Mon Oct 13 03:00:00 UTC 2025: ## Netflix’s “Monster: The Ed Gein Story” Fact vs. Fiction: New Series Takes Liberties with True Crime

Netflix’s latest installment of the “Monster” series, focusing on Ed Gein, has shot to the top of the streaming charts, but critics are questioning the historical accuracy of the show. Like its predecessor on Jeffrey Dahmer, “The Ed Gein Story” blurs the lines between fact and fiction, exaggerating and fabricating events for dramatic effect.

**What We Know is True:**

* **Two Confirmed Murders:** Gein confessed to killing Bernice Worden and Mary Hogan, both of which are portrayed in the series.
* **Grave Robbing and Body Part Collection:** Gein admitted to exhuming bodies and using their parts to create household items and clothing. This horrific discovery is accurately depicted.
* **Mental Health and Confinement:** Gein was deemed mentally unfit to stand trial and spent time in mental institutions until his death in 1984.

**Where the Series Deviates:**

* **FBI Agents and Ted Bundy Connection:** The finale depicting FBI agents interviewing Gein for information on Ted Bundy is entirely fictional.
* **Relationship with Adeline Watkins:** The show exaggerates Gein’s relationship with Adeline Watkins, portraying her as a long-term romantic confidante, which she denied in real life.
* **Ilse Koch Influence:** There’s no evidence that Gein was significantly influenced by Nazi war criminal Ilse Koch or that Watkins introduced him to her story.
* **Romantic Relationship with Bernice Worden:** The series portrays a sexual encounter and romantic rejection between Gein and Worden, which contradicts Gein’s own statements and the evidence at the scene.
* **Brother’s Death:** While suspicion arose after Gein’s confession of the two murders, there is no confession or solid evidence that he murdered his brother Henry.
* **Hospital Nurse Killing:** The series includes a fabricated scene of Gein killing a nurse at the mental hospital.
* **Evelyn Hartley Abduction:** The show’s portrayal of Gein abducting and killing Evelyn Hartley is entirely fictional, and he denied any involvement in her disappearance.
* **Child Endangerment:** While Gein did odd jobs and watched children, there’s no indication he endangered or harmed them.
* **Sexual Activity with Corpses or Cannibalism:** Gein consistently denied having sex with corpses or eating human flesh, and no evidence supports these claims, despite the show’s implications.

While “Monster: The Ed Gein Story” may be a compelling watch, viewers should be aware that it takes significant creative liberties with the facts of the case.

Read More