The Ed Gein Story’ Cast Side-by-Side with the Real People

NEED TO KNOW

• Season 3 of the Monster anthology series follows the story of real-life killer Ed Gein
• Gein’s crimes — which included robbing graves to make items out of human skin — inspired many classic horror movies
• Charlie Hunnam plays the titular killer and grave robber

Charlie Hunnam plays one of the most terrifying killers in history in the latest installment of Netflix’s anthology series Monster. 

The Sons of Anarchy star transformed into one of the most infamous serial killers of all time for Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan’s Monster: The Ed Gein Story. The show premiered in October 2025 and followed the life of Gein (dubbed the “Butcher of Plainfield”), who confessed to murdering multiple women in rural Wisconsin in the 1950s.

“I mean, finding the truth was the whole process,” Hunnam told PEOPLE at the show’s premiere of how he prepared for the role. “We were much more interested in why Ed did what he did, rather than exploring what he did.”

Gein confessed to killing two people and robbing numerous graves to craft household and clothing items from human remains. His horrific crimes went on to inspire classic horror movies like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, The Silence of the Lambs and Psycho. 

See the cast of Monster: The Ed Gein Story side-by-side with the real people they play. 

Charlie Hunnam as Ed Gein

Edward Gein in Court ; Charlie Hunnam attends the premiere of “Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child Of Fire” on December 07, 2023 in London, England.

Bettmann/Getty ; Mike Marsland/WireImage

Hunnam stars in Monster: The Ed Gein Story as the titular serial killer who was arrested in 1957 for the death of local hardware store owner Bernice Worden. 

When police raided his home, they found that it was filled with body parts, including the head of Mary Hogan, a woman who had disappeared years earlier. Gein was deemed insane and sent to a mental institution, where he died of lung cancer in 1984. 

Prior to this lead role, Hunnam’s most notable projects included Sons of Anarchy, Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire and Pacific Rim.

Suzanna Son as Adeline Watkins

Adeline Watkins ; Suzanna Son attends the immersive experience for “Fear Street: Prom Queen” on May 18, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.

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Gein’s long-time love is played by actress Suzanna Son. Adeline Watkins famously claimed that she dated the serial killer for 20 years and described him as “nice” and “sweet” in a 1957 interview with the Wisconsin State Journal. 

The woman also alleged that Gein had proposed to her two years before he was arrested for Worden’s murder. She said she declined out of fear that she “wouldn’t be able to live up to what he expected” of her.

Son is best known for her roles in The Idol, Red Rocket and Fear Street: Prom Queen.

Tom Hollander as Alfred Hitchcock

Alfred Hitchcock during A celebration of the 50th anniversary of CBS’s history in radio and television ; Tom Hollander attends the 30th Annual Critics Choice Awards on February 07, 2025 in Santa Monica, California.

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Pride and Prejudice’s Tom Hollander portrays the infamous Psycho director. Alfred Hitchcock adapted Robert Bloch’s 1959 novel Psycho, whose killer Norman Bates — and his unsettling fixation on “Mother” — was inspired by Gein.

Although the director had subconscious thoughts of the real-life killer in the 2012 Hitchcock, he never publicly commented on the criminal before he died in 1980.

In addition to Pride and Prejudice, fans may recognize Hollander from In the Loop and Feud: Capote vs. The Swans.

Laurie Metcalf as Augusta Gein

Laurie Metcalf attends the “Grey House” opening night on May 30, 2023 in New York City.

Michael Loccisano/Getty

Laurie Metcalf takes on the role of Augusta Gein, the family matriarch and center of the killer’s obsession. Ed’s mother was said to be a fanatically puritanical figure who isolated him from others, convinced the rest of society was evil.

According to the MGM+ docuseries Psycho: The Lost Tapes of Ed Gein, this toxic dynamic caused Ed to be codependent on his mother, and he idolized her after her death in 1945.

A longtime staple in Hollywood, Metcalf is best known for performances in Lady Bird, Roseanne and Desperately Seeking Susan.

Vicky Krieps as Ilse Koch

Ilse Koch ; Vicky Krieps during the 78th Locarno Film Festival on August 15, 2025 in Locarno, Switzerland.

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Monster: The Ed Gein Story also taps into the killer’s alleged influences, with Vicky Krieps playing Holocaust war criminal Ilse Koch.

The wife of the commander at one of Germany’s largest Nazi concentration camps allegedly had a desire to own objects made of human skin, per The Conversation. 

Krieps is also known for her roles in Phantom Thread, Old and Bergman Island.

Olivia Williams as Alma Reville

Alma Hitchcock ; Olivia Williams attends the 2025 Gotham Television Awards on June 02, 2025 in New York City.

