Why am I such a Sicko for PSYCHO?
Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. Was he based on a real person? I have a somewhat unique knowledge of this movie (one of my favorites) and will share some of the creepy details with you in this blog post.
You can’t take me anywhere. If you do, I’ll embarrass you by walking up to the first stranger I see and offer obscure trivia relating to Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 movie, Psycho. You will know I’m doing this even if you are out of earshot because the look on the person’s face will exactly resemble that of someone who has just been handed a gift-basket of dog-doo cupcakes.
The fact that I know so much about the movie Psycho is disturbing; even to me. In all fairness, though, my freakish knowledge came to me, not because I’m some kind of vintage horror movie junkie, or that I have a secret desire to conceal my dead mother’s mummified corpse in the fruit-cellar, but because of a series of bizarre coincidences and serendipitous accidents.
When I was sixteen-years-old I found a mangled paperback containing a bunch of horror stories by various American writers. After reading the first few without so much as a yawn, I came across one entitled, The Animal Fair, by some guy named Robert Bloch. Up to this point I had never heard of the guy. But, I will never, EVER, forget my reaction after reading that story. It was the sickest, most twisted piece of literature I had ever encountered. I was hooked.
I began reading everything of his that I could get my hands on, most of it in the form of short stories. Amazingly, I didn’t read his most-famous novel, Psycho, until years later and long after I had seen Hitchcock’s adaptation several times.
Most people would probably consider Bloch’s work terrifying, but to me, almost all of it, at least on some level, is funny—even Psycho. The guy was hilarious.
Although I never got to meet Robert Bloch, I heard stories about how funny he was in person. When people found out he was the author of Psycho, they’d often accuse him of being deranged; seeing no other way he could have come up with such a tale. Bloch’s response was priceless: “Actually I have the heart of a small boy,” he would reply. “I keep it in a jar on my desk.”*
My Weird Connection: Psycho was first published by Simon & Schuster in 1959 (the year I was born) and Robert Bloch died on September 23, 1994 (my 34th birthday).
In 1993, my (then) wife and I moved from Huntington Beach, California (population 180,000) to Almond, Wisconsin (population 455). I don’t have the space here to explain such an insane move, but maybe I’ll write about it some day. After we learned our way around, we began going out to Sunday breakfast. Since the local restaurant in Almond was closed on Sundays, we would skip over to the adjoining town of Plainfield and eat at the local Truck Stop. It was there that I learned about Plainfield’s most notorious historical resident: Ed Gein.
Eddie, it turns out, was the inspiration for Norman Bates in Robert Bloch’s novel. On November 16, 1957 he, Gein, walked into Worden’s hardware store in downtown Plainfield, brutally shot and killed Bernice Worden, then took her body home where he hung it up in a shed and dressed it out like a deer carcass. His intention was to make a female-vest to wear around the house while taking on the personality of his dead mother (I’m not joking).
When the authorities caught-up with him they found not only Mrs. Worden’s body, but a whole house full of human remains cobbled into furniture including lamp shades made of human skin; bed posts topped with human skulls, and much more. (I’ll spare the gory details here—after all, this is supposed to be a humor blog)
It seems Eddie had been doing a bit of grave-robbing to furnish his house. One of his favorite graveyards was Spiritland Cemetery which happens to be located in—tada!—my happy little town of Almond (I have since moved back to Southern California—not because of the Gein connection, but because of my divorce).
If you are one of the few people still reading this, can you see how it’s not entirely my fault that I’m so knowledgeable about this movie? I just happened to move to an area that was closely connected with Psycho. But, wait! There’s more!
While writing Psycho, Robert Bloch lived in the small town of Weyauwega which was about 30 miles from Almond. Every week-day on my way to work I passed this small town and its small motel sitting right off highway 10 called, The Lakeside Inn. I’m sure you have already guessed that this was the inspiration for the Bates’ Motel in Bloch’s novel. I drove by the Bates’ Motel nearly every day. I didn’t plan it. It’s not my fault.
