Diksha Sundriyal
Netflix’s ‘Monster: The Ed Gein Story’ tells the harrowing true story of Ed Gein and his crimes. The eight-episode season gives us an insight into his origins, starting with his situation at home and how his deeply sheltered upbringing may have led him to do the things he did. With each chapter, a new detail of his crime emerges, enough to send a shiver down one’s spine. The scale of his actions also makes one wonder how far he may have gone in his deeply disturbing crimes. His obsession with dead bodies is a major part of the plot, and at one point, it is insinuated that he may have brought human meat to the dinner table. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Ed Gein’s Cannibalism is Entirely Conjectural
When Ed Gein was interrogated following his arrest, he confessed to murdering two local women, Mary Hogan and Bernice Worden, and grave robbing. At no point did he confess to eating his victims or giving human meat to his neighbours disguised as venison, or otherwise. The investigation also did not reveal any evidence of him indulging in cannibalism. However, he did use bowls made out of human skulls to eat regular food. Following the death of Bernice Worden, Gein became a prime suspect when his name was found on the last receipt that the victim had signed before she went missing. The day he was arrested, the cops went to his house, and one of the officers found Worden’s decapitated body hanging in the barn.
At his house, the officers found several human heads and skulls. They also found what looked like masks made from removing the skin and hair from the heads. They found lampshades, chairs, and a wastebasket made from human skin, and a belt made of female nipples. They also found other body parts, like noses, lips, and female genitals, collected in separate boxes, and Worden’s heart, among other things. The nature of his crimes sent a shockwave through the town, where Gein was seen as a quiet and solitary person. The discovery of human body parts in his house led the people to wonder if he did more than just kill people. Stories about him eating human flesh started to circulate, adding yet another thing to the list of his grotesque crimes.
Reportedly, Gein was not known to be a deer hunter, but he had, occasionally, given venison to several people. When the news about his alleged cannibalism broke, the people who had accepted his venison and eaten it were appalled by the possibility that it may have been human. They are reported to have rushed to the doctor to have themselves checked out. As the lore surrounding Gein picked up over the years, the detail about him eating humans was adopted in pop culture, especially in ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.’ However, there is nothing concrete to prove that cannibalism was among the crimes for which he was found guilty.
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