Ed Gein’s behavior inspired numerous books and movies, notably three of the most influential horror/thriller films ever made: Psycho (1960), directed by Alfred Hitchcock and based on Robert Bloch’s powerful 1959 book; The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), which also drew from the life of Texas serial killer Elmer Wayne Henley; and The Silence of the Lambs (1991), an Oscar-winning adaptation of Thomas Harris’s best-selling novel (1988).
In addition to films, Gein was the subject of various documentaries. In 2025 Netflix released the series Monster: The Ed Gein Story, starring Charlie Hunnam as the killer.