If you’ve recently watched the series Monsters: The Ed Gein Story and found the gruesome narrative intriguing, it’s worth considering the advice of a specialist in the field.
Released on Netflix on October 3, the third installment of Ryan Murphy’s Monsters features Charlie Hunnam portraying the infamous killer Ed Gein. This series has captured significant attention within the true crime community.
Gein was responsible for the murders of two women and crafted a macabre ‘house of horrors’ in the 1950s by exhuming graves and mutilating bodies.
His heinous activities came to light following the disappearance of a woman named Bernice Worden in 1957, prompting law enforcement to search Gein’s residence.
Authorities discovered Worden’s decapitated body suspended from the ceiling, and further investigation revealed that Gein was fashioning body parts into clothing and furniture using human skin.
The gruesome discoveries extended to organs stored in jars and skulls repurposed as bowls.
Upon his detention for the murder of Worden, Gein confessed to killing Mary Hogan and admitted to exhuming bodies for dismemberment.
Though the Netflix series depicting this grim real-life narrative has captivated many viewers, there might be cause for concern if you find yourself particularly drawn to violent media.
In a 2023 episode of The Mel Robbins Podcast, mental health expert Dr. Thema Bryant issued a caution: “If your idea of relaxing before you go to sleep is to watch three episodes of Law and Order, [then] I would encourage you to think about ‘why is trauma relaxing to me?'”
Dr. Bryant elaborated: “Some of us grew up in high stress [situations], so people mistake peace for boring. To come home to yourself, you have to lean into the discomfort because it’s gonna feel unfamiliar.”
Despite the strong following for true crime, insights from experts might prompt some viewers to reconsider their weekend binge-watching habits.
Supporting Dr. Bryant’s observations, Dr. Jeglic from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice suggested that individuals with a history of trauma might gravitate towards true crime as a means to safely re-experience traumatic scenarios where they can exert more control.
Prior to the launch of The Monster: The Ed Gein Story, writer Ian Brennan remarked to Tudum: “Once we talked about how influential he was and how his crimes, you can find threads of them through pop culture and through horror films — I think that’s when we knew we had a show.”