Monster: The Ed Gein Story - A detailed case overview

Monster: The Ed Gein Story revisits one of the most notorious mid-century crimes and the public record that followed it. The season tracks the confirmed killings tied to Ed Gein, the grave robberies attributed to him, and the impact those events had on film and TV.

The season is set to premiere on Netflix on October 3, 2025, with Charlie Hunnam as Ed Gein and Laurie Metcalf as Augusta Gein. Tom Hollander appears as Alfred Hitchcock, and Olivia Williams plays Alma Reville. The show centers on the 1950s case and its wide cultural ripples.

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Case background in Monster: The Ed Gein Story

Ed Gein grew up and worked near Plainfield. His mother, Augusta, kept a strict household, and after she died in 1945, he closed off rooms of the farmhouse and lived in a small area of the home. Encyclopaedia Britannica notes two confirmed victims, a history of grave robbing admissions, and long-running public interest in the case.

Mary Hogan, a tavern owner, disappeared in 1954. In November 1957, hardware store owner Bernice Worden was last seen at her shop in Plainfield. That same day, deputies began looking for Worden and soon turned attention to Gein based on store records, including a sales slip showing he was expected to return for antifreeze.

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The 1957 search and key evidence in Monster: The Ed Gein Story

Deputies entered the farm on November 16, 1957. Worden’s body was found in a shed, and her head was later located inside the house. Investigators documented human remains in multiple rooms, including masks cut from faces, skulls fashioned into bowls, and a corset made from skin.

Monster: The Ed Gein Story cover image (Image via Netflix)

During questioning, Gein reportedly admitted to killing Hogan in 1954 and to exhuming bodies from local cemeteries. He also described making a “woman suit,” which has appeared in official reports and later accounts. There is no evidence of cannibalism in the record, as Britannica states.

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Legal path shown in Monster: The Ed Gein Story

Gein was first ruled unfit for trial and sent to a state hospital. In 1968, he was judged competent. In a bench trial, the judge found him guilty of Worden’s murder; in a subsequent sanity phase, the judge ruled him not guilty by reason of insanity. He was committed to a psychiatric facility for the rest of his life and died in 1984.

The state tried only the Worden case. Hogan’s killing was not charged, though Gein had confessed to it. Gein’s house burned down in March 1958, and the cause was never officially determined. Those points sit in historical summaries that the show condenses into the final chapters of the timeline.

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Victims, alleged links, and community impact in Monster: The Ed Gein Story

Two victims are confirmed in the record, Mary Hogan and Bernice Worden. Other disappearances from the region were discussed over the years, including the Evelyn Hartley case, yet investigators did not bring charges and reported no physical evidence tying Gein to those files. USA Today’s Season 3 guide recaps these alleged links and the lack of charges that followed.

Monster: The Ed Gein Story (Image via Netflix)

Test exhumations at local cemeteries found empty or disturbed coffins consistent with Gein’s statements. Items seized at the farmhouse became core exhibits. Records also describe a strict home life, isolation, and an obsession with his mother.

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Monster: The Ed Gein Story premieres on Netflix on October 3, 2025. All eight episodes are scheduled to arrive on the same day.

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