Director talks Ed Gein's mark on horror.
Summary Psycho: The Lost Tapes of Ed Gein is a horrifying docuseries that takes viewers deeper into the mind of one of the most infamous serial killers in history. Ed Gein has had an immeasurable impact on society, inspiring horror movies such as Psycho, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Silence of the Lambs. The docuseries includes never-before-heard tapes of Ed Gein speaking about his crimes, revealing new details.
They were just raw. They hadn't been transcribed or anything. I was filtering them, putting them through different plugins myself, trying to decipher what he was saying. It took me two weeks, and then I was rereading the books. It was like the best Christmas ever because I just got to do nothing but learn about Ed Gein for two weeks. I was super excited.
Wow. So incredible. Now, there's something extra chilling about an unassuming person that could be the person next door doing all these horrendous crimes. Before making this docuseries, what was your relationship or understanding about Ed Gein? James Buddy Day: It's a super interesting question. The Plainfield Cemetery, which we went to and filmed at, is owned by the town. The town of Plainfield is not actually a town. I mean, it's not like an incorporated town. But we went out and saw the graves for ourselves and saw the things. The answer is we don't know. We don't if he dug up his mother.
James Buddy Day: Yeah, the answer is they do for sure. We spent a lot of time in Plainfield. It's hard to go to Plainfield and not encounter the story, even unwillingly. I remember we were having lunch. Actually in the middle of Plainfield, there's not much in Plainfield, but in the middle of Plainfield, there's this really beautiful café, which is great.