News

Ed Gein: How the Notorious Psychopath Inspired Some of Horror’s Greatest Villains

Published

2 years ago

June 23, 2022

Ed Gein, born August 27, 1906, is perhaps one of the most notoriously deranged maniacs in American history.

While we all recognize the household names of Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Bundy, and John Wayne Gacy Jr., their legacies have a shorter reach. Gein’s crimes were so horrific that they went on to inspire some of the most recognizable villains in pop culture.

Leatherface (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre)

While the film is marketed as a true story, I’m sorry to say that there was no real Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The “real events” are actually referring to Ed Gein’s farmhouse of horrors in rural Wisconsin.

Gein confessed to killing two women, but his reputation grew from his disturbing fascination with human taxidermy. When he was taken by authorities, his house was decorated with human skulls on the bedposts and carved into bowls. Lampshades, a wastebasket, and chair coverings were made from human skin, and it doesn’t end there. Leatherface’s mask was inspired by Gein’s own choice of adornments.

While Leatherface is seen as the main antagonist of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre series, he does take a lot of influence and direction from his family. If we can get any indication from the trailer, we should see more of this in the upcoming 2017 film. Leatherface’s dependent relationship with his toxic family could have been inspired by Gein’s own challenges with his mother.

What challenges, you ask? Well, I’m glad you brought it up.

Norman Bates (Psycho)

Prior to his crimes, Gein had an unhealthy relationship with his domineering mother, Augusta. She raised her two sons – Ed and his older brother, Henry – mostly in isolation, punishing them when they attempted to make friends at school. The boys were often abused by their mother, who was convinced that they were destined to become failures like their alcoholic father.

Augusta vehemently preached to Ed and Henry about the innate immorality of the world – she believed that all women (herself excluded) were prostitutes and instruments of the devil. Every day Augusta would read to the boys from the Old Testament – her usual selections were graphic stories about death, murder, and divine retribution.

Naturally, these lessons had a great effect on young Ed. After all, a boy’s best friend is his mother.

Horror writer Robert Bloch drew inspiration from Gein’s maternal obsession to build the prototype for the modern-day slasher. Norman Bates “transformed” into his mother to carry out his violent acts, much in the way that Gein wanted to create a woman suit to become his mother – to “crawl into her skin”.

Which brings me to our next character.

Buffalo Bill (Silence of the Lambs)

Jame Gumb (aka Buffalo Bill) was inspired by a few different serial killers, including Ted Bundy’s modus operandi (he would pretend to be injured to seek assistance from his victims) and Edmund Kemper (who killed his grandparents as a teen, “just to see what it felt like”).

Gein obtained “trophies” from the bodies of recently deceased middle-aged women who he thought resembled his mother, probably in an attempt to remain close to her. It’s said that shortly after his mother’s death, Gein wanted a sex change, not just to become a woman, but to become his mother.

Like Gein, Gumb made a “woman suit” for himself using human skin. He, too, wanted to take the identity of a woman, but as an extremely misguided reaction to his perceived gender dysphoria, misattributed due to his intense self-hatred. In the book The Silence of the Lambs, Jack Crawford explains that Gumb is “not in fact transsexual but merely believes himself to be”. Gumb didn’t just want to change his gender, he wanted a transformative rebirth.

Although there are numerous elements that contribute to the unnerving terror of Buffalo Bill, the number one thing that stands out in everyone’s memory is the woman suit. Ed Gein pioneered that look, and it’s not a good one, but the pure horror of it effectively crawls under your skin (so to speak).

It’s a terrifying thought, but sometimes the worst things we can imagine have already been done.

If you’re not creeped out yet, check out these Ed Gein inspired creations

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Editorial

Yay or Nay: What’s Good and Bad in Horror This Week

Published

17 hours ago

May 4, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Welcome to Yay or Nay a weekly mini post about what I think is good and bad news in the horror community written in bite-sized chunks.

Yay:

Mike Flanagan talking about directing the next chapter in the Exorcist trilogy. That might mean he saw the last one and realized there were two left and if he does anything well it’s draw out a story.

Yay:

To the announcement of a new IP-based film Mickey Vs Winnie. It’s fun to read comical hot takes from people who haven’t even seen the movie yet.

