Abhiroop Das
As the sequel to ‘The Jeffrey Dahmer Story’ and ‘The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story,’ Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan’s ‘Monster: The Ed Gein Story’ tells the story of Ed Gein, a body snatcher turned serial killer, whose macabre acts led him to become one of the most infamous criminals in history. The Netflix biographical crime drama zones in on the psychological component, tracing a line between Ed’s difficult childhood and his later atrocities. Additionally, the narrative also comments on itself by dedicating a parallel narrative to the creation of classic movies inspired by Ed’s life, such as Hitchcock’s ‘Psycho,’ Toby Hooper’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and Jonathan Demme’s ‘The Silence of the Lambs.’ In doing so, the show blends fact and fiction to create a tale that is as chilling as it is thought-provoking, with numerous real-life details playing their part in informing the larger storyline.
Ed Gein’s Time as a Babysitter was Markedly Different From the Show’s Rendition
In the show, Adeline suggests that Ed take a babysitting job in order to familiarize himself with children and move past his fears of starting a family. This professional turn is inspired by real-life accounts of the serial killer’s life, with Britannica stating that he took on the role of a babysitter, among other odd jobs, in order to support his lifestyle. While this increased his standing as a member of the community, it did not necessarily play a big role in altering his mental state. According to some reports, Ed enjoyed babysitting and appeared to relate more to children than adults, and that idea is introduced into the show through Ed’s desire to play magic tricks with the children. However, his version of the game involves the items he has fashioned out of real human skin, which unintentionally makes the experience harrowing. In reality, however, no such cases of babysitting mishaps were ever recorded during Ed Gein’s period of operation.
What makes Ed’s time as a babysitter particularly relevant to his criminal history, both on screen and in real life, is the mysterious disappearance of Evelyn Hartley, a student and babysitter who inexplicably went missing on October 24, 1953. The teenager was last seen at the residence of Professor Viggo Rasmussen, where she was hired to take care of his 20-month-old daughter. Evelyn’s disappearance was accompanied by numerous signs of a struggle taking place, as her glasses, shoes, and textbooks were found scattered all over the house. Following his arrest in 1957, Ed Gein was considered to be a prime suspect in this case, largely because he was in the neighborhood in that region during the disappearance, allegedly visiting a relative. Although Ed’s name was eventually cleared, the show employs its creative license to reimagine Ed’s culpability in Evelyn’s fate. Notably, the show frames the two characters as competing babysitters, a decision not based on any real-life reports of the incident.
Ed Gein Was a Suspect in the Disappearance of Evelyn Hartley and Georgia Jean Weckle
While Ed Gein was convicted of, among other crimes, the murder of Mary Hogan in 1954 and Bernice Worden in 1957, he was also considered a suspect in numerous cases of people going missing. Many of those allegations have persisted as a part of the popular consciousness surrounding the serial killer, despite no concrete evidence proving him guilty. Among those mysteries, the names of Evelyn Hartley and Georgia Jean Weckler stand out, given that both of them were minors at the time of their disappearance. Evelyn Hartley went missing at the age of fourteen, and the latter disappeared at the age of eight, adding to the cases’ tragedy. Weckler was last seen near her home, checking the family mailbox after she was given a lift home from grade school by a neighbor. Ed’s name popped up on the suspect list as a witness reported the presence of a dark coloured 1936 Ford sedan in the vicinity, resembling Ed Gein’s black 1937 Ford vehicle.
Despite Ed Gein’s name being associated with both the children’s disappearance, later investigations ruled him out as a potential suspect. In Evelyn’s case, Ed agreed to take multiple lie detection tests, which he passed. Ed’s subsequent exoneration of the two cases considerably slimmed down the possibility of the serial killer targeting children. Given that no evidence ties him to the disappearance of either Evelyn Hartley or Georgia Jean Weckler, the show’s depiction of Ed killing the former is firmly within the bounds of fiction. However, given that not all body parts found at the serial killer’s residence were concretely identified, it cannot be definitively said that Ed never targeted or killed children. This reiterates the levels of horror that humanity is capable of perpetrating, with the true extent of Ed Gein’s grim acts still remaining in the dark.
Read More: Monster: Are Ed Gein’s Skin Suit and Face Mask Real, Prosthetic or CGI?
