No comments about Psycho Killers #3 (Chainsaw Massacre / Special-Ed Gein, Vol. 1).

2 comments about Deviant: The Shocking and True Story of Ed Gein, the Original Psycho.

1. I am from WI so Ed Gein was a household name. I had
   read one book before, but this one was MUCH better.
   It grabs you from the moment you start it. Even though
   you know the ending, it gives you a lot of insight into
   Ed Geins world, which was wicked. What you saw on the
   outside. A man with no family left, a mother who taught
   him women were evil. People made mention of the fact
   that he was "weird" but just Eddie Gein. Little did
   they know the evil inside his mind and his farmhouse.

   Yes, he was mentally ill but I do believe he knew what
   he was doing,as he made lampshades etc.
   In a way you do feel sorry for him, only a little.
   It took me one day to read. Lets just thank he was never
   let out....




2. This is a well-researched book about Ed Gein, the mild mannered, Midwestern psychopath from Plainfield, Wisconsin who, in the nineteen fifties, would shock the nation with his gruesome crimes. Ed Gein would become the basis for the best selling book by Robert Bloch, "Psycho", as well as for the Hitchcock film of the same name. Accounts of Ed Gein's heinous crimes would also enter the consciousness of a young Tobe Hooper who, as an adult, would write and direct the classic cult film, "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre".
   
   The author writes a cogent, factual account of the life of Ed Gein and the grisly crimes that shocked the nation at the time of their discovery. It details the hold that Ed's domineering mother had on him, a hold that would manifest itself in unimaginable ways. It is almost hard to believe that this small, inoffensive man could be such a madman, but who but a madman would do what he did? Ed Gein, it was discovered, had turned his small farmhouse into a gruesome charnel house, replete with furnishings adorned with human flesh and bones.
   
   Aficionados of true crime will find this book fascinating, as it is a well-written account of one of the most horrifying and bizarre series of crimes ever to be committed. Eight pages of photographs are included in the book and serve to provide the reader with a brief, visual glimpse into the life of Ed Gein, a man with a secret hobby so depraved that it would shock the entire nation when it came to light. Lovers of true crime accounts will be fascinated by this well researched foray into the life of a seemingly innocuous man from America's heartland who ended up being so deviant from the norm.

5 comments about Ed Gein -- Psycho!.

1. I've always been pretty interested in serial killers, and naturally came across Ed Gein's name in a few "collections" of serial killer biographies. Wandering through the bookstore oneday, I picked up "Ed Gein: Psycho." That's what it says on the cover. Inside, it's called "Ed Gein: Psycho!" The exclamation mark tells you all you probably need to know about the mentality of Paul Anthony Woods, the "author" of this self-loving piece of garbage.

   Many, many reviewers already have pointed out the things that turn one's stomach about this book. The writing is sophomoric and ridiculous, and way, way, WAY too much liberty is taken with the story, which, ideally, is non-fiction. The imagined conversations, thoughts, and feelings of Ed that the author relays are ridiculous, and the tone of the book is really grating. I mean, Ed Gein was a really odd duck who did some really creepy and bad things, but he's a person of some note. To read Woods refer to him as "our boy" in certain passages makes me angry. The cavalier style with which it is written is really smarmy, and one can imagine Woods sitting at his typewriter, smiling at his own wit, patting himself on the back.

   Beyond the incredibly obnoxious way in which the book is written (and trust me folks, the author's skills are far below that of the average writer who gets published) and the silly "conversations" between Ed and his fellow Wisconsonians (who, in the book, have a kind of...gulp...southern drawl?), there is the fact that no new information is presented, and I didn't learn anything I didn't already know from reading 10 or 15 pages in another book. And the last part, where the author "examines" the pop-culture that has been created around the Gein legend only confirmed my suspicions throughout the rest of the book...he's just a silly, pseudo-psychologist fan with no respect for his elders.

   Pass!




2. The quality of this book is the kind I normally find littering the fictional section of bookstores. I was truly appalled to discover the shoddy workmanship hidden behind the covers of "Ed Gein - Psycho!". I have seen better research and work in high school English Lit papers!

   The entirity of his "research" apparently comes exclusively from books written upon the subject by other authors who _did_ do their homework, magazine articles and movies which only use _pieces_ of the truth of Ed Gein. He also felt compelled to use language which would never pass muster in the average English class or editor's office. Language, which I might add, which did not add in any fashion to the book or the subject.

   As well, his cavilier attitude and joking fashion of writing left an extremely sour taste in my mouth. His attempts at expressing a form of "camraiderie" or connection between himself and Mr. Gein in the form of refering to him as "our boy" were truly disgusting. And the use of photos randomly throughout the book, apparently just to take up space as were the annoying movie reviews, was as unnessicary as they were out of any form of logical order or revelance to the progression of the book.

