Ed Gein - Popular Culture

Popular Culture

The story of Ed Gein has had a lasting impact on Western popular culture as evidenced by its numerous appearances in movies, music and literature. Gein's story was adapted into a number of movies, including Deranged (1974), In the Light of the Moon (2000) released in the U.S. as Ed Gein (2001), and Ed Gein: The Butcher of Plainfield (2007). Gein served as a model for several book and film characters, most notably such fictional serial killers as Norman Bates (Psycho), Leatherface (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre), and Jame Gumb (The Silence of the Lambs). Similarities to Ed Gein have also been perceived in the character of Dr. Thredson as serial killer "Bloody Face" on the FX network horror series American Horror Story: Asylum.

At the time, the news reports of Gein's crimes spawned a subgenre of black humor. Since the 1950s, Gein has frequently been exploited in transgressive art or shock rock, often with no connection to his life or crimes beyond the shock value of his name. Examples of this include the song titled "Dead Skin Mask" from the band Slayer's album Seasons in the Abyss or "Nothing To Gein" from the Mudvayne's album L.D. 50. Ed Gein: The Musical premiered on January 2, 2010 in Menasha, Wisconsin.