Was Ed Gein Really the Culprit Behind His Brother's Death? Diving Deep into the True Story That Inspired Netflix's Latest Chilling Series
By Hope Sloop (https://decider.com/author/hope-sloop/)
Published Oct. 4, 2025, 12:50 p.m. ET
Imagine a family farm shrouded in mystery, where a seemingly ordinary man harbors dark secrets that would later terrify the world. That's the haunting core of Ed Gein's story, a tale of horror that blurs the lines between accident and murder, leaving us questioning just how much we can ever truly know about someone's inner turmoil. But here's where it gets controversial: Did Ed Gein actually kill his own brother, or was it all just a tragic mishap? Stick around, because the real-life details are even more unsettling than the fiction.
In the gripping Netflix series Monster: The Ed Gein Story (https://decider.com/2025/10/03/monster-the-ed-gein-story-netflix-review/), director Ryan Murphy revisits another notorious American killer, building on the success of Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story (https://decider.com/show/monster-the-jeffrey-dahmer-story/page/2/) and Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story (https://decider.com/show/monsters-the-lye-and-erik-menendez-story/), both of which earned Emmy nods. This time, Charlie Hunnam (https://decider.com/tag/charlie-hunnam/) takes on the role of Ed Gein, the infamous Wisconsin murderer dubbed the Plainfield Butcher. His gruesome acts of mutilation inspired iconic horror classics like Psycho (https://decider.com/movie/psycho-1960/) and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (https://decider.com/movie/the-texas-chain-saw-massacre/). Yet, as with any dramatized retelling, the big question looms: How much of this show mirrors reality?
A quick heads-up before we proceed: This piece includes spoilers for the first episode of *Monster: The Ed Gein Story*
If you've tuned into the opening episode of this Laurie Metcalf-starring horror drama, you'll see that Ed's descent into darkness begins long before his infamous crimes. He allegedly ends his brother Henry's life, portrayed as a possible accident. This moment has ignited heated debates and fascination, making viewers wonder: Was Ed genuinely at fault for his sibling's demise? Let's break down the facts from the actual events that fueled this episode.
Did Ed Gein Cause His Brother Henry's Death?
In the episode titled âMother!â (https://decider.com/2025/10/03/monster-the-ed-gein-story-episode-1-recap/), Ed and Henry (played by Hudson Oz) are in the barn on their family land when Ed strikes Henry on the head. Henry collapses, eyes staring blankly. Ed, who in real life was diagnosed with schizophreniaâa mental health condition involving distorted thoughts, hallucinations, and difficulty distinguishing reality from imaginationâand deemed unfit to stand trial, believes it's just a harmless joke. He even fantasizes about Henry waking up and playing along.
But in the show's narrative, Ed's blow proves deadly. Returning to the barn, he finds Henry's body rigid and cold, with blood pooling in the hay nearby. Realizing the unintended consequences, a frightened Ed hauls his brother's corpse to an open field, camouflages it with branches and twigs, and ignites the pile. He then alerts his mother (Metcalf) to call the fire department. When responders arrive, they uncover Henry's remains and declare his death due to asphyxiation or heart failure, likely from inhaling smoke during the uncontrolled fire.
Now, does this align with historical accounts? Surprisingly, much of it does. According to reports from a local newspaper (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-tribune-henry-gein-death-11/115844631/?locale=en-US), Henry's body was located face down in a field on the Gein property following a brush fire meant to clear overgrown plants that spiraled out of control. After firefighters contained the flames, Ed mentioned Henry was missing, prompting a search. The team found his unburned remains, with the coroner attributing death to asphyxiationâno autopsy was performed.
However, biographer Harold Schechter, author of Deviant: The Shocking True Story of the Original âPsychoâ (https://r.deciderlink.com/?btnref=org-4cd6b7249030f707&btnurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FDeviant-Shocking-Story-Original-Psycho%2Fdp%2F1668048175%3Ftag%3Ddecider08-20%26ascrefurl%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fdecider.com%2F2025%2F10%2F04%2Fdid-ed-gein-really-kill-his-brother-everything-we-know-about-the-real-life-incident%2F%26ascsource%3Dweb), noted bruises on Henry's head upon discovery. Combined with evidence suggesting he'd been deceased for hours, Schechter speculated that Ed might have played a role. And this is the part most people miss: The lack of a thorough investigation leaves room for doubt, turning what seems like a straightforward accident into a puzzle of motive and mental state.
In essence, Ed's involvement remains unproven, yet it's a topic rife with debate. We'll probably never have definitive closure, but Ryan Murphy and the show's creators appear convinced they've pieced together the truth. For beginners exploring true crime, this highlights how mental illness can complicate narrativesâschizophrenia, for instance, might explain erratic behavior without implying malice, as seen in Ed's case where he was judged incompetent.
Monster: The Ed Gein Story is available now on Netflix (https://www.netflix.com/signup).
What do you thinkâcould Ed have been covering up a deliberate act, or was it purely accidental? Does portraying mental illness this way help or hinder our understanding of real criminals? Share your thoughts in the comments; I'd love to hear if you agree with the show's take or see it differently!