   Also, beware of the annoying southern dialect used by pretty much anyone who opens there mouth to say anything. Don't worry, you can't miss it. It's spelled out dialectially, i.e. poorly.

   Just as a random comment, I might call this nothing more than tabloid trash, but even tabloid trash has a level of compentancy which is never even touched by Mr. Woods.

   All in all, if you're looking for an example of how _not_ to write a true crime novel, or any other kind of novel for that matter, this is a book for you. Otherwise, don't waste your money, instead save it for a book like Deviant by Harold Schechter. This one is just a waste of time, money, paper and ink.




3. If you're not into true crime, you won't like it. NO, it won't win the Pulitzer Prize for literature, but I guess I'm sick too, because I LIKED it. What we're dealing with here is a psychopath the likes of which we probably haven't seen before. Sure Ed Gein was sick. But this was a very interesting book, hard to stop reading. He was the basis for "Psycho", "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre", and "The Silence of the Lambs". I don't have a problem with the writing style, it's sort of like pulp, but it's good. So what if there is junk at the end like pictures of the sideshow attractions, "Come and see Ed Gein's Murder Car!" The influence it made on modern culture happened. My favorite book on the subject is Harold Schecter's "Deviant". But I'm not ashamed to say I liked this one too. I'll bet all the reviewers who put it down, didn't put it down until the last page! LOL



4. I must say, I was horribly disappointed with this book. Do not buy this if you are looking for accuracy! It is historical FICTION! I will say this, Paul a Woods has a talent for blurring the lines between fact and fiction, truth and lies! This book is nearly useless to a person who is interested in learning about the True case... Paul a Woods has created a monstrosity of truth diluted with lies... I won't read another book of his- EVER!



5. When thinking of a good psycho film Ed Gein comes to mind. This is one sick, and twisted book that covers all. First we get the story of Ed's life, childhood, people he knows, mom, and a course his crime. Another good thing about this book is the information on the movies that were inspired by Ed Gein. Great photos, and short read makes this book a perfect keep.

5 comments about Deviant: The Shocking True Story of Ed Gein, the Original Psycho.

1. This book is very easy to read, very well written and does keep one going til the end. It's not too horrible but factual and gory enough to be very interesting. Really morbidly fascinating reading.



2. Unbelievably full of the most grisly happenings. It's difficult to think this is a true story, even though I know it is. I enjoyed Psycho and Silence of the Lambs and now understand where the idea for these two movies came from. I couldn't put the book down until I'd finished it.



3. Deviant, by Harold Schecter
   
   Harold Schecter has written other books on outrageous murderers. The `Prologue' discusses Alfred Hitchcock's move `Psycho' with its monster that was copied in other films. `Psycho' seems horrible in part because the killer is someone who appears to be normal (until we learn the truth). Eddie Gein was known to act strange, and was the butt of jokes. Other subjects of Schecter's books were also known as "slightly strange". [Did anyone suspect the "BTK" killer in Kansas before he was caught?] The crimes in Plainfield Wisconsin inspired Robert Bloch to write a novel that was adapted to a popular movie. The actual crimes were too horrible to be part of the movie. He doesn't say why it was a popular movie in America.
   
   Part 1 begins by describing "sand country", the least fertile area in Wisconsin. George and Augusta Gein had two sons, Henry and Edward. They lived on an isolated farm. Eddie was controlled and handicapped by his mother (p.23). Did they poverty affect their mentality (p.25)? Or was there some disease from a poor diet? Augusta's brothers never married (p.27). Henry's death was accidental (p.32). Augusta died of a brain hemorrhage at age 67 (p.35). Eddie was absolutely alone. Part 2 says small-town life has a "lack of privacy". Is gossip the main source of entertainment? Eddie was a friend to all (p.40). He was a dependable worker (p.42). Eddie didn't hunt animals (p.43), he loved lurid true-crime magazines and horror stories (p.49). There were some mysterious disappearances (Chapter 8). No bodies were ever found (p.56).
   
   Part 3 tells of the disappearance of Bernice Worden in November 1957. Her son Frank was a deputy sheriff and suspected Eddie Gein (Chapter 12). The search of Gein's house revealed the murder victim. This house of horrors contained preserved body parts (Chapter 14). There was a post-mortem examination (Chapter 16). More body parts were found (Chapter 18), there was a media blitz. Eddie was not a taxidermist (p.121). Reporters collected hearsay to pass off as truth (p.126). [Still true today?] Some got their names in the newspapers (p.127) then retracted the story (p.128). Western Waushara County was a wild desolate area (p.134). Psychiatrists analyzed this case (Chapter 25). The news inspired Robert Bloch to write a novel "Psycho" (Chapter 26).
   
