Ever since Netflix dropped Monster: The Ed Gein Story, everyone has the same question. It isn't just about the human skin lampshades or the "woman suit" anymore. It's about that voice.
Charlie Hunnam plays Gein with this soft, high-pitched, almost childlike whisper. It's unsettling. It’s weird. Honestly, it sounds like he’s trying to channel a timid Disney character who just happened to lose his mind in a Wisconsin farmhouse.
But here’s the thing: did Ed Gein really talk like that? If you grew up watching Psycho or The Silence of the Lambs, you probably pictured Gein as a stuttering Norman Bates or a deep-voiced Buffalo Bill. The reality is somewhere in the middle, and it's actually much more mundane than the movies suggest.
The Mystery of the "Lost Tapes"
For decades, we didn't actually know what Ed Gein sounded like. There were no public recordings. Researchers and true crime authors had to rely on written transcripts and second-hand accounts from the folks in Plainfield.
Everything changed in 2023.
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The MGM+ docuseries Psycho: The Lost Tapes of Ed Gein unearthed audio that had been tucked away in a safety deposit box for years. These were recordings of Gein’s interrogations with local law enforcement—specifically a 70-minute interview conducted shortly after his arrest in 1957.
When you listen to the real Ed Gein, the first thing you notice is that he sounds... normal. Well, "Wisconsin normal" for 1957.
He has a thick Upper Midwestern accent. Think Fargo, but without the upbeat "don't-cha-know" energy. It’s a flat, nasal tone. He drops his "th" sounds for "d" sounds (like "dat" instead of "that").
Comparing the Real Voice to Charlie Hunnam’s Portrayal
So, did Hunnam nail it? Not exactly.
In the Netflix series, Hunnam uses a voice that is significantly higher and more "breathy" than the real Gein. If you listen to the actual interrogation tapes, Gein’s voice is raspier. It’s a bit more traditionally masculine than the show portrays, though it is undeniably shaky.
Gein sounds distant. He sounds like a man who is confused or perhaps mentally checked out, which makes sense given that he was eventually diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Director James Buddy Day, who worked on the 2023 documentary, described the real voice as "meek and mild." He noted that Gein doesn't sound like a cinematic monster. He sounds like the quiet neighbor who might help you fix your car and then awkwardly walk away without saying goodbye.
Why the High-Pitched Voice in "Monster"?
If the real Ed Gein didn't sound like a cartoon bird, why did the showrunners go that route?
Charlie Hunnam has been pretty open about his process. He didn't actually have access to the interrogation tapes until three or four days before filming started. By then, he’d already built a version of Ed in his head.
He wasn't trying to mimic a recording; he was trying to mimic a psychology.
Hunnam based the voice on Gein’s obsession with his mother, Augusta. The theory goes like this: Augusta Gein was a fanatically religious, domineering woman who reportedly told Ed she wished he had been a girl.
Hunnam’s "voice" was an artistic choice. He wanted to sound like a man who was perpetually trying to please a woman who hated him. It was a "daughter voice."
- The Inspiration: Actor Mark Rylance’s performance in the play Jerusalem.
- The Vibe: A mix of Michael Jackson and a timid child.
- The Result: A performance that some viewers found "comical" or "ridiculous," while others found it deeply disturbing.
The Plainfield Perspective: What the Neighbors Said
If you talk to the few people left who actually remember Ed Gein, they don't mention a high-pitched squeak.
They describe a man who was "unremarkable."
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He was the "odd job" man. He babysat for local families. Imagine that—the "Butcher of Plainfield" watching your kids. The consensus from 1950s Wisconsin was that Ed was a "soft-spoken" guy. He wasn't loud. He didn't have a booming presence.
One neighbor once described his speech as "muttering." He would look at his feet and sort of drone on about things that didn't make much sense. He had a dry, dark sense of humor that people at the time just chalked up to him being a "weird bachelor."
When he told people he had "shrunken heads" in his house, they laughed. They thought it was a joke. His voice was so unassuming that they couldn't imagine he was telling the literal truth.
The "Irish Accent" Confusion
There’s a weird subculture of Reddit threads right now claiming Charlie Hunnam sounds Irish in the show.
He doesn’t.
What people are hearing is a mix of a British actor (Hunnam is from Newcastle, England) trying to do a very specific, old-school Wisconsin accent. The "Geordie" lilt of Newcastle sometimes clashes with the flat vowels of the Midwest.
Also, certain features of the Wisconsin accent—like the way they handle "o" and "a" sounds—can sound vaguely similar to certain Irish dialects to an untrained ear. But let’s be clear: the real Ed Gein was as Wisconsin as a cheese curd. He didn't have a lick of Irish in his voice.
Fact-Checking the Sound of Horror
If you're looking for the most accurate version of how Ed Gein spoke, skip the Netflix drama and head to YouTube or Amazon Prime to find the Lost Tapes clips.
When you hear him say "I don't know" or describe his "experiments," the horror doesn't come from a weird pitch or a creepy whisper. It comes from the complete lack of emotion.
He sounds like he’s talking about the weather or the price of grain.
What You Should Do Next
If this deep dive into the "Ghoul of Plainfield" has you curious about the intersection of true crime and cinema, here are your next steps:
- Listen to the Actual Tapes: Search for "Ed Gein Lost Interrogation Tape (Remastered)." Hearing the actual 1957 audio will give you a much better sense of the man than any actor can.
- Watch the 2023 Documentary: Psycho: The Lost Tapes of Ed Gein on MGM+ is arguably the most factually grounded look at his life and voice available today.
- Read "Deviant" by Harold Schechter: If you want the most accurate written account of Gein's mannerisms and speech patterns, this is the gold standard for true crime researchers.
The real terror of Ed Gein wasn't that he sounded like a monster. It was that he sounded like everyone else. He was the quiet guy down the road who spoke softly, worked hard, and kept to himself—right up until the police stepped into his kitchen and found the truth.