May 8, 2007
Weekend Horror Movie Review
Last weekend Doug and I were just laying around the living room and surfing the TV for something good to watch. After four rounds of channel cruising we couldn’t find anything that sparked our interest.
I started to check the listings of the movies available on Pay-Per-View. What caught my eye was a flick called Ed Gein: The Butcher of Plainfield.
Many of you may have heard about Ed Gein, and the ghastly discovery of corpses and furniture made of skin in his barn in Plainfield, Wisconsin. The town is only 25 minutes from my home.
Gein was charged with the murders of two women around the 1950s.
Growing up, my father would tell us stories about this serial killer and grave robber. I never really researched his crimes because his name is not spoken much here. People in Waushara County don’t really like to talk about it.
Movies like Psycho, The Silence of the Lambs and Texas Chainsaw Massacre were based on Ed Gein.
I’m sure many of you had heard about the eBay auction of his property?
I thought it would be fun to watch this movie and see how accurate it was according to the local lore.
First of all, it was filmed nowhere near Wisconsin. There were mountains in the landscape. We have no mountains here. Unless they are invisible and I just can’t see them.
Second, there were African-American characters in this movie. There is nothing wrong with this, however it is historically inaccurate. There are no black residents in Plainfield now, let alone circa 1957.
The movie shows a Plainfield Police Department. They’ve never had one.
The victim’s names were changed. Gein was charged with the murders of store clerk Bernice Worden and tavern worker Mary Hogan. The movie named them Sue Leighton and Anne Mason. Mrs. Mason being the mother of the sheriff who ultimately arrests Ed Gein in this film. This part was not true at all.
Overall, this movie was entertaining because of all the errors and complete fabrications.
I’m still laughing at the attempt. I suppose I wouldn’t recommend this movie unless you want a vague idea of the horror in Plainfield (only 19 miles from my home)! I won’t dare go near his property. I’m superstitious like that. Ick.
Posted by Dana @ 7:03 am • Movies
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May 8th, 2007 at 7:49 am, wisconsin mommy Says:
Actually, those mountain were really the piles of my unwashed laundry. I’ll have to look up a more historically sound version of events. I had not heard of this case…sounds creepy!
May 8th, 2007 at 8:54 am, Dana Says:
Seriously, I can’t stop laughing. Mountains. In Plainfield! Ha ha!
Yeah it is creepy. VERY creepy.
May 8th, 2007 at 4:34 pm, motherofbun Says:
That is crazy! Why do they do things like that in movies? As if the real account wasn’t wild enough? Gah.
Yeah, I can see why you wouldn’t go near. VERY creepy!
May 8th, 2007 at 8:42 pm, Her Bad Mother Says:
Ugh. I can’t watch horror movies, not even bad ones. Too much of a wuss.