**For those of you who don't know, this was a bonus disc which came with the special edition version of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre** I found this documentary very interesting, yet disturbing at the same time. What made this documentary so compelling was that there is actual crime footage, as well as photos of the crime scene and bodies. For Christ' sake he exhumed bodies and mutilated them. He also made very weird things such as a belt made of nipples, cut out women's genital parts, made a soup bowl of a human skull, and most shockingly, made a suit made of human skin. That is just inexcusably disturbing.It goes to show how sick Gein was. How a man could become such a monster, I do not know.
6 Reviews
well-made but yuck!
planktonrules29 March 2006
I am probably one of the few out there that saw this documentary but did not see THE Texas CHAINSAW MASSACRE. I have no interest at all in it, so my perspective is different. I teach, among other things, psychology and watched this documentary on the 2nd DVD from the movie to see if it would be suitable to use in a lesson on serial killers. Well, not surprisingly at all, it was NOT, as this would be for high school students and the incredibly graphic nature of his crimes would make me an irresponsible (and unemployed) high school teacher. For a class for college students, perhaps it would be useful. But, detailing this dismemberment of corpses, use of their nipples, genitalia, etc. for clothing and home decor is just nasty and falls into the category of TMI ("Too Much Information"). This documentary is not sensationalistic or overly explicit but just isn't particularly pleasant. Well-made, yes. Pleasant, no. A must-see for professionals working with these sick freaks and the voyeurs out there only!
Question about possible source for Documentary
hlinder3 June 2006
...I have just become aware of this Documentary , entitled " Ed Gein The Ghoul of Plainfield " by Michelle Palmer.. This really Interests me.. as I am very familiar with the Original Gein Case, and remember it very well. I would really like to buy this Documentary,but the big question is, WHERE do you buy it ?? I can not seem to find a source for it. I have been searching all over, but have had no such luck. I get the Impression that this is a real true to life Documentary, that gives the facts, and I would really love to get this one. Is there anyone out there who can help me on this, and find me a source, and help me get this Doc ?? I would really appreciate any help. Thanks HGL
Solid documentary about notorious serial killer
Horst_In_Translation10 February 2018
Warning: Spoilers
"Ed Gein: The Ghoul of Plainfield" is an American 24-minute documentary short film and the most recent career directorial effort for Michelle Palmer. Her film here was used as an add-on for the DVD od the Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake and some may argue this documentary is better than the movie. I haven't seen the film, so I cannot (dis)agree, but I think contents-wise it feels too far away for my taste. And quality-wise I am not convinced either. The first half was solid and informative telling us who Ed Gein is, what he did while looking for reasons why he did it and at the same time elaborating on his complicated relationship with his mother and women in general. Sadly in the second half, it gets way worse and starts dragging even, which is really disappointing for an already short film. As if they saw this too, the people who made this one started throwing in very random references to horror film classics and this was when it hit rock-bottom really as I as somebody who did not know Gein before seeing this one has no doubts that they easily could have made a compelling 90-minute documentary about him. So it hurts to see them fail at under 30 minutes. Overall no justice done to the somewhat historical figure that Gein was and it's quite a pity they did not manage to keep the solidly informative level from early on. Watch something else instead!
Terribly inaccurate movie
edmundos11 July 2014
Warning: Spoilers
If you know the true history surrounding Ed Gein then, like me, you will find this movie a disappointment.
The events in this film were just wrong.
The real Ed killed 2 women (and maybe his brother, this was never proved), and dug up about 5-10 deceased.
In this terrible movie, they portray Ed as having killed many more people, having an accomplice help him, and even torturing the women.
There are many scenes that are just unnecessary and smell like sensationalism and nonsense.
If you took all reference to Ed out of this movie, and you had never heard of the real Eddie Gein, you might enjoy it, if you could overlook the hammy acting and occasional prop mismatch and error.
Otherwise, steer clear.
The events in this film were just wrong.
The real Ed killed 2 women (and maybe his brother, this was never proved), and dug up about 5-10 deceased.
In this terrible movie, they portray Ed as having killed many more people, having an accomplice help him, and even torturing the women.
There are many scenes that are just unnecessary and smell like sensationalism and nonsense.
If you took all reference to Ed out of this movie, and you had never heard of the real Eddie Gein, you might enjoy it, if you could overlook the hammy acting and occasional prop mismatch and error.
Otherwise, steer clear.
Ed Gein: From Farm to Screen
Michael_Elliott17 July 2017
Ed Gein: The Ghoul of Plainfield (2004)
*** 1/2 (out of 4)
This twenty-four minute documentary is actually a well-made piece that can be found on THE Texas CHAINSAW MASSACRE DVD/Blu-ray. I'm going to guess that a lot of people who were only familiar with that 2003 film probably hadn't heard of Gein so this documentary was certainly aimed at them. If you're familiar with Gein and his story then there's nothing new or ground-breaking here but the interviews are great and it's certainly fun to see the history shown in such a quick fashion.
John K. Russell, Hardold Schechter, author David Skal and PSYCHO writer Joseph Stefano are among the people interviewed as they discuss the story of Gein, the horrors that he committed and how his story became a part of popular culture. There are some great discussions about not only his case but how he was received in the 1950s and what impact his story had on films like PSYCHO, THE Texas CHAINSAW MASSACRE and THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS.
Again, there's nothing ground-breaking here but if you're a fan of the subject or are interested in learning more then there's some nice stuff here.
*** 1/2 (out of 4)
This twenty-four minute documentary is actually a well-made piece that can be found on THE Texas CHAINSAW MASSACRE DVD/Blu-ray. I'm going to guess that a lot of people who were only familiar with that 2003 film probably hadn't heard of Gein so this documentary was certainly aimed at them. If you're familiar with Gein and his story then there's nothing new or ground-breaking here but the interviews are great and it's certainly fun to see the history shown in such a quick fashion.
John K. Russell, Hardold Schechter, author David Skal and PSYCHO writer Joseph Stefano are among the people interviewed as they discuss the story of Gein, the horrors that he committed and how his story became a part of popular culture. There are some great discussions about not only his case but how he was received in the 1950s and what impact his story had on films like PSYCHO, THE Texas CHAINSAW MASSACRE and THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS.
Again, there's nothing ground-breaking here but if you're a fan of the subject or are interested in learning more then there's some nice stuff here.
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