Netflix’s Monster: The Ed Gein Story is an eight-episode limited series that explores the monstrous activities of murderer, cannibal, and grave robber Ed Gein, whose crimes shocked the small town of Plainfield, Wisconsin, and went on to inspire some of the most infamous horror villains in pop culture.
Played to chilling perfection by Charlie Hunnam, the series employs non-linear storytelling that weaves together not only Gein’s own story but also the filmmakers he inspired, such as Tobe Hooper and Alfred Hitchcock, along with the dark influences that shaped him.
However, creator Ryan Murphy takes several liberties with the already outrageous story to heighten the drama and keep viewers hooked. But with any biopic, some of the facts get a little smudged along the way to make room for engrossing storytelling.
Here are but a few items that Monster got wrong and right about Ed Gein, the Butcher of Plainfield.
Monster: The Ed Gein Story, now streaming, Netflix