Nay:

The new Faces of Death reboot gets an R rating. It’s not really fair — Gen-Z should get an unrated version like past generations so they can question their mortality the same as the rest of us did.

Yay:

Russell Crowe is doing another possession movie. He’s quickly becoming another Nic Cage by saying yes to every script, bringing the magic back to B-movies, and more money into VOD.

Nay:

Putting The Crow back in theaters for its 30th anniversary. Re-releasing classic movies at the cinema to celebrate a milestone is perfectly fine, but doing so when the lead actor in that film was killed on set due to neglect is a cash grab of the worst kind.

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Lists

The Top-Searched Free Horror/Action Movies on Tubi This Week

Published

1 day ago

May 3, 2024

Timothy Rawles

The free streaming service Tubi is a great place to scroll when you’re unsure what to watch. They are not sponsored or affiliated with iHorror. Still, we really appreciate their library because it’s so robust and has many obscure horror movies so rare you can’t find them anywhere in the wild except, if you’re lucky, in a moist cardboard box at a yard sale. Other than Tubi, where else are you going to find Nightwish (1990), Spookies (1986), or The Power (1984)?

We take a look at the most searched horror titles on the platform this week, hopefully, to save you some time in your endeavor to find something free to watch on Tubi.

Interestingly at the top of the list is one of the most polarizing sequels ever made, the female-led Ghostbusters reboot from 2016. Perhaps viewers have seen the latest sequel Frozen Empire and are curious about this franchise anomaly. They will be happy to know it’s not as bad as some think and is genuinely funny in spots.

So take a look at the list below and tell us if you are interested in any of them this weekend.

1. Ghostbusters (2016)

Ghostbusters (2016)

An otherworldly invasion of New York City assembles a pair of proton-packed paranormal enthusiasts, a nuclear engineer and a subway worker for battle.An otherworldly invasion of New York City assembles a pair of proton-packed paranormal enthusiasts, a nuclear engineer and a subway worker for battle.

2. Rampage

When a group of animals becomes vicious after a genetic experiment goes awry, a primatologist must find an antidote to avert a global catastrophe.

3. The Conjuring The Devil Made Me Do It

Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren uncover an occult conspiracy as they help a defendant argue that a demon forced him to commit murder.

4. Terrifier 2

After being resurrected by a sinister entity, Art the Clown returns to Miles County, where his next victims, a teenage girl and her brother, await.

5. Don’t Breathe

A group of teens breaks into a blind man’s home, thinking they’ll get away with the perfect crime but get more than they bargained for once inside.

6. The Conjuring 2

In one of their most terrifying paranormal investigations, Lorraine and Ed Warren help a single mother of four in a house plagued by sinister spirits.

7. Child’s Play (1988)

A dying serial killer uses voodoo to transfer his soul into a Chucky doll which winds up in the hands of a boy who may be the doll’s next victim.

8. Jeepers Creepers 2

When their bus breaks down on a deserted road, a team of high school athletes discovers an opponent they cannot defeat and may not survive.

9. Jeepers Creepers

After making a horrific discovery in the basement of an old church, a pair of siblings find themselves the chosen prey of an indestructible force.

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News

Morticia & Wednesday Addams Join Monster High Skullector Series

Published

2 days ago

May 3, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Believe it or not, Mattel’s Monster High doll brand has an immense following with both young and not-so-young collectors.

In that same vein, the fan base for The Addams Family is also very large. Now, the two are collaborating to create a line of collectible dolls that celebrate both worlds and what they have created is a combination of fashion dolls and goth fantasy. Forget Barbie, these ladies know who they are.

The dolls are based on Morticia and Wednesday Addams from the 2019 Addams Family animated movie.

As with any niche collectibles these aren’t cheap they bring with them a $90 price tag, but it’s an investment as a lot of these toys become more valuable over time.

“There goes the neighborhood. Meet the Addams Family’s ghoulishly glamorous mother-daughter duo with a Monster High twist. Inspired by the animated movie and clad in spiderweb lace and skull prints, the Morticia and Wednesday Addams Skullector doll two-pack makes for a gift that’s so macabre, it’s downright pathological.”

If you want to pre-purchase this set check out The Monster High website.