Not far from Weyauwega was the town of Waupaca. We would often go to a movie there since it was the closest place to do so, and then grab a bite to eat, check out the antique shops, or just wander around admiring the town’s many beautiful old Victorian style houses. One house near the post office was quite impressive. I later found out that it was Alfred Hitchcock’s inspiration for the Psycho House in the movie (this is according to a newspaper article I read and also what a local Wisconsin Convention & Visitor’s Bureau employee told me).
I could seriously go on and on about my accidental brushes with Psycho history and other, unrelated Psycho trivia, but this post is running way too long already, so I’ll just give you one last unrelated, but interesting tidbit: the blood in the shower scene is actually Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup (true, I swear. They used it because it looked more realistic on black & white film than stock movie blood).
*NOTE TO STEPHEN KING FANS: The “heart of a small boy” quote above is often attributed to King but is indisputably Bloch’s. It appears, in full, on the rear dustjacket panel of his 1947 novel, The Scarf. (Stephen King was a new-born baby in September of 1947).
Dead Rooster is the online home of 
Psyco was a great movie. I learned about the chocolate syrup from a movie classics class. I saw many Hichcock films from that class.
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@Shirley,
The chocolate syrup thing is one of the more well-known pieces of trivia, but it is so interesting I decided to include it. Another interesting tidbit from that scene is that the censors wanted to cut it from the film, not because of nudity (there actually wasn’t any) or the violence, but because it showed a toilet on screen! LOL
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I love your post. You have a very entertaining and humorous way of writing.
I completely agree that horror movies are generally more hilarious than scary. That said I’m hooked and nothing can deter me from watching them.
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awesome post… and i am going to havbe to do a little reading of bloch’s myself,, as i am remiss as to anything else he ever wrote… but i have seen the movie about ed gein…
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@BellaVida,
Thanks for the kind words! I appreciate that.
@paisley,
Unfortunately, there are few of Bloch’s really good works still in print. I recommend you go to a used book store and seek out some of his short story collections. Used book stores usually have a few old paperbacks (Warning, The Complete Stories of Robert Bloch, 3 vols, is not complete and is really only his lesser works–I don’t really recommend them unless you want to complete a collection).
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The macabre has always fascinated me. Perhaps it’s because I can’t fathom how a person could do such things (Ed Gein reference there) or what makes a person “evil”. Surely evil people aren’t made… well, I guess in some instances they certainly are – but what about those who are brought up ‘normally’ and without any odd incident and have no signs of mental disturbance?
Crap. I am rambling… again.
You’re right.. I am a King fan and I have heard that quote attributed to him. I learned something tonight.
I love all things horror related and things that make you cringe, yet you just can’t look away.
Excellent post! I thoroughly enjoyed reading it!
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@TheMrs,
Gein was a ghoul. He furnished his house from body parts he got from his grave robbing. Just for kicks we went to Plainfield cemetery where Gein himself is buried and his headstone is all chipped-up from people taking souvenirs. My sister-in-law said, “We should dig him up and make a lamp out of HIM.” LOL
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This was kinda creepy. But it’s good to know a lot about something!
D
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@Jillian,
It is creepy. And this is like revealing a deep dark secret about myself.
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Oh man. I think I must be a real nut job. I love Stephen King, and I am hesitant to admit, but I know all about Ed Gein because I read so much true crime and horror books. I can’t get enough. Great post.
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@ettarose,
Thanks! It was interesting living right in Gein’s neighborhood, but it was a bit creepy too.
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Man, I’m so glad ettarose piped in with that first. I had a phase once when I would read only true crime and horror books and stumbled onto a book about Ed Gein. What a sicko. I had heard that “Leatherface” from “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” was also loosely based on Ed Gein…is that true? Anyways, I love all horror stories too. Movie or books. I love being scared I guess…lol
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@Diamond Digger,
Leatherface from TCM and Buffalo Bill from Silence of the Lambs. Can you believe some of the Plainfield townspeople used to hire Ed Gein to babysit their kids?
