Summary

MGM+ has released the chilling first trailer for the documentary series Psycho: The Lost Tapes of Ed Gein, delving into the life and crimes of the infamous killer who inspired Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. The docu-series seeks to explore Gein’s twisted mind with new revelations and never-before-heard recordings, taking viewers back to 1950s Middle America and immersing them in his disturbing story. Ed Gein’s crimes have inspired numerous acclaimed projects in film and television, including Hitchcock’s Psycho, the series Bates Motel, and various movies that explored the chilling details of his life.

MGM+ has released the first trailer for upcoming documentary series Psycho: The Lost Tapes of Ed Gein, which explores the life and crimes of the infamous killer that inspired Alfred Hitchcock’s acclaimed classic, Psycho.

Born in 1907 in Wisconsin, Edward Theodore Gein was a killer and grave robber who operated in his hometown of Plainfield and its surroundings. His crimes became known when in 1957 it was discovered he had exhumed corpses, taking parts of the bodies as trophies, as well as confessing to having murdered at least two women. However, Gein was declared unfit to face a trial due to his psychological problems, and died in a mental hospital in 1984.

MGM+ is looking to explore the psyche of Gein in the upcoming docu-series, as the unsettling first trailer teases:

Here’s the official synopsis for Psycho: The Lost Tapes of Ed Gein:

“For years, filmmakers, journalists, and scholars have tried to unravel the mind of this notorious killer, and with new reveals and never-before-heard recordings, viewers will be transported to late-1950s Middle America and submerged in Gein’s perverse mind. The series explores Gein’s upbringing and twisted relationship with his mother (which famously inspired Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho), his early grave robbing, the murders leading up to his arrest, and the police’s discovery of his terrifying house of horrors—all accompanied by the brand-new revelations revealed in the recordings.”

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The Many Stories that Ed Gein Inspired
Paramount Pictures

Ed Gein and his crimes have been the inspiration behind many acclaimed projects in cinema and television history. One of the most popular masterpieces from Alfred Hitchcock, maybe even his most famous movie, Psycho, was loosely based on Gein’s story.

The film later inspired 2013’s acclaimed series Bates Motel starring Freddie Highmore as Norman Bates and Vera Farmiga as his mother, Norma Bates. The show was set years before the events of the movie, deeply exploring Norman’s relationship with Norma and the impact it had on his psychological behavior.

Several movies have tried to adapt Ed Gein’s life too, like Deranged from 1974, In the Light of the Moon or Ed Gein from 2000, Ed Gein: The Butcher of Plainfield from 2007, Ed Gein, The Musical from 2010 and Rob Zombie’s movies House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil’s Rejects.

Gein also served as inspiration of some other famous serial killers from pop culture such as Leatherface from The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. In 2022’s Netflix hit series Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, Gein’s case is mentioned by Dahmer’s father while he tries to convince him to say that he suffers from dementia so that he won’t go to prison, but to a psychiatric facility, as happened with Gein.

In fact, now that Ryan Murphy’s show is becoming an anthology series, Ed Gein could even be one of the killers whose story is told by Netflix, although that would be further in the future, since the next protagonists have already been chosen.