Ed Gein | The Plainfield Butcher

The American public has always had a sick fascination sick fascination with violent crimes and violent criminals. How else could you explain the success of shows like Law and Order: SVU, a show mostly about rape and molestation victims, or the success of horror movies like The Ring and horror franchises like the Saw series.

Still, nothing intrigues us more than true horror stories, and we have one man to thank for some of America's favorite creepy classics: Ed Gein.Ed Gein.He inspired film classics like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Psycho, and Silence of the Lambs.

Although Gein isn't typically thought of as contributing something positive to society, he, along with other famous criminals, have helped shaped American taste and storytelling. We are not trying to prove that Gein is some sort of unsung hero in American history simply because his deranged behavior influenced masterful filmmakers. We just want to tell the story of his slow descent into insanity and how his demise benefitted American culture. After all, if it wasn't for ol' Ed, Jodie Foster would be out an Oscar.