   Part 4 continues the investigation. Two graves were disinterred to check Gein's claims. Gein was sent to a Hospital for the Criminally Insane (Chapter 29). Was this crime caused by horror comics and crime magazines (Chapter 30)? There were other cases like Gein's (Chapter 32). Gein was found to be "legally insane" (Chapter 34). Gein's seemingly normal life and his "grossly insane activities" was a sign of madness (p.230). The judge ruled Gein insane and sent him to the State Hospital (Chapter 38). This decision angered the citizens of Plainfield (Chapter 39). Before the Gein homestead was auctioned off, the house burned to the ground (Chapter 40). People were gratified (p.242). "Just as well." Crazy Ed was the basis for Alfred Hitchcock's movie `Psycho'. "Norman Bates" became as real as other Hollywood monsters (p.252). "Hannibal Lecter"? Human bones were found buried near to the old barn (p.253). In 1968 Gein was tried for murder (Chapter 43). Guilty of the murder, not guilty due to insanity. Gein died in 1984 and was buried in an unmarked grave (p.269). Other films were based on Gein's crimes (p.271). [You may find some of the details in these pages to be repulsive.]



4. This is a well-written, engrossing account of the particular kind of madness that overtook Ed Gein, the man on whom Norman Bates is supposed to be loosely based. (The similarities between the "Psycho" character and this real-life "Deviant" are VERY loose indeed.)
   
   Schecter does a good job describing the bleak surroundings of Gein's frame house in Wisconsin, where Gein started his collection. Whereas Gein's mother had been a stickler for religious observance and neatness - Ed went the other way and let the house he inherited from her fall into terrible disrepair. It became a nightmare of squalor and clutter. However the kind of clutter that Ed allowed to accumulate behind his darkened windows was well beyond what any modern de-cluttering guru could possibly help him manage.
   
   This book eases us into the nightmare, as indeed Gein himself probably eased by degrees into the most extreme forms of his obsession. Earlier in the book, as we already get an idea that his living circumstances have gone beyond the usual disorder associated with bachelorhood - we read about Ed opening a can of beans for himself and dishing them into the usual wobbly bowl he ate out of. At the time, a reader might barely think to ask, "Why is his bowl so wobbly?" The shocking answer comes later, along with the full revelation of the extent to which Gein has departed from any human norms.
   
   Many, but certainly not all, of his depredations centered on the already dead. At first doubtful that such a relatively small man could have successfully indulged his necrophiliac tendencies by digging up graves even in the middle of the worst winter freezes - local officials eventually proved that it could be done readily enough, even by a lone individual armed with just a shove and a crowbar.
   
   While Gein's neighbors thought him perhaps a little odd, their general image of him all along had been that of an accommodating, neighborly fellow, always available to help someone start a truck or do odd jobs around a struggling farmstead. Almost everyone thought of him as a harmless enough coot, a vaguely pitiable bachelor deserving to be treated with a good home-cooked meal occasionally. That's how he was regarded - until the final reveal.
   
   Schecter doesn't go deeply into any psychological analysis here, although we are provided with a good idea of the skewed nature of Ed's upbringing. It's especially apparent that Gein's mother was suffering from sever psychological problems of her own.
   
   The advertising blurbs for almost all books contain some line to the effect, "You won't be able to put this book down." Usually, that's a gross overstatement, certainly for me, a slow reader. But this was one case when I literally could not put the book down, and read it through in one long sitting, even skipping dinner in order to find out how Gein's life turned out.
   
   My only criticism of the book would be its title. Schecter has written a series of books about notorious killers, all of them with one-word titles that are sensationalized synonyms for "insane." Schecter has done "Bestial," "Depraved," and "Deranged." These one-word titles are interchangeable, and we wouldn't know which killer we're going to read about unless we take in the full subtitles. Schecter might have done better to give his books more individualized, less lurid titles.
   
   You might want to check out the movie "Ed Gein" to view in conjunction with reading this book. Many of the movies that have been made about serial killers have been cranked out as low-budget exploitation flicks. However "Ed Gein," the movie with Steve Railsback channeling the unassuming, almost elfin oddity of Ed Gein, is an exception in this string of bio-pics. I often found myself thinking back to scenes from the movie as telling illustrations of Schecter's book.



5. This is going to be a short review.
   
   The author did an excellent job of putting this book together. It's a very thorough account of Ed Gein's life, including some family history before his birth, his life leading up to his crimes, then going all the way through to his death and the legacy he left.
   
   If you're interested in reading about these sorts of people, and are looking for material that is factual and not purely sensationalized, then you'll like this book.