Murder With My Husband – Episode 290

Title: Ed Gein's House of Horrors
Date: October 13, 2025
Hosts: Peyton Moreland and Garrett Moreland
Podcast by: OH NO MEDIA

Episode Overview

In this special "spooky season" episode, Peyton and Garrett Moreland dive into the chilling and infamous true crime story of Ed Gein, the Plainfield, Wisconsin murderer and grave robber whose gruesome actions inspired iconic horror-movie villains like Norman Bates, Leatherface, and Buffalo Bill. Peyton contrasts Netflix's sensational Monster: Ed Gein series with the true historical facts, providing an in-depth, factual recounting of Gein's personal history, criminal acts, and cultural legacy. The episode explores Gein’s twisted relationship with his mother, the crime scenes that shocked the nation, and the debate around mental illness and culpability. The hosts reflect critically on the portrayal of true crime in popular media and the disturbing reality of monsters who hide in plain sight.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Spooky Season Talk and Episode Introduction

• The episode opens with lighthearted banter about Halloween, big candy bars, and trick-or-treating in snowy places, setting a contrast to the dark topic to come.
  • [02:42] Garrett: "Daisy is really pissed off. She does not like this skeleton."
• Garrett hints he only knows the basics about Ed Gein, mainly from Peyton's prior conversations.

Netflix's Monster Series vs. Reality

• Peyton gives a critical take on the new Netflix ‘Monster’ series, emphasizing its dramatized and inaccurate portrayal of the Ed Gein case.
  • [04:47] "It is definitely not a documentary and it is definitely not an accurate depiction of the Ed Gein case... I do love that they tie in the influence that he had on American culture... But I still think they could have done that theme while sticking more to the facts of the case."
• The conversation turns to the ethics of sensationalizing real victims and killers, with a reminder that the truth is even more disturbing than fiction.
  • [42:24] "The story I'm telling you has given you more background on these victims than the show even did... So it's like, that is so disrespectful to, like, portray a victim as someone they weren't." – Peyton

Setting the Scene: 1950s Plainfield, Wisconsin

• Peyton paints a detailed picture of Plainfield: small, rural, insular, and the perfect setting for an unthinkable crime to go unnoticed.
• First, the disappearance of Mary Hogan, the local no-nonsense tavern owner:
  • [11:43] "A farmer named Seymour Lester strolls into Mary's bar... he peers over the bar and he sees a pool of blood on the floor... he races to the nearest farmhouse up the road and, and calls not the police, but he calls the town chairman." – Peyton

The Crimes: Mary Hogan and Bernice Worden

• Hogan vanished in 1954; her case went cold for years until another disappearance occurred: Bernice Worden, a well-liked local woman and hardware store owner, went missing in 1957.
• [15:21] Peyton details Bernice Worden’s life and community role, emphasizing the shock and fear her vanishing caused.
• A crucial clue was the receipt for antifreeze bearing Ed Gein's name, found at the scene.
  • [17:55] "It was made out earlier that day to another local man in town. A well known, kind of weird oddball named Ed Gein." – Peyton

Ed Gein’s Disturbed Childhood and Psychology

• In-depth analysis of Gein's upbringing, dominated by his devoutly religious, abusive mother Augusta and alcoholic father George.
• Augusta’s teachings instilled early misogyny and a deep-seated hatred and fear of women.
  • [22:16] "At a very early age, Augusta instilled in her two boys the idea that all women were corrupt, that they were whores, that they were sent to earth with no goals other than to tempt man with sin." – Peyton
• The profound unhealthy attachment between Ed and his mother, hinting at an Oedipal complex, is outlined.
• The suspicious death of Ed’s brother, Henry, during a marsh fire in 1944, is discussed—in hindsight, many suspect Ed was responsible.
  • [32:05] "He leads the search party straight to the brother... his clothes are covered in dirt and soot, but his, like, body doesn't look burned at all. He does have a few bruises on his head." – Peyton

The House of Horrors: Discovery and Details

• Police, acting on the antifreeze receipt, search Gein's run-down farmhouse and uncover horrors that become infamous:
  • Furniture upholstered in human skin.
  • Human skulls used as bedpost decorations.
  • A belt of human nipples, shoeboxes full of noses and female body parts.
  • A fresh, decapitated, eviscerated female body (Bernice Worden) hanging upside down like butchered livestock.
    • [51:00] "There is a body hanging upside down from the ceiling, from its heels... There's no head on the body... it has been eviscerated... like a pig hanging in a meat house." – Peyton
  • The preserved head of Mary Hogan and a human heart in a frying pan.
    • [53:09] "Now, I do want to note that there is a human heart sitting in a frying pan on the stove." – Peyton
• Garrett and Peyton’s reactions, mixing horror and dark humor, amplify the unimaginable reality.

