I don't know about you guys, but I love the movie Silence of the Lambs. (No, I have not read the book yet. It's on the list.)
If you haven't seen it, it's about a young agent tracking down a serial killer the press has dubbed 'Buffalo Bill'. (Don't know why. Maybe that's in the book.) Anyway, this morning, as I was searching for something to write about in today's Wicked post, I discovered the serial killer that Buffalo Bill was based off.
Eddie Gein
Curiously enough, they didn't catch Eddie because they were looking for a serial killer. One site says he was being investigated after a robbery at a hardware store. Another says the police went to his place because the hardware store owner had disappeared and Eddie's receipt was the last one she printed before she went missing. :shrug: Whatever way the authorities ended up at his place, once they were there, they got the shock of their lives.
Yep, Eddie Gein was a sick freak. And yes, he was making an outfit out of the skin of his victims (both living at the time of meeting Eddie, and dead - since he was also a grave-robber) - ala Buffalo Bill. Except, instead of a wedding dress, he was supposedly making a woman suit so he could dress up and pretend to be his mom.
Apparently, in addition to being the inspiration for Buffalo Bill, he was also the inspiration for the killer in Psycho, and in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
Ed was brought to trial in 1957, but was found incompetent, and shoved into a mental facility. Eleven years later, he apparently got right enough in the head to stand trial for real, and was found guilty of just one murder. (Something about time and costs and I guess, 'what the hell, one murder puts him away for just as long as all the murders'.) But he was also found legally insane and spent the remainder of his life in a place for the criminally whackadoodle. He died there in 1984.
Good, one less sicko freak in the world.
Have you seen Silence of the Lambs? Have you read it? My mother refuses - even though I keep telling her it's not as gruesome as she thinks and probably not as grisly as some of the Bones episodes she watches. (She loves Bones.) What about Psycho or Texas Chainsaw Massacre? I've seen Psycho, of course, but never TCM. I love suspense - Hitchcock was the master of suspense - but I'm not a fan of horror movies.
Loved the SOTL movie but haven't and do not intend to read the book. Also watched TCM. I was a teenager and had to read a harlequin romance before I was able to get to sleep that night.
ReplyDeleteWow, he was one disturbed individual. I don't think I could even make up something that sinister or awful.
LOL, Karyn, I've watched a few movies where I needed something happy afterwards just to sleep again.
DeleteOh, I think you could make a villain that sinister - but maybe not that gruesome. :shudder:
RL serial killers and murderers are fascinating. I read RED DRAGON and saw the William Peterson version of the movie, but didn't read or watch SOTL. I'm not into horror but suspense keeps me tuned in. I didn't shower for about two weeks after PSYCHO. LOL TCM is a big no.
ReplyDeleteOMG, the William Peterson version - Manhunter - was awesome! And it took me years to realize SOTL and Manhunter were the same writer. Derp. I totally don't think of SOTL as a horror movie. It's totally not scary to me - just really suspenseful. (Se7en was way more horrific, imo.) The first time I watched Psycho, I was too young for the psychological aspect to really get me. And yeah, TCM is a big no. I got suckered into watching Hellraiser2 (or was it three?) when I was in college, and I still get creeped out just thinking about it.
DeleteLike you and the other 2 posters, I'm not into horror. When I watch a movie I wanted to be entertained, taken out of my normal humdrum and into a world of exciting adventure. I'm not a real fan of RL movies, I'd rather have a good sci fi or action movie where you can lose yourself in the story. I like thrillers too but not too scary, after all you've got to sleep sometime!
ReplyDeleteI watched SOTL but probably wouldn't watch it again although I thought Anthony Hopkins was epic in it.
I love some good sci-fi and action/adventure, too, Fran. Ever seen RED? That movie is awesome. As is its sequel. Total action with snarky fun. =o)
Delete