Is “Ed Gein: The Real Psycho” the Scariest “Shock Docs” Yet?

Have you seen all of the Shock Docs to date? If so, stop reading right here and cast your vote for the scariest Shock Docs special you’ve seen so far in the comments below. Then resume reading to learn why Ed Gein: The Real Psycho may take the crown for the scariest Shock Docs doc yet.

Travel Channel first embarked on the umbrella series that takes a fresh look at true and terrifying tales of paranormal encounters with Devil’s Road: The True Story of Ed and Lorraine Warren in Fall 2020. Others in the series, some of which have now premiered on discovery+ instead of Travel Channel, include Amityville Horror House and The Exorcism of Roland Doe.

Horror Fuel warned that Amityville Horror House was not for the faint of heart. I wouldn’t know. Somehow that one has eluded me so far. (It’s in my discovery+ watchlist though so eventually I’ll check it out.)

I did see The Exorcism of Roland Doe, which I found more fascinating than scary. I felt it was a very well-made narrated documentary that included a nice mix of interviews and reenactments.

The latest in the Shock Docs series, Ed Gein: The Real Psycho, starts streaming on discovery+ on April 9.

True Crime, Horror Movies and Ghost Hunting

Similar to The Exorcism of Roland Doe, which inspired an iconic horror book that was adapted into an even more iconic horror movie, The Exorcist, Ed Gein inspired classic horror movies too, including Psycho, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Silence of the Lambs.

His crimes are in part what Ed Gein: The Real Psycho is about. However, paranormal investigator Steve Shippy and psychic medium Cindy Kaza also travel to Plainfield, Wisconsin, to investigate allegations that his ghost still haunts the area.

Steve says accounts of paranormal activity run the gamut from people claiming to be personally attacked and scratched to seeing shadowy figures, hearing disembodied voices, and some even believe Ed’s spirit is making them physically ill.

Is all the activity caused by the ghost of the Butcher of Plainfield a.k.a. the Plainfield Ghoul, as Ed was known? Or does he have an accomplice?

That’s what Shippy and Kaza try to find out. Do they?

This is the part where I warn you: **Spoilers Ahead!**

Where Cameras Haven’t Been Since 1958

The cameras that created this Shock Docs special have the distinction of being the first allowed to film Ed Gein’s property since 1958. (At least legally. Even with the “No Trespassing” signs marking the property, you know tons of people have illegally visited the area, or at least tried to.)

Shippy and Kaza make a couple of visits to the property. Once during the day, which is the very first stop of their investigation. Then again a few days later at night.

Right away on the first visit, Kaza senses a couple of things. One, she gets the distinct impression there’s a mound somewhere nearby.

As Den of Geek put it, “The most interesting thing Kaza sees, however, comes early and the documentary doesn’t follow up on it. She says there are more remains on the property. She even brings us there in a visualization. But no one goes digging.”

That why I asked about it during my conversation with her and Steve. I wanted to know if they had dug more but for whatever reason, it hadn’t been included in the doc.

Yes. Historians confirmed there are ancient burial mounds nearby. (And likely not bodies having anything to do with Ed so that’s why they didn’t go there.)

But she also senses a very domineering force who calls her a witch. Who is this unpleasant being?

Augusta Gein: The Scariest Mommy Ever?

Part of what made Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates in Psycho so terrifying, especially when the movie was first released in 1960, was the part his mom played. Well, that he played as her.

Still, you know what I mean. This awkward, but otherwise seemingly nice man, appeared driven to his serial killer tendencies by an overbearing mom –who was long since deceased.

That was directly influenced by Ed Gein’s mom, Augusta.

Something I wasn’t expecting from Shippy and Kaza’s investigation was how much Augusta would inject herself into it. At one point Kaza’s compassion shines through. She’s completely empathetic to the emotional and mental abuse Ed endured as a child because of Augusta and feels certain that contributed to what he developed into as an adult.

The thought of his mom haunting the graveyard where both she, Ed, and even at least one of Ed’s victims is buried (not far from him I might add either), well… All I can say is that while what Ed did during his life was sick and disturbing, seeing what could’ve been his mom in the afterlife during Shippy and Kaza’s investigation was terrifying.

Ed’s Energy

That’s not to say that Ed and his possible ghost aren’t spooky too. Both Shippy and Kaza felt his energy followed them and still flowed in places he’d spent time during his life.

One of those places included the building that was Worden’s Hardware Store where he killed his last victim, Bernice Worden. Kaza didn’t feel that Bernice’s spirit was still stuck there, thankfully. They did have some activity on the equipment that led them to believe Ed may still haunt there, but that in general there’s a “psychic imprint” on the building. Perhaps due to the infamy of the case as a whole?

They also visited what was the Washaura County Jail, where Ed was housed for several days following his arrest. The building is now a museum. Again, they had some interesting activity that complimented what Kaza was picking up on. 

And then there was the knife…

Ed’s Knife?

Shippy and Kaza paid a visit to a man who had bought some old knives. No big deal normally. The trouble was, after he bought them, weird things started happening around his house. Scary shadowy figures suddenly appeared, which is why he believed they had once upon belonged to Ed Gein.

The knives are no longer allowed in his house. He keeps them out in his garage, which is where he showed them to Shippy and Kaza.

This is the part I took issue with. While the man tried to justify why he thought the knives might’ve belonged to Ed, he had no solid proof. It’s all conjecture.

Still, Shippy felt convinced enough to take the chance on borrowing one of the knives. He wanted to use it as a trigger item when he and Kaza ventured back to the farm. Which he did.

The Nighttime Investigation on Ed’s Farm

Did the knife end up triggering any activity? And who did it rile up more: Ed or Augusta? Maybe both?

Kaza picked up on things at the same time the GeoPort and rem pod went bonkers out there. (Something that happened a lot during the episode, regardless of where they were investigating.)

At one point, she also felt like something was slicing down her spine —at the same time the SLS picked up something that appeared to be on, or very near to, her back.

If you like watching investigations where every time they turn around they’re getting activity, this may be your favorite part of the special.

Review

There was a lot of room for theatrics in this Shock Docs, both in the recreated scenes and during the investigation. Not that that’s a slam.

The recreations were all well-acted and the music couldn’t have been more atmospheric. However, they’re also pretty graphic and disturbing.

Which, good luck Disney-izing a case like Ed Gein. After all, he made chairs out of skin, a belt out of nipples, and a whole “meat suit” pieced together from the skin of various corpses. Watching stuff like that as a part of a horror movie like Silence of the Lambs is scary enough. At least you can tell yourself, “Okay, that’s frightening, but it’s not real. It’s just a movie.”

Except, what Ed Gein did was no movie. It was truly horrible.

And then there’s the investigation aspect. I love the chemistry between Shippy and Kaza. I’m always leery of watching TV investigators though.

Den of Geek summed it best when they described Kaza as “fascinating to watch as she takes in a room.”

She is.

I don’t know if she’s really picking up on what she says she is and hasn’t been influenced by any research ahead of time or not. I’m a skeptic at heart and always will be, so I have my doubts. But she draws me in and makes me want to set aside my skepticism.

Steve is always a solid investigator. He’s not easily excitable and stays level-headed. He’s also always incredibly respectful both to spirits and the living alike. However, he’s not as impartial as he could be. Sometimes I feel he’s accepting things (like the knife that may or not have belonged to Ed Gein) without fully vetting them out.

Overall though, it’s another very watchable special, especially because Ed Gein: The Real Psycho merges true crime, pop horror movie culture, and ghost hunting to create the scariest Shock Docs special yet. If you love shocking and terrifying, this one will be right up your alley!

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