Netflix's latest true crime drama, Monster: The Ed Gein Story, has reignited interest in the real-life serial killer who inspired some of Hollywood's most iconic horror films. The eight-part series, created by Ryan Murphy, stars Charlie Hunnam as Ed Gein, the Wisconsin body snatcher and murderer whose crimes influenced classics such as The Silence of the Lambs and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
While the show also claims that Psycho author Robert Bloch and director Alfred Hitchcock were inspired by Gein, Bloch himself disputed this, stating any similarities were coincidental. However, one of the most acclaimed television series of all time, The X-Files, was indirectly influenced by Gein through The Silence of the Lambs.
Fans have long hailed The X-Files as one of the greatest TV shows ever made. The series, which aired from 1993 to 2001 with revivals in 2016 and 2018, followed FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully as they investigated paranormal cases. Scully's character was partly modelled on Jodie Foster's Clarice Starling from The Silence of the Lambs, a film directly inspired by Gein's crimes.
Gein's gruesome acts, including abducting women and wearing their skin, provided the blueprint for the film's antagonist, Buffalo Bill. This connection means that Gein's influence extends to The X-Files, a show that blended science fiction, horror, and psychological thriller genres. Creator Chris Carter drew on the FBI procedural elements and the dynamic between a sceptic and a believer, echoing the partnership in The Silence of the Lambs.
Monster: The Ed Gein Story is now streaming on Netflix, offering viewers a chilling look at the man behind some of cinema's most terrifying characters.
