The third installment of Netflix’s chilling true-crime anthology, Monster: The Ed Gein Story, has captured global attention for its disturbing portrayal of one of America’s most infamous murderers. The series follows the life of Ed Gein, better known as the “Butcher of Plainfield,” whose real-life crimes inspired classic horror films like Psycho, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and The Silence of the Lambs. Since its release, fans have been obsessively dissecting every detail of Gein’s past — especially the mysterious death of his brother, Henry Gein. One of the most debated questions remains: did Ed actually kill his brother, or was it truly an accident?
Ed Gein and his brother Henry were born to Augusta and George Philip Gein in Plainfield, Wisconsin. Their childhood was marked by fear, isolation, and psychological control. Their father, George, was an abusive alcoholic, while their deeply religious mother, Augusta, ruled the household with a mix of fire-and-brimstone sermons and suffocating control. She kept her sons away from society, forbidding them from speaking to women and preaching that lust and alcohol were the roots of all sin. While Ed idolized his mother to an unhealthy degree, Henry was the opposite — he questioned Augusta’s teachings and often tried to make Ed see how twisted her influence truly was.
According to A&E Crime + Investigation, Augusta’s manipulation pushed both sons into reclusion, but Henry eventually began to resist. He fell in love and planned to leave home, which caused tension between the brothers. In Monster: The Ed Gein Story, this strained relationship takes a dark turn. The series dramatizes a moment where Henry tells Ed he intends to escape Augusta’s control and urges his brother to do the same. Ed, unable to bear the criticism of the woman he worshipped, allegedly lashes out in a fit of rage. The show depicts him striking Henry on the head with a wooden log, dragging his body into the woods, setting a fire, and later pretending to discover it while leading investigators to the exact spot.
However, the real-life events remain murky. Official reports from 1944 state that the brothers had been burning brush in a field when the fire got out of control. When Henry was later found dead, the cause was listed as asphyxiation. No autopsy was ever performed. But investigators at the time found the circumstances suspicious — there were unexplained bruises on Henry’s body, and Ed’s calmness when leading police directly to the corpse raised eyebrows. Some believed Ed might have murdered his brother, though there was never enough evidence to prove it.
Henry’s death, accidental or otherwise, marked a turning point in Ed’s descent into madness. After Augusta’s own death a year later, Ed spiraled into complete isolation, eventually committing the grotesque acts that made him a household name in true-crime history.
In the Netflix series, Henry Gein is portrayed by Hudson Oz, best known for his roles in Joker: Folie à Deux, American Horror Stories, and Grotesqueri. His nuanced performance captures Henry’s humanity and resistance to the twisted world that surrounded him. Through Hudson’s portrayal, viewers see the contrast between Henry’s yearning for normalcy and Ed’s psychological dependency on their mother.
The legacy of Ed Gein remains one of horror’s darkest inspirations. His crimes — from grave robbing to creating macabre household objects from human remains — have fascinated and horrified generations. With Monster: The Ed Gein Story, Netflix reopens one of the most unsettling chapters in American criminal history, forcing viewers to confront the blurred line between man, monster, and myth.