Episode 2 of *Monster: The Ed Gein Story* opens with a visceral scene: Ed Gein, toiling away on his desolate farm, is suddenly engulfed by a harrowing hallucination. In his mind's eye, he envisions the tortured souls imprisoned by the infamous Ilsa Koch, the "Bitch of Buchenwald," chasing him relentlessly. Panic-stricken, he scrambles into his house, cowering in fear as he imagines them closing in, intent on exacting retribution for his unspeakable deeds. It is the haunting voice of his mother that finally pulls him from the grip of this macabre trance.
The narrative then takes a dramatic leap forward, spanning 14 years to the aftermath of Augusta Gein's passing in 1959. We find filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock engaged in a tense discussion with his mother and Robert Bloch, his seasoned writer, delving into the chilling diagnosis of Ed Gein's schizophrenia. With a keen eye for the macabre, Hitchcock reveals his ambition to craft a slasher film inspired by the life of this real-life monster.
Bloch, ever the wordsmith, sheds light on the origins of Ed's twisted psyche. He unveils how Ed's descent into darkness was precipitated by his exposure to the graphic images of corpses from Nazi Germany. Born in 1906, Ed's formative years were marred by a gruesome education in death and genocide, potentially igniting a morbid fascination with the macabre and the defiled. As he pored over murder mystery magazines, Ed began to sexualize the dead, blurring the lines between reality and fantasy.
Bloch further elaborates on the parallels between Ed and Ilsa Koch, recounting how Ed, much like the notorious wartime figure, became infamous for his macabre craftsmanship. He reveals how Ed, captivated by Ilsa's reported use of human skin to create lamps, embarked on his own grotesque journey of replication, fashioning objects and furniture from the remains of his victims.
Through a series of haunting flashbacks set in 1945, we witness Ed's disturbing obsession unfold. As he follows the twisted narratives of comics depicting Ilsa's heinous acts, he becomes increasingly fixated on replicating her atrocities, leading him down a path of no return.
After his mother's passing, Ed finds himself drowning in disarray. He engages in a heated argument with his mother's lingering hallucination, defending his intentions—or lack thereof—to marry Adeline. Later that same day, Ed finds himself in Adeline's company, and the two engage in a conversation where Ed proudly recounts how he crafted a bowl from a human skull. Skeptical, Adeline refuses to believe him, prompting Ed to extend an invitation to his home so she can witness it firsthand.
Ed drives Adeline back to his place, but upon arrival, she can't help but comment on the state of chaos that his house has descended into. He confides in Adeline that his mother is unwell, and in a gesture of kindness, she offers to assist him in tidying up.
Adeline's shock is palpable as she takes in the bizarre array of items scattered throughout the house, including a chair upholstered in human skin. She greets the corpse seated in the chair, whom Ed nonchalantly introduces as his mother. Feeling increasingly uneasy, Adeline decides to leave, refusing to engage in further conversation with Ed.
Ed, growing increasingly frustrated, lashes out at his "mother" for her poor treatment of Adeline. Seeking solace, he heads out for a drink, visiting a bar armed with his shotgun and ignoring the persistent, pestering voice of his mother in his head.
At the bar, Ed encounters Mary, a middle-aged German bartender. He draws parallels between her and his late German-American mother, and in a fit of madness, shoots her in the head, citing her past as a sex worker as justification. Ed then proceeds to drag Mary's lifeless body back to his home and, in a disturbing twist, dons her undergarments.
The narrative then takes a leap back to 1959, where a young actor named Anthony Perkins is cast as the male lead in Hitchcock's iconic film, "Psycho." Perkins, a homosexual who enjoys dressing up as a woman, takes on the role of imitating Ed, the notorious serial killer upon whom the film is based.
Perkins' partner appears jealous, accusing him of frequenting a therapist who is allegedly attempting to brainwash him. The following day, Perkins visits the meticulously designed set that Hitchcock has created to replicate Ed's house. Perkins feels a growing sense of discomfort, particularly after encountering the skulls, the general disarray, and a drawer filled with nine vulvas—allegedly collected by Ed after defiling his female victims.
Hitchcock, with a glint in his eye, tells Perkins that he aims to unveil all of Ed's darkest secrets to the world. With a hint of mischief, he wonders aloud if Perkins harbors any secrets of his own.
Amidst the bustling intervals of filming the movie, Perkins finds himself in a candid conversation with his therapist, pouring out his inner turmoil about the dark, negative thoughts that plague him. He confesses a disturbing compulsion: the need to vomit before engaging in any intimate act with his partner. Sensing the gravity of Perkins's struggles, the therapist gently proposes that he consider undergoing treatment for the "urges" that seem to drive him, involuntarily, into relationships with men. With a hopeful yet weary resolve, Perkins agrees to embark on this therapeutic journey, seeking a path towards healing and normalcy.
Flashing back to the somber year of 1945, the police delve into the chilling investigation of Mary, the bartender's, brutal murder. Their relentless pursuit of clues leads them inexorably to Ed, whose van was conspicuously parked outside the bar on that fateful night. The pieces of the puzzle slowly begin to fit together, painting a grim picture of the events that transpired.
The narrative then leaps forward to 1959, where we find Hitchcock, basking in the afterglow of his latest cinematic masterpiece. He revels in the audience's visceral reactions to his graphic sexual horror film, "Psycho," which has just been unleashed upon the unsuspecting theatergoers, leaving an indelible mark on the landscape of horror cinema.