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Assuming she is no longer with us, if not a fruit-cellar, just where would you conceal your dead mother’s mummified corpse?
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@Don,
Actually, my mother is still with us. However, if I were Norman Bates I would probably hide my mothers corpse in the passenger seat of my car so I could freely and whimsically drive in the car pool lane. Boy, that’d be sweet!
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William – I have a couple of books on serial killers and their crimes. There is one that is an encyclopedia of sorts, listing them in alphabetical order and how many people they were guilty/accused/suspected of killing. Funny thing is, Gein only killed 3 people. The rest of his ‘trophies’ he gained from grave-robbing. Nice, eh? *gag*
Something I’ve never understood… how can a person be denied insanity (in a court of law) when I’d call furnishing your house in human remains complete with people skin vests.. pretty damn insane. :-/
Remember that movie “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”? After reading about Gein, that movie made me wonder……. modeled after him or after some other sicko?
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@TheMrs,
I believe they were only able to prove he killed one person (Mrs Worden); the other two were missing in the area at the time and they presumed Gein did away with them–although they had no physical evidence. That is my understanding anyway.
By the way, Worden’s Hardware store still stands today, but it is currently a True Value.
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“Can you believe some of the Plainfield townspeople used to hire Ed Gein to babysit their kids?”
OMG William, that just gave me chills. It’s scary to think that we can never truly know anyone….we just think we know them! *shivers again*
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@Diamond Digger,
I actually spoke with someone that claimed she was watched by Gein as a baby–though she was obviously too young at the time to remember (she “shivered” as she told me this–and, I can’t blame her).
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That was great insight into the film physco. I would like to look into getting into Bloch’s work , what in your opinion is your fav book?
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@1990 toys,
My favorite of Bloch’s work are The Opener of the Way and Pleasant Dreams. Unfortunately, both of these have been out of print for decades. They are collectors items now and are very pricey. NOTE: I am referring to the Arkham House editions–there are other, later editions from other publishers available with the same titles but I have not read these and don’t know if they even contain the same stories.
Another, more affordable book I recommend is Appreciations of the Master. It is also out of print but used copies can still be found on Amazon at reasonable prices. This book includes many stories found in the other two, more scarce titles I just mentioned. It includes “The Animal Fair” which I mentioned in my post (although, I believe it has been abridged somewhat).
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… I didn’t read the post. (I didn’t do my homework, either. Sorry)
I tried, but Psycho just wasn’t pulling me in today. Your blog title, however, is hilarious, and based on that alone, I decided to check out your blog from entrecard and snoop around.
Ah. The world needs more dead roosters.
I’m sure KFC lovers would agree.
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@WebDiggin,
Hopefully, KFC doesn’t use too many roosters!
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I hate to say it, but I actually enjoy reading about Ed Gein, Psycho, Robert Bloch, etc. because I live in Waupaca WI. Although freaky Eddy died before I was born, it still makes me shiver knowing I live no more than 20 miles away from where he committed his sick crimes. In fact, I frequent Plainfield many times a year to visit their two lovely adult toy stores, but thats a different story. I don’t know where his gravesite is, but I’ve heard the stone was removed after too much vandalism, and his house was burned down. Being near Halloween, I expect many people from the area to visit his burial site…although it would be frightening, it’s too bad his house isn’t still standing as a Halloween haunted house, or museum. I read on wikipedia that the average yearly household income in Plainfield is less than $50K…the town would make millions off nationwide tourism during this season!
In regards to the house in Waupaca being the model for Hitchcock’s Psycho house, very very true. I drive by it everyday when I go downtown, and it’s dead-on to the one in Psycho. I didn’t know there was an actual model made, I recall hearing many times that Hitchcock had a picture of the real house and “pasted” it to the backdrop in his movie. Even if it wasn’t “The Psycho House” I’d still shudder looking at it, it’s repainted, but still creepy. I’m sure the owners buy lots of candy for trick-or-treaters, as I’m sure kids’ parents know about it. Another well-known house in Waupaca is the Christy House, located on a block of historic victorian homes on Lake Street. It’s featured in many Haunted House books, and has been known by all of its owners to be haunted. It’s a beautiful big home, with all the perfect details of a victorian house, but I wouldn’t step foot in it past dark. For such a small, little-known area, we have a very colorful history….I won’t mention the “colorful” people you’ll find here.
