Born on August 27, 1906, Edward Gein grew up to become a serial killer. Gein's story of deviance and murder became the basis for Robert Bloch's novel, Psycho, which was later adapted to film by Alfred Hitchcock. Gein's behavior was attributed to insanity. Gein's descent into deviance and murder began with his relationship to an overbearing and domineering mother toward whom Gein developed "approach-avoidance" feelings, always trying to please her yet living in fear lest he upset her. Although it is commonly believed that Gein's murders did not begin until after his mother's death, mysterious circumstances surrounding his brother's death in a field fire suggest Gein's deviancy may have commenced much earlier.

Following his mother's death, Gein withdrew into his Plainfield Wisconsin farmhouse. Gein began by robbing female corpses from the graveyard where his mother was buried and used the cadavers for body parts which he then fashioned into various ornaments and apparel. Gein was particularly obsessed with female genitalia and sexual organs. Gein's obsession with corpses eventually turned to murder and when police finally apprehended Gein they found a house of horrors in which Gein's final victim, Bernice Worden, was hung by her feet from the farmhouse rafters. Although Gein's ultimate death count is unknown, it is believed that his killings did not exceed two, contrary to popular myth. Following Gein's apprehension, he was found incompetent to stand trial and, years later, the state determined him to be insane. Gein died on July 26, 1984, at the age of 78.