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The Crown’s Olivia Williams takes on the role of Hitchcock’s wife and consultant, Alma Reville.

Married to the director for over 50 years, Reville was a key force behind many of his iconic films until her death in 1982, according to The New York Times. She is even credited with insisting Bernard Herrmann’s score be used in Psycho’s infamous shower scene.

In addition to playing Queen Camilla in The Crown, Williams’ stellar body of work includes The Sixth Sense, An Education, Rushmore and Dune: Prophecy.

Joey Pollari as Anthony Perkins

Anthony Perkins in ‘Psycho’ ; Joey Pollari attends the premiere of “Things Like This” on May 13, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.

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Joey Pollari plays Anthony Perkins, who brought Norman Bates to life in Psycho. The Golden Globe-winning actor rose to fame in the 1950s for his iconic role, which he reprised in Psycho II, Psycho III and Psycho IV: The Beginning.

Perkins died of AIDS-related complications in 1992. 

Pollari’s most notable projects include American Crime and Love, Simon.

Tyler Jacob Moore as Sheriff Arthur Schley

Sheriff Arthur Schley ; Tyler Jacob Moore attends the premiere of “RIDE” on March 21, 2023 in West Hollywood, California.

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Monster: The Ed Gein Story places Tyler Jacob Moore in the role of Sheriff Arthur Schley.

Not much is known about the officer, other than that he was famously photographed with Gein after he confessed to murdering two women and robbing graves. 

Fans may recognize Moore from his performances in Shameless and Perry Mason.

Charlie Hall as Deputy Frank Worden

Charlie Hall attends Next Gen 2024 on November 20, 2024 in West Hollywood, California.

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Charlie Hall portrays Deputy Frank Worden, whose mother was Gein’s final victim. The officer became suspicious of the recluse, whom he believed to be odd, per History.com. On Nov. 16, 1957, police searched Gein’s house and found the body of Deputy Worden’s mom, Bernice Worden. 

Hall, who is Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ son, is best known for his roles in Bel-Air and The Sex Lives of College Girls. He also starred in season 2 of Monster, where he played Erik Menendez’s best friend, Craig Cignarelli.

Will Brill as Tobe Hooper

Tobe Hooper attends the 38th Annual Directors Guild of America Awards on March 8, 1986 in Beverly Hills, California ; Will Brill at the “Caught Stealing” Premiere on August 26, 2025 in New York.

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Another aspect of Gein’s influence on the horror genre is explored through Will Brill’s portrayal of Tobe Hooper, who directed the 1974 classic The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.

Although the film’s setting and plot differ significantly from Gein’s real-life crimes, the filmmaker drew on his interest in human skin to make his Leatherface killer more horrifying.

Hooper died of natural causes in 2017, per The New York Times. 

Brill’s most notable projects include The OA and Fellow Travelers.

Mimi Kennedy as Dr. Mildred Newman

Author Mildred Newman on June 27, 1978 in New York City ; Mimi Kennedy attends the 25th Annual Critics’ Choice Awards on January 12, 2020 in Santa Monica, California.

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Mom alum Mimi Kennedy plays Dr. Mildred Newman, a psychologist and self-help author who rose to fame in the 1970s. 

One of her numerous celebrity clients included Perkins, who allegedly received electroshock conversion therapy from her in an attempt to “turn him straight,” according to the 2005 book Tab Hunter Confidential: The Making of a Movie Star.

Dr. Newman died in 2001, per The New York Times. 

In addition to Mom, Kennedy is known for her roles in Midnight in Paris and In the Loop.

Robin Weigert as Enid Watkins

Robin Weigert at the CBS fall schedule celebration on May 2, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.

 Gregg DeGuire/Variety via Getty

Robin Weigert portrays Enid Watkins, the mother of Gein’s almost-fianceé, Adeline Watkins.

Gein’s girlfriend was reported to be living in a small apartment with her widowed mother at the time of the killer’s arrest.

Her mother told the Minneapolis Tribune in November 1957 that Gein was a “sweet, polite man” and that he “never failed” to have her daughter home by 10 p.m.

Fans of the actress who plays her will recognize her work in Smile and Deadwood.

Lesley Manville as Bernice Worden

Portrait of murder victim Bernice Worden ; Lesley Manville attends The Olivier Awards 2025 on April 06, 2025 in London, England.

Bettmann/Getty ; Karwai Tang/WireImage

Lesley Manville plays Gein’s final victim, Bernice Worden. She was a local hardware store owner whose murder led to the serial killer’s arrest in 1957. 

Prior to her role in Monster, the Crown alum rose to fame for her performances in Another Year and Phantom Thread.

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