In the wake of Netflix's latest true-crime binge, Monster: The Ed Gein Story, viewers are digging deeper into the enigmatic figure of Adeline Watkins, the woman portrayed as Gein's long-time girlfriend. The series paints a chilling picture of romance amid horror, but reality, as often happens, proves far messier and less dramatic. Ed Gein, the infamous Wisconsin handyman whose gruesome acts inspired films like Psycho and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, died in 1984 after confessing to murders in 1957. Yet his supposed love life with Watkins has only recently resurfaced in public fascination.
Watkins, a Plainfield resident, first thrust herself into the spotlight weeks after Gein's arrest. In a 1957 interview with the Minneapolis Tribune, she claimed a 20-year affair with the killer, describing him as "quiet and discreet" and recounting social outings like movie dates. She even alleged Gein proposed marriage in 1955, a detail that fueled tabloid frenzy and painted her as the unsuspected partner in his dark world. Her mother backed the story, suggesting a deep bond formed over