Fictional Characters Inspired by Real Serial Killers

Truth is stranger than fiction, and that’s why it provides so much fodder for authors. When it comes to creating terrifying monsters, people have found inspiration from infamous murderers and serial killers for years.

Ed Gein — Every Big Name Boogeyman You Know

Imagine a sexually repressed, socially awkward ‘Momma’s Boy’ with hoarding tendencies. Now imagine he also enjoys digging up corpses in order to create morbid housewares and personal fashion like cereal bowls made from skulls, or an entire belt made from nipples.

Ed Gein is a mainstay in serial killer circles despite*the fact that he’s not actually a serial killer. In fact, only two deaths are attributed to him — tavern owner Mary Hogan in 1954, and Bernice Worden, a Plainfield hardware store owner, in 1957.

But ol’ Ed is notorious for a completely different reason. Once police searched his home and the details began to emerge, Ed Gein would become the template for a slew of boogeymen in entertainment.

It wasn’t until Ed had murdered Bernice Worden, the owner of the local hardware store, that he drew…