Motive and Madness

• Ed Gein confesses to killing both women.
• Forensic analysis uncovers remains from countless graves, confirming Gein dug up freshly buried bodies, targeting women resembling his mother.
  • [57:16] "He tells them something none of them anticipated... 'Oh, I didn't murder those people. I just took them out of the cemetery.'" – Peyton
  • (Cites reading obituaries and grave robbing for corpses to mutilate at home.)
• Discussion about mental illness, insanity, and the “explanation vs. excuse” debate.
  • [43:47] "Mental illness or a study of someone's psyche might be an explanation for the bad things they did, but it is definitely not an excuse or reason." – Peyton

The Trial and Aftermath

• Gein is deemed unfit for trial due to insanity—diagnosed with schizophrenia and committed for life to a state hospital.
  • [62:27] "I honestly think it's the first case that I've heard in a long time on this podcast where I'm like, there are actually insane." – Garrett
• His house is burned down by townspeople before it can be auctioned.
  • [62:57] "Instead, it mysteriously caught fire in the middle of the night." – Peyton
• Gein eventually stands trial, is again found not guilty by reason of insanity, and dies in 1984 in the hospital. His grave becomes a site of macabre fascination, and his tombstone is removed due to vandalism.

Gein’s Legacy and Influence on Pop Culture

• Peyton details how Gein’s real-life crimes inspired the creation of iconic horror film villains:
  • Norman Bates (Psycho)
  • Leatherface (Texas Chainsaw Massacre)
  • Buffalo Bill (Silence of the Lambs)
    • [65:25] "Thank you, Buffalo Bill." – Garrett
    • [65:12] "It's based off Ed Gein. And he influenced other legendary monsters, like Leatherface in the Texas Chain Chocolate Massacre." – Peyton
• The episode closes with the warning: monsters truly can hide in plain sight, blending into the fabric of everyday communities.
  • [66:47] "If there is one thing we can take away from Ed Gein's case, it is that the most terrifying monsters are the ones that look and act just like us." – Peyton

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Netflix’s Monster Series:
  • [04:47] Peyton: “I do still think it's a good series. It's just not Ed Gein case. ...I still think they could have done that theme while sticking more to the facts of the case."
• On the discovery of Ed Gein’s farmhouse:
  • [48:08] Peyton: “The drawstrings to the blinds in the house...is made of human lips.”
  • [50:40] Peyton: “There's also a shoebox full of vaginas. Just like collected vaginas that have been cut off. There are pants...made from the skin of human legs...”
  • [51:00] Peyton: “There is a body hanging upside down from the ceiling, from its heels...It has been eviscerated. It has been cut from its chest. All the way down to in between its legs.”
• On mental illness and responsibility:
  • [43:47] Peyton: “Mental illness or a study of someone's psyche might be an explanation for the bad things they did, but it is definitely not an excuse...”
• On the horror genre’s shift:
  • [65:26] Peyton: “He changed this, changed the horror genre. Before Ed Gein, the horror genre was vampires, Frankenstein, monsters. Ed Gein turned the horror genre into human monsters.”

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:47] – Introduction to Ed Gein and critical comments on Netflix’s Monster series
• [07:16] – What Garrett knows about Gein
• [11:43] – The disappearance of Mary Hogan
• [15:21] – Bernice Worden’s background and disappearance
• [22:16] – Gein’s upbringing under Augusta Gein
• [32:05] – Suspicious circumstances of Henry Gein’s death by fire
• [47:49] – [53:27] – The grisly discoveries inside Ed Gein’s farmhouse
• [57:16] – Gein confesses to grave robbing, not numerous murders
• [62:27] – Insanity defense and aftermath
• [65:11] – [65:26] – Horror movie influences of Ed Gein’s crimes

Tone and Closing Thoughts

The episode blends Peyton’s meticulous, empathetic fact-driven storytelling with Garrett’s direct, candid, and sometimes darkly humorous reactions. They strike a balance between horror and empathy, emphasizing the real human tragedy behind Gein’s crimes and challenging the ethical implications of true crime sensationalism. The show ends with a sobering reminder: some of history's worst monsters are not the stuff of fiction, but rather the neighbor next door.