Did Ed Gein actually talk like that? Tapes of body snatcher bring Charlie Hunnam’s version into question

Monster: The Ed Gein Story has left viewers shook with its eight-episode dramatisation of the brutal body snatcher's crimes, and naturally, we have a lot of questions about what was real, versus which elements were created for the Ryan Murphy adaptation.

There’s no question that Charlie Hunnam made a rather convincing killer, but between his hooded eye (which was prosthetic to emulate Gein’s appearance), and piercing stare, there was one element of the character that left people a little…well, baffled: His voice.

Given that Gein’s case is centred around the 1940s and 50s, there are very few real-life recordings of him, so when Charlie Hunnam gave the Butcher of Plainfield a Winnie the Pooh-inspired tone to his voice, we all just assumed that it was a reflection of how the real Gein spoke.

Except, it kind-of wasn’t.

A clip recorded around 1957 and taken from The Lost Tapes of Ed Gein appears to hear the then-50-year-old being interrogated following his arrest; and what's more, his voice sounds deeper, albeit still soft-spoken.

Take a listen:

- YouTube www.youtube.com

"He sounds so simple and innocuous. It's no wonder no one suspected what he was really capable of", one person wrote.

"Had to come check out the real voice because I knew damn well there was no way he sounded like Winnie the Pooh", another joked.

A third chimed in: "The voice in the show is ridiculous."

However, another user was quick to point out that Hunnam had decided to use the voice he did in the Netflix show as a representation of the "affectionate" persona he had towards his mother, who he was consistently trying to please.

"It seems in his younger years he was a lot more soft spoken. Which makes sense because all he wanted was to please his mother who always wanted a daughter. This could give some insight into the difference we're hearing in the series", they wrote.

Hunnam reportedly had to sign an NDA to get access to the full tapes during his role research, and given that Gein died in 1984, it'll largely remain a mystery for years to come.

Why not read...

Monster: The Ed Gein Story - What's the true story behind Netflix's 'disturbing' new show?

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