Ed Gein(2000)
2000 · Chuck Parello · 89 min
The true story of Edward Gein, the farmer whose horrific crimes inspired Psycho, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Silence of the Lambs. This is the first film to Gein's tormented upbringing, his adored but domineering mother, and the 1957 arrest uncovered the most bizarre series of murders America has ever seen
Crime · Drama · Horror · Thriller
5.4126 votes
TMDB score
3/5
Intensity
3/5
Gore
3/5
Stays with you
How Ed Gein scares
You feel a slow, sick unease more than any real shock, like watching a quiet small-town life curdle into something rotten from the inside. The pace is patient and grim, spending a lot of time on a lonely, controlled man and the twisted bond with his mother before easing into the horror he became known for. There are no jump scares here, just a steady sense of wrongness and a handful of grisly, unsettling images once the truth comes out. It's more of a bleak character study than a scare ride, best suited to people interested in true crime and the psychology of a real killer rather than horror-movie thrills.
On The Horror Database's 0–5 scare profile, Ed Gein rates psychological 4/5, visceral 2/5, gore 3/5, lingering effect 3/5, and overall intensity 3/5.
- Psychological: 4 of 5
- Visceral: 2 of 5
- Gore: 3 of 5
- Lingering: 3 of 5
- Intensity: 3 of 5
Slow burn vs Jump scares: 10 of 100 — leans Slow burn
Supernatural vs Real-world: 95 of 100 — leans Real-world
Fun-scary vs Disturbing: 75 of 100 — leans Disturbing
Intensity over runtime
Shape only — no eventsReveal pacing shapeHide pacing shapeHidden by default — shows where the tension peaks and lets up.
A slow, unsettling character study that gradually tightens into a disturbing, grim final stretch.
Intensity across the runtime, 0 to 100: 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 4, 4, 3, 4, 5.
How scary is Ed Gein?
On The Horror Database's 0–5 intensity scale, Ed Gein rates 3/5 — solidly scary, building its fear through slow-burn dread rather than shocks. The fear is mostly in your head — it unsettles far more than it assaults. Expect it to be moderately gory and genuinely disturbing. Some of it will follow you to bed, but it lets go within a day or so.
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