House of Horrors: A List of Ed Gein’s “Trophies”
Ed Gein is exactly what nightmares are made of. His name may not be familiar, but we can gaurantee his story is. Ever hear of Norman Bates from Psycho? How about Leatherface from Texas Chainsaw Masacre? Buffalo Bill/Jamie Gumb from Silence of the Lambs? All these characters and more were inspired by Ed Gein and his horrific story. Ed Gein is best known for his “trophies” crafted from human skin and bone. Below is a list of some of what was found in his house after his arrest. (Sorry folks, no pictures here! You’re welcome to google for some though, just make sure you’re not fooled by props that were inspired by Ed Gein)
• Whole human bones and fragments
• Wastebasket made of human skin
• Human skin covering several chair seats
• Skulls on his bedposts
• Female skulls, some with the tops sawn off
• Bowls made from human skulls
• A corset made from a female torso skinned from shoulders to waist
• Leggings made from human leg skin
• Masks made from the skin from female heads
• Mary Hogan’s face mask in a paper bag
• Mary Hogan’s skull in a box
• Bernice Worden’s entire head in a burlap sack
• Bernice Worden’s heart “in a plastic bag in front of Gein’s potbellied stove”
• Nine vulvae in a shoe box
• A young girl’s dress and “the vulvas of two females judged to have been about fifteen years old”
• A belt made from female human nipples
• Four noses
• A pair of lips on a window shade drawstring
• A lampshade made from the skin of a human face
• Fingernails from female fingers
