Charlie Hunnam of “Sons of Anarchy” fame plays the titular serial killer in the series. Dubbed the Butcher of Plainfield, Ed Gein notoriously exhumed bodies from cemeteries near the Wisconsin town in the 1950s and eventually confessed to having killed two people. It’s suspected that he was tied to additional morbid crimes, which the show unpacks in excruciating detail. His unsettling roots, shocking violence, and notorious case redefined the image of the American serial killer and psychopath. Gein died in custody in 1984, but his brutal legacy continues in the form of unsolved cases, numerous horror films and ceaseless nightmares. Hunnam’s other notable credits include “Pacific Rim,” “The Lost City of Z,” and “King Arthur: Legend of the Sword.”
Given that Ed Gein served as the inspiration for Norman Bates, it makes sense that Gein’s mother played a prominent role in his story. Augusta Gein, the woman who birthed and raised Ed, was a religious zealot who brought up her sons with a fear of God and a firm belief that the world was an immoral, sinful place. She raised her boys on their family farm in relative isolation. Ed developed an obsession with Augusta, which only deepened after his father and brother died and he was left to care for her alone. Augusta died in 1945. Laurie Metcalf of “Rosanne,” “The Conners” and “Lady Bird,” plays Augusta in the series.
Ed Gein’s story was so captivating that it inspired a slew of Hollywood characters. Most significantly, Gein provided inspiration for Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho,” which ushered in the slasher genre upon its release in 1960. Tom Hollander plays Hitchcock in the series, depicting how the master of suspense adapted the notorious serial killer’s story into one of the most influential films of all time. Hollander is known for his roles in “Pride & Prejudice,” the “Pirates of the Caribbean” films, and, more recently, “The White Lotus” and “Feud: Capote v.s. the Swans.”
Olivia Williams of “The Sixth Sense,” “An Education” and “Rushmore” plays Alma Reville, Alfred Hitchcock’s wife and creative collaborator. Reville and Hitchcock were married from 1926 until Hitchcock’s death in 1980. During that time, she co-wrote screenplays for dozens of her husband’s films, notably “Murder!,” Shadow of a Doubt,” and “Suspicion.” She was also active in the editing room, providing notes on negatives and key scenes, including the infamous shower scene in “Psycho.”
The disappearance of 14-year-old Evelyn Hartley is one of the several unsolved cases for which Gein is suspected to be the culprit. She went missing on the night of Oct. 24, 1953, in La Crosse, Wis. Though this was relatively far from Gein’s Plainfield home and Gein denied any involvement in the case after his arrest, the events coincide with his active years and no trace of Evelyn was ever found. Actress-singer-influencer Addison Rae from “He’s All That” and “Thanksgiving” plays the girl.
Bernice Worden was the second of Gein’s two confirmed murder victims. She owned a local hardware store and went missing on Nov. 16, 1957. When authorities searched Gein’s property after his arrest, they found Worden’s body, skinned and decapitated with a gunshot wound, hanging upside down in his shed. In his house, they found her head in a burlap sack and her heart in a plastic bag. Lesley Manville of “Another Year,” “Phantom Thread” and “Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris” plays Worden.
Bernice Worden’s son, Deputy Sheriff Frank Worden, was the first to discover his mother’s drugstore vacant after her disappearance. He came by the store in the evening to find the cash register opened and unmanned, with blood on the floor. The store’s last receipt was for a gallon of antifreeze, which Gein was supposed to return for pick-up the following day. Deputy Worden reported his findings to the local authorities, which led to Gein’s arrest. Charlie Hall from “Bel-Air,” “The Sex Lives of College Girls,” “Big Shot” and “Sweethearts” plays the deputy.
Sheriff Art Schley was the Wisconsin law enforcement officer who investigated and eventually arrested Gein in 1957. Notoriously, Schley allegedly assaulted Gein while questioning him, causing Gein’s first confession to be ruled inadmissible as evidence. Schley died of heart failure before he could testify in Gein’s trial, supposedly carrying the trauma of his encounters with Gein to an early grave. Tyler Jacob Moore of “Shameless,” “GCB” and “Once Upon A Time” plays Schley in the series.
An inspiration for Gein’s atrocities, Ilse Koch was the wife of Nazi commander Karl-Otto Koch during World War II. Referred to as the “Witch of Buchenwald,” Koch committed the abominable crime of selecting Holocaust prisoners for death in the interest of fashioning their tattooed skins into lampshades. Her perverse acts have eerie parallels to Gein’s. Vicky Krieps, from “Phantom Thread,” “Bergman Island,” “Old,” “Hold Me Tight” and “Corsage,” plays Koch.
Suzanna Son plays Adeline Watkins, a Plainfield woman who dated Ed Gein for the 20 years during which he committed his heinous crimes. Though Watkins allegedly had no knowledge of Gein’s crimes while they were together, she came forward after his arrest with kind words about Gein’s intellect, character and demeanor from their time together. Son can be recognized from “Red Rocket,” “Fear Street: Prom Queen” and “The Idol.”
Joey Pollari plays Anthony Perkins, the real-life actor who played Norman Bates in “Psycho.” As aforementioned, Hitchcock’s 1960s horror classic was inspired by Gein’s killings, and Bates serves as the film’s fictional stand-in for Gein. Not only is Bates a serial killer like Gein, but the two share uncomfortable obsessions with their respective mothers, come from troubled pasts and have surface-level charisma beneath wicked interiors. Pollari has previously appeared in “American Crime” and “Love, Simon.”
Will Brill of “The OA,” “Fellow Travelers” and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” plays filmmaker Tobe Hooper in the series. Hooper directed and co-wrote “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” the seminal 1974 horror slasher, which, like Hitchcock’s “Psycho,” was partially based off of Gein’s gristly crimes. Hooper also directed “Poltergeist,” “The Funhouse,” “Eaten Alive,” and “Texas Chainsaw’s” 1986 sequel. The director died in 2017.
Dr. Mildred Newman was a psychologist who ushered in the self-help book genre with the publication of her and her husband’s “How to Be Your Own Best Friend” in 1971. She saw a number of celebrities as patients, including “Psycho” star Anthony Perkins, who she infamously performed electroshock therapy on to try ridding him of his homosexuality. Dr. Newman’s notoriety largely arrived following Gein’s conviction, but she stands as a major and contentious figure in the era’s complicated approaches to psychological care. Mimi Kennedy of “Midnight in Paris,” “In the Loop” and “The Five-Year Engagement” plays the part.
Enid Watkins was Adeline Watkins’ mother. Like her daughter, but less romantically inclined, Enid was very enamored with Gein and impressed with his gentlemanliness. Adeline and Enid lived together during the former’s courtship with Gein. Robin Weigert of “Deadwood” and “Smile” plays Enid.