Who is Ed Gein? The real-life killer will be the next subject of Netflix's Monster after this fall's hit Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, with the upcoming season finding Sons of Anarchy's Charlie Hunnam in the role of Gein, the infamous "Butcher of Plainfield" whose murders inspired the villains of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, The Silence of the Lambs and more.

But who was Ed Gein, and what did he do?

This week, viewers got their first look at a nearly unrecognizable Hunnam in costume as Gein on the set of Monster in some recently snapped behind-the-scenes photos, per E! News.

For those unfamiliar with the details of the true-life American horror story, Ed Gein was a Midwest-based criminal and grave robber who first gained infamy in 1957 after initially being arrested for the murder of Bernice Worden, a hardware store owner who lived nearby in his hometown of Plainfield, Wisconsin.

But when authorities went to search Gein's farm, they found some horrifyingly gruesome evidence, as Grunge.com reported — including human remains made into household items and clothing that he had created from the bodies of people he exhumed from local graves.

Indeed, from all that was discovered, it appeared that Gein had harbored a disturbing obsession with anatomy and death, which was fueled by a reportedly troubled upbringing, especially a fraught relationship with his mother.

In the end, Gein was convicted of two murders — Worden and another victim named Mary Hogan. But his horrific crimes shocked the public and inspired several famous horror stories and characters, including Leatherface in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Buffalo Bill in The Silence of the Lambs and Norman Bates in Psycho.

Gein was declared mentally incompetent to stand trial initially and he spent much of his life in institutions. He was eventually tried in 1968, and found guilty, but insane, and he remained in custody until he died in 1984. He was 77.

As for Gein's onscreen portrayal in the Monster series, streaming TV fans first heard that Hunnam was cast as Gein back in September, per Us Weekly, which noted that the production was set to start on the new installment in October 2024.

That's certainly come to fruition, seeing as how the on-set photos of Hunnam in costume as Gein have leaked, giving Netflix subscribers a taste of what they will likely see in the upcoming season. Now all viewers have to do is wait to see what unfolds.

The Monster series first premiered on Netflix in 2022 with Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story before returning with Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story. The imminent third season, featuring Hunnam as Gein, is called The Original Monster.

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