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William McCamment
reply on October 28th, 2008 8:45 pm:
OK, you just blew my mind on so many issues!
First of all, I didn’t know that Plainfield had two adult toy stores–it didn’t when I left back in 2000.
Second of all, I didn’t know about the Christy House in Waupaca, but I lived in Almond, Wisconsin in… the “Christy” house!
I am NOT making this up!
I have been to Gein’s gravesite in Plainfield Cemetery, back when it still had the headstone. There was a lot of chips in it from where people busted out pieces to take for souvenirs. (if you walk into the cemetery, look for the little pump shack, the grave is about a half-dozen-or-so to the right and down a row or two–look for his mother’s grave with the same last name–his is directly to the left).
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Hi; I have the second headstone of ed geins, an I need a picture of it while it was on his grave ,so if anyone has a picture of the second headstone of ed gein then email me at greenngold53@gmail.com thanks
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I lived next door to the Cristy House for many years and did odd jobs for Mrs. Cristy until her passing away. After that, no one lived in the house for a few years. Our family watched the house for its out-of-town owners. I used to go through the house at least twice a day, including at night, checking everything over and turning on and off various lights. I heard sounds from the heating system and other old house creaking noises, but never anything remotly haunted. After the house was sold, I only knew of one owner who claimed to have heard mysterous noises and I think she may have exagerated in the name of a good story.
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Oh boy, do I have news for you, Rooster. I have lived in Waupaca for 42 years. While in High school, the owners of the Christie house had 2 High school aged children. They, along with several others, including myself, were in a non-denominational church-based youth group. We didn’t have a set location to meet so we would take turns hosting it at our own homes. I remember it being at the Christie house one night that I will never forget. They told us all about the “haunting” and shared several creepy stories. I’m not sure how accurate they were, or how embellished they were, but they made for great drama and excitement. Then they took us to the kitchen and has us all watch the swinging door as they “summoned” Mrs. Christie. All of a sudden it swung part way open. The shrieks of fear slowly turned to shrieks of laughter as we discovered that the brother had pulled open the back door of the kitchen creating a small air pressure that was enough to push the free swinging front door to move. Great fun!!!! I have other stories of that night that were more truth related and one truly haunting experience from that night that still gives me goose bumps just thinking about but I’m getting to be long here and I have much more to tell.
I can do one, actually two, better on the Ed Gein subject. I dated a girl that lived in Plainfield as a child. Her Mother told her that Ed would occasionally stop by with some “venison”! The thing was, nobody ever knew of Ed to have gone hunting. Now, after you clean up your vomit from hearing that, let me also tell you that she also said that they never ate any of the meat that he brought because of the “hunting” and also the meat never seemed to be very fresh and looked to be “not quite right”.
NOW, hold on to your hat and make sure you are seated for this one. A friend of mine that I was graduated with, that also was in that same youth group, dabbled in acting and has gone on to write, produce, and star in a musical as the head character. It’s called, “Ed Gein – The Musical”!!! I swear on MY Mothers Grave!!! It has now been made into a lower budget movie as well!!!
Here’s the link, http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ed-Gein-The-Musical/145450210078
My friends name is Dan Davies. Great guy, look him up. I’m SURE he will be more than happy to talk to you. Take Care, Dale.
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William McCamment
reply on February 3rd, 2011 5:15 am:
Wow! Dale, that’s great stuff!
The venison story has been around for years and told by so many people that I think if Eddie had passed out that much “venison” there would’ve been a lot more people missing in central Wisconsin.
I am definitely going to check out that Ed Gein musical. Thanks for tipping me off!
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