The Ed Gein series on Netflix delves a lot into his relationship with his mother, but hardly mentions his father, and there’s a reason why that is. George was an alcoholic
Monster: The Ed Gein Story is the most shocking and gruesome Monster installment yet, following the Jeffrey Dahmer and Mendenez Brothers shows.
It delves into the life and crimes of the notorious serial killer, who inspired some of the world’s biggest horrors including Psycho and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
Gein’s dad only appears in one scene, where Augusta orders him to leave the house after he passed out drunk, but here’s his backstory.
Credit: Netflix
So, who was Ed Gein’s father and what happened to him?
Ed Gein’s father was George Philip Gein, who was born in 1873 and died in 1940 aged 66. He married Ed’s mother Augusta in 1900 before welcoming Henry and then Ed in 1906.
He was a violent alcoholic who struggled to hold down a job, working as a carpenter, tanner, firefighter and insurance salesman in the Wisconsin city of La Crosse where Gein was born. George also later owned a grocery store sold the business to move to the 155-acre farm in Plainfield that’s seen in the Netflix show.
Gein’s dad was very abusive and regularly beat Ed and his older son Henry. The serial killer said his dad would hit him “so hard my ears would ring”. In comparison, Gein’s mother Augusta was a strict Christian who hated alcohol and sex, so the married couple didn’t get on very well.
They lived together with their two sons on the very isolated farm for years. The only time Gein would leave was to go to school, and he’d be punished by his mum whenever he tried to make friends.
George died of heart failure caused by alcoholism on 1st April 1940. His brother Henry then died of asphyxiation four years later in May 1944, leaving Gein with just his mum. By this point, she had already suffered two strokes, and was physically disabled, needing lots of support from Ed.
She died in December 1945 aged 67, leaving Gein alone before he even turned 40.
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Featured image by: Netflix
