Curryong: Ed Gein was shy as a child; classmates and teachers remembered him as having strange mannerisms, such as seemingly random laughter, as if he were laughing at his own personal jokes. He was sometimes bullied.debbiediablo wrote:He was one of the inspirations for Buffalo Bill, and yes, the book and the movie did not capture his absolute insanity – although Thomas Harris did a great job of creating a cunning killer.Curryong wrote:He probably was perfectly content. Accommodation, all food provided and a few nice hobbies, plus his happy memories.
Whatever did the people in his home town think at the time he was on the prowl and afterwards, when his activities were discovered? Graves desecrated, body parts of loved ones ending as brooches, ornaments and even masks and cloaks. No horror film could come close!
In adulthood, the Plainfield residents always liked Ed, even though they thought he was a bit strange; they also felt he was harmless. They saw nothing sinister in Ed Gein's eccentricities. He was described as "helpful" and "reliable" by those who knew him. Many of his neighbors appreciated Ed showing up and helping out when work needed doing, or volunteering to watch the kids when the parents headed into town.
It wasn’t until his repulsive activities were discovered, that the people of Plainfield had an inkling of what Eddie really was. After his capture, several people in the area remembered the gifts of "venison" he would bring them, although he later admitted that he never hunted a deer in his life. The residents of Plainfield, and the surrounding areas, don't want to talk about Ed Gein, which is understandable since he certainly did not bring any glory to their little corner of the world.
Ed's house and property were scheduled to be auctioned March 30, 1958, amid rumors the house was to become a tourist attraction. On March 27, the house was destroyed by fire. Arson was suspected, but the cause of the blaze was never officially solved. When Gein learned of the incident while in detention, he shrugged and said, "Just as well." Gein's car, which he used to haul the bodies of his victims, was sold at public auction for $760 to carnival sideshow operator Bunny Gibbons. Gibbons later charged carnival goers 25¢ admission to see it.
Debbie: You’re right, Eddie was one of the inspirations for Buffalo Bill.
The very first film he inspired was Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 film, Psycho, which was adapted from Robert Bloch’s 1959 novel also titled, Psycho. Both the film and novel are loosely based on the real-life killings and other activities of Ed Gein. BTW: In 1992, the US Library of Congress deemed the film "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry.
Next came The Texas Chainsaw Massacre in 1974, which was based on some parts of Gein’s crimes.
Then in 1991 The Silence of the Lambs was released, which also uses some parts of Gein's life.
Eddie’s deeds also influenced such films as Maniac, Three on a Meathook, and Deranged.
All of the novels, films/movies pale in comparison to the truth of Edward Gein’s grisly life. Truth really is stranger than fiction.