Warning: This article contains graphic descriptions of historically documented murders. Ed Gein (right), aka The Plainfield Butcher, was the real-life inspiration for iconic horror film characters like Psycho s Norman Bates (left) and The Silence of the Lamb s Buffalo Bill. Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images/HowStuffWorks
Warning: This article contains graphic descriptions of historically documented murders.
Ed Gein was, by any civilized culture s definition, a sicko. Here was a man, clearly in the unforgiving grip of mental illness, who performed horrible, despicable, unspeakable acts on bodies, both living and dead.
His life was the stuff horror movies spring from. Indeed, three scream standards the 1960 Alfred Hitchcock thriller Psycho, 1974 s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and 1991 s The Silence of the Lambs all were influenced by Ed Gein s very real, very deranged life.
Paranormal investigator claims to communicate with the SPIRIT of serial killer Ed Gein who speaks about the skin suit he made from corpses which inspired Silence of the Lambs and Psycho
Steve Shippy, a paranormal investigator and documentary filmmaker, allegedly successfully talked with the dead serial killer s spirit
The two-hour Discovery+ special titled Ed Gein: The Real Psycho that airs Friday
Gein, who was known as the Butcher of Plainfield and the Plainfield Ghoul, was a murderer and body snatcher who exhumed corpses from graveyards
In the documentary, Shippy partners with psychic medium Cindy Kaza to question Gein and his mom, Augusta Wilhelmine Gein, about their relationship