaming on Hulu and is available to buy or rent via on-demand services.

'Ed Gein'

In this 2000 movie, Steve Railsback, who played Charles Manson in the TV version of "Helter Skelter," portrays the Plainfield murderer, with Carrie Snodgrass as his domineering mother, Augusta.

Can I watch "Ed Gein"?: The movie is no longer in print and is not available on demand.

'Ed Gein: The Musical'

Wisconsin filmmaker Dan Davies made this 2010 cult movie, he has said, to help explain how Ed Gein became Ed Gein. (And yes, it's a musical.)

Can I watch "Ed Gein: The Musical"?: It is available to buy or rent via on-demand services.

'House of 1000 Corpses'

Rocker-turned-filmmaker Rob Zombie went a little meta with his 2003 feature-film debut about two young couples traveling around Texas looking for urban murder legends and winding up prisoners of a family of serial killers. The slasher movie owes much of its inspiration to "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre," including the earlier movie's nods to Gein.

Can I watch "House of 1000 Corpses"?: It is available to buy or rent via on-demand services.

'Ed Gein: The Butcher of Plainfield'

Kane Hodder, who played "Friday the 13th" killer Jason Vorhees in four sequels, portrays Gein in this 2007 direct-to video release.

Can I watch "Ed Gein: The Butcher of Plainfield"?: The movie is streaming on Prime Video and Roku Channel, and it is available to buy or rent via on-demand services.

'Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story'

In Episode 8 of Ryan Murphy's first "Monster" series on Netflix, Lionel Dahmer (Richard Jenkins) and attorney Gerald Boyle (Arye Gross) try to convince Milwaukee serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer (Evan Peters) that he should take an insanity plea by telling him Gein's story and noting he was sent to a psychiatric hospital instead of prison. Shane Kerwin plays Gein in a montage reenactment. "I've read about him," Jeffrey Dahmer tells them. "In a comic book, I read about him, I think."

Can I watch "Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story"?: The entire limited series is streaming on Netflix.