Netflix’s Monster: The Ed Gein Story, released on October 3, 2025, is currently a major topic of online discussion. As the third instalment of the Monster true-crime anthology series, it has quickly climbed to the top of the Netflix charts. The season stars Charlie Hunnam as the infamous murderer and corpse robber, Ed Gein. The show has aptly portrayed the life and crimes of Ed, with a focus on the cultural impact of the criminal. However, certain scenes of the series have been subject to queries regarding credibility; one among them is Ed helping the FBI to catch Ted Bundy, another serial killer. Here’s exploring is that was a real event or fictionalised.
How did Ed Gein help catch Ted Bundy in Monster: The Ed Gein Story?
In the Ian Brennan, Ryan Murphy series, Ed Gein, known as the ‘butcher of Plaintiff’ helps catch Ted Bundy. For the unversed, Ted Bundy is one of America’s most notorious serial killers. He not only committed a lot of murders of brutal nature, but also could deceive and manipulate others with his intelligent and charming public persona. His crimes, dramatic escapes from custody, and high-profile trial made him a media sensation back in the 70s.
In Monster: The Ed Gein Story, Gein, the titular character, received letters from other killers, including Richard Speck, while being institutionalised. At that time, FBI agents, John Douglas and Robert Ressler visited Ed Gein in a psychiatric hospital to gain insights into the minds of serial killers, including Ted Bundy. From one of these letters, Ed Gein found a clue about the serial killings in Washington and passed the information to the officials. He later learns that the killer has been caught and is identified as Ted Bundy.
Did Ed Gein actually find the letters and help catch Ted Bundy?
The plot point where Gein, from his psychiatric hospital, assists the FBI with the Ted Bundy case is not based on actual events. The show used it to represent Ed Gein’s mental illness and inability to distinguish between reality and fantasy. The show portrayed the delusion stemming from Ed’s schizophrenia, and in reality, he had no involvement with the investigation or capture of Ted Bundy. The showmakers had taken creative liberties with the portrayal of the scenes as they wanted to depict Ed’s medical condition.
It may also have been an attempt by the showmakers to show that Ed had a chance at redemption and a new purpose in life. In reality, he was institutionalised long before the FBI’s Behavioural Science Unit was formed, and he was never formally interviewed by them. As for Ted Bundy, he was arrested after attempting to flee from a patrol car in Utah in 1975. His subsequent crimes were then linked to him by law enforcement.
Ed Gein was shown to impose a legacy of serial killers in the show
The series featured a scene where Ed Gein, on his deathbed, was praised by other killers whose crimes he supposedly inspired, including Bundy. It highlighted his distorted legacy as a ‘godfather’ of serial killers, but the event is not factual. The series’ creators intentionally meddled with the timeline and real events to confuse the viewers, suggesting that Gein’s mental state prevents a clear distinction between what is real and what is not.
What are your thoughts on the showmakers taking creative liberties while portraying the Ed Gein story in the form of a series? Let us know.
Also Read: Was Adeline Watkins Ed Gein’s Girlfriend? Netflix’s ‘Monster’ Cast Compared To Real Character