Witnessed: Devil in the Ditch - Introducing: CRIMES OF…

Starting point is 00:00:00 Hey, everyone. It's Larison Campbell. If you're loving the vanishing of Janice Rose, you need to check out Crimes of, the newest show from Crime House Studios. It's hosted by Sabrina Deanna Roga and Corinne Vienne of two girls, one ghost. And Corinne was also behind one of the biggest podcast of 2025, Blink. Now they're bringing you Crimes of. It's a weekly true crime. anthology series that explores a new theme each season, from crimes of the paranormal, unsolved murders, celebrity downfalls, and more. For their first season, Sabrina and Karen are diving into crimes of infamy. It's the real-life true-crime events behind Hollywood's most iconic horror villains, from cult classics to massive franchises. I'm excited to share a special preview of Crimes of with you. If you like what you hear, follow Crimes of on Apple Podcasts, Spotify,

Starting point is 00:01:08 Amazon Music, or wherever you listen, so you can get even more episodes. We'll also include a link to the show in the description of this episode. Here it is now. This is Crime House. Let's play a quick little game, Sabrina. Ooh.

Starting point is 00:01:32 I want to play two truths in a lie. Your favorite? I know. So I will give you three facts about today's subject, a 1950s real-life killer named Ed Gein. And you're going to guess which one is the lie. Okay. Ready? Mm-hmm.

Starting point is 00:01:45 Okay. Number one, when police entered Ed Gein's house, they found furniture made of human body parts. Okay. Number two, Ed was a trusted babysitter around town who was loved by the kids for his magic tricks. And number three, Ed was found guilty of his crimes right away and he spent the rest of his life in prison. I really want it to be number two because how could a serial killer be the town beloved babysitter? Right. It's so weird. Yeah, it's so creepy and unsettling for all those kids to, you know, later in life realize that thought that was their babysitter. But because it's so outlandish, I feel like that has to be true.

Starting point is 00:02:25 Correct. So I'm going to go with number three. Shockingly, number three is the lie. Ed did not spend the rest of his days behind bars, but instead he did spend it in a hospital because he was found mentally incompetent to stand trial. And then he was later ruled not guilty by reason of insanity. So today we'll tell you all about Ed's victims, his life and the twisted crimes he committed and how Ed's warped mental state became the inspiration for not one, but several of the world's most iconic horror films.

Starting point is 00:02:58 Welcome to Crimes of, the show that takes you into different corners of the true crime universe to explore the biggest cases that changed the course of history. Each 8 to 12 episode season, we will dive deeper into the themes from movies to music, to scandals, to crimes of passion, and heartbreaking disappearances. Every Tuesday, we will be here to share these stories in a whole new light, and you can catch the show on YouTube where we will include visuals that bring the cases to life. We are calling this season Crimes of Infamy, because we are going to be exploring one of our own personal obsessions horror movies. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:03:38 And now I'm sure you've never wondered what a lampshade made out of real human flesh would look like. No. Or what a pair of pants made from real human legs would be like to wear? But Ed Gein did. And as horrifying and sadistic as that sounds, it is not fiction. It is disturbingly real. It's very real. If you've even dipped a single toe into the true crime universe before, you probably have heard Ed's name mentioned because he might be one of the most iconic and disturbed killers in American history.

Starting point is 00:04:11 He's also the real-life monster who inspired the iconic films like Psycho, Silence of the Lambs, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and so many more. And we'll talk more about these films right after this. So now maybe the most infamous nod to Ed Gein is the character Norman Bates, the main character in Psycho. But before we talk about the movie, let's talk about the book, Robert Block. So it turns out Block was writing the novel Psycho in 1958, 35 miles away from where Gein lived. And this is when all of these crimes are happening. But Block has no idea the full extent of Gein's history.

Starting point is 00:04:54 the murders until after the book was already published. So, shockingly, his character, Norman Bates, is eerily similar to Ed Gain. He was writing this book just miles from where Ed Gein was committing these atrocious acts, but had no clue. So then this book was then adapted into a film by Alfred Hitchcock, King of Horror, in 1960. And while there are some differences, like Ed never ran a hotel like Norman Bates did, and he never killed anyone in the shower, like that infamous scene in Psycho, like Norman did. And Ed didn't keep the corpse of his mother in his home, although arguably he did because he did take the head into his home.

Starting point is 00:05:33 Right. So the similarities that the two did share were intricate, like the sexual repression, both Augusta and Norma encouraged in their sons. They both fostered a deep emotional dependence in their children, and that led to a disturbing Oedipus complex in both men. And then also both men snapped after their mother. untimely deaths. So this movie has so many twists and turns and other similarities to Ed Gein that we don't want to spoil it for you. But if you haven't seen it, what are you doing? Who are you? What's

Starting point is 00:06:02 wrong with you? Sorry. No, no judgment. Pause this episode right now. Go watch it. Come back. Yes. Have a movie marathon after this episode. With fava beans and kianti. Apple pie with a slice of cheese on top. Because this is absolutely one to add to your watch list. And I think all of this begs a more interesting question. What's that, Karen? What's more interesting? What is it about Ed Gein and all of these real-life monsters that makes for such fascinating on-screen characters? Why are they messed up? Why are we messed up watching it? We're all a little bit messed up in the head.

Starting point is 00:06:40 Thank you for listening to the start of our new show, Crimes of. If you want to hear what happens next, search Crimes of and follow wherever you listen to podcasts or subscribe to Crimehouse Studios on YouTube. We appreciate your support. Follow Crimes of, a Crimehouse Original now. New episodes release every Tuesday. Again, that's Crimes of. Click the link in this episode description to listen now, or follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music,

Starting point is 00:07:14 or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Witnessed: Devil in the Ditch - Introducing: CRIMES OF…

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