Ed Gein: The Butcher of Plainfield

Plot

The film is based on the true story of Ed Gein, who skinned, disembowled, and dissected bodies he dug up from a graveyard in his hometown, Plainfield, Wisconsin. As a child, he was traumatized by his mother, a religious fanatic who taught him that sex was evil and that all women, herself excluded, were sinful. He lived with her until well into adulthood, and began descending into mental illness following her death. He became a grave robber, digging up the bodies of middle-aged and elderly women and removing the skin to create a "woman suit" for himself; while wearing it, he would pretend to be his mother.

When he kidnapped 58-year-old Bernice Worden, the police came to Gein's farmhouse and found her dismembered and disemboweled corpse, as well as parts of at least 15 other corpses.

The movie plot centers on Gein kidnapping and slaughtering Vera Mason, the mother of Bobby Mason, a sheriff's deputy, and his girlfriend. The ensuing action focuses on the race to catch her, before it's too late. These later events are dramatic fictions.

Cast

Release

The film was released on DVD on March 6, 2007 by Lionsgate, and Maple Pictures in the United States and Canada respectively.

Reception

Steve Barton from Dread Central awarded the film two and a half out of five, writing, "If you’re looking for a true crime version of Gein’s story, look elsewhere. Other than a few odds and ends all we have here is you average horror film based on real life events".