In episode three of Monster: The Ed Gein Story on Netflix, we see the horrifying killer babysit some local children in his community. The evening then spiralled out of control when he took them back to his home, to show the kids a “magic trick”.
In the show, we saw Ed Gein babysit for two children in Plainfield. When they said they preferred their old babysitter, Gein drove them to his home to try and “entertain” them. He put on a macabre “magic show” in which he used the human remains he had dug up as a mask, and “pulled off his head”. He also hid a bone under a bowl, and made it turn into a full finger.
So, you might be wondering if anything like this actually happened in real life. Here’s what we know.
via Netflix
Yes, Ed Gein did babysit children
After his father died, Ed Gein lived on the family farm with his brother Henry, and his mother. Ed and Henry took over running the farm, and also picked up handyman jobs in the local area to make extra cash.
From this, the brothers are believed to have been thought as being quite reliable by members of the local community. So yes, Ed Gein did pick up work as a babysitter. Ed frequently babysat for his neighbours, and seemed to relate more easily to children.
But, it appears the Netflix show did embellish some elements of this story. Whilst we can never be sure, there’s no indication Ed Gein ever took children away from their homes. It’s never been confirmed that he drove children to his home, or that any children he babysat ever saw the remains he kept in his house, as was portrayed by Netflix.
A biography has stated that the kids actually did like Ed Gein, and got on with him well. It has been claimed he did put on “magic tricks” but this was reportedly before he started digging graves. The book, Deviant by Harold Schechter, also claimed Gein would read creepy stories to children.
Monster: The Ed Gein Story is available on Netflix now. For all the latest Netflix news and drops, like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook.
