Was Ed Gein a Necrophiliac? Did He Have Sex With Corpses?

In Netflix’s ‘Monster: The Ed Gein Story,’ a heavily dramatised version of Ed Gein’s story is presented to the audience. While the show is based on the real killer’s life and crimes, there are certain elements that have been fictionalised or are based on speculations made about him and the people around him. Since robbing graves of their corpses was one of his major crimes, questions about what he did with the dead bodies have been raised time and again. One of the scenes in the show focuses on him sexually gratifying himself with a dead body. However, these details in the show stand on shaky grounds in reality. SPOILERS AHEAD.

Ed Gein’s Necrophilia Did Not Extend to Sex

Of the many details that came out about Ed Gein following his arrest, it was found that he had a level of attraction for dead bodies. However, it was not confirmed whether he had indulged in any sexual acts with them. Reportedly, when he confessed to other crimes, which include killing Mary Hogan and Bernice Worden and robbing graves, he said that he had not had sexual intercourse with the dead bodies because they “smelled too bad.” In their investigation, the officers found nothing to prove that he had sex with the dead bodies. This means that he was, in a sense of the term, a necrophiliac, which involves having sexual attraction to dead bodies and indulging in fantasies related to them, but he may not have indulged in sexual acts with them.

It seems that Gein’s necrophilia may have been limited to him collecting body parts and using them for different purposes. When his house was raided, the officers discovered that he had used human skin to make lampshades and chair covers. They also found human faces that were removed from the skulls with the hair to work as masks that Gein would put on. Reportedly, he had also created a human suit-like thing that he would wear to become a woman. This included a corset and leggings made of human skin. He was also found to have kept several vulvas in a shoebox, with two belonging to young girls believed to be around 15 years old. Gein’s actions are believed to be a result of his mental illness as well as his complicated relationship with his mother. After his arrest, he was diagnosed with schizophrenia, due to which he was found mentally incompetent to sit for a trial.

It is also believed that he may have had a level of Oedipus complex, considering his sheltered upbringing by his mother, Augusta, who preferred to keep him and his brother, Henry, from interacting with others. While Henry grew out of the restraints placed by her, Gein remained deeply attached to her. It is believed that his mental spiral began after her death, and he started robbing graves because he wanted to, in his own twisted way, bring back his mother. This also explains why he usually chose victims who he thought looked like Augusta. Reportedly, he told an officer that Worden reminded him of his mother. The suit made of human skin was a way for him to not only get Augusta back, but also, in some way, to become her. This does not mean that he was transsexual or that he wanted to become a woman. Rather, it shows his deep obsession with his mother, and his actions had nothing to do with his gender or sexual identity.

Read More: Was Ed Gein a Cannibal? Did He Give Human Meat to His Neighbours?