The Forgotten Brother: The Mysterious Death of Henry Gein That Sparked a Killer’s Madness…

Monster: The Ed Gein Story is pulling back the curtain on one of the most notorious American serial killers — and the complex relationships he had with his family members.

Ed Gein, otherwise known as the Butcher of Plainfield, was a 1950s serial killer and grave robber who murdered at least two women, dug up numerous graves and turned his rural Wisconsin farmhouse into a “house of horrors” before his arrest in 1957. Per History, he confessed to the murder of two women, though investigators later found the remains of 10 women in his home.

The serial killer has already inspired several works, including 1960’s Psycho, 1974’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and 1991’s The Silence of the Lambs. Now, his story is being told in the third installment of the Ryan Murphy-created anthology series, which premiered on Netflix on Oct. 3 and sees Charlie Hunnam portray the titular character.

While much of the series focuses on Ed’s peculiar relationship with his mother Augusta (Laurie Metcalf), a religious woman who preached about the innate immorality of women, per Britannica, the first episode of the series includes a haunting scene that depicts Ed killing his brother Henry (Hudson Oz) and covering up the murder.

Below, here’s everything to know about Ed Gein’s brother Henry, including the truth about whether he was one of the serial killer’s murder victims.

He was Ed’s older brother

Augusta Gein and George Philip Gein wed in 1900 and welcomed their first son, Henry, followed by second son Ed in 1906, per Biography.

The brothers grew up in a household ruled by their mother’s preachings about the sins of lust and carnal desire, per the outlet, which also reports that their father was an alcoholic.

According to A&E Crime + Investigation, both Henry and Ed were routinely beaten by their father.

Henry and Ed were raised on a Wisconsin farm isolated from others

Around 1915, the Gein family moved from La Crosse, Wis., to a farm outside of Plainfield, Wis., where Henry and Ed lived in isolation from others.

According to A&E Crime + Investigation, Augusta didn’t allow her sons to have any social interactions with other children outside of school.

They disagreed about their mother’s behaviors

Augusta frequently lectured the Bible to her sons and blamed alcohol and women for the evils of the world, and the brothers disagreed on their mother’s teachings, per A&E Crime + Investigation.

Ed idolized Augusta and was disturbed that Henry, who often criticized and argued against her strict teachings, had much less admiration for her

Their opposing views are depicted in Monster: The Ed Gein Story, as Ed grows irritated when Henry calls Augusta a “sick woman,” telling him not to “talk like that about her,” just before he kills him.

There is no proof that Ed killed him

In the first episode of Monster: The Ed Gein Story, Henry tells Ed that he wants to marry his girlfriend Ginny and escape their controlling mother, encouraging him to leave, too. In response, Ed hits him across the face with a piece of wood, drags his dead body into the woods and stages a brush fire to hide the murder as he runs to tell his mother he can’t find Henry.

But in real life, although Henry died under mysterious circumstances, there is no proof that Ed killed him.

According to USA Today, Henry died of heart failure while the two brothers were battling a fire on their farmland after they tried to burn away marsh vegetation in 1944. He was 43 years old.

However, according to A&E Crime + Investigation, it was Ed who reported Henry missing — and then led authorities straight to his body, which showed multiple bruises on his head. Although the official cause of death was ruled as asphyxiation, no autopsy was performed, and some investigators suspected that Ed may have been involved in Henry’s death.

He is portrayed by Hudson Oz

While not much is known about Henry’s life, he is portrayed by Hudson Oz in Monster: The Ed Gein Story.

The actor is best known for his role in 2024’s Joker: Folie à Deux, as well as appearing in one episode of FX’s American Horror Stories and FX’s Grotesquerie. Just like Monster, both series were created by Murphy.

In addition to Hunnam as the titular character, the cast is rounded out by Suzanna Son, Tom Hollander and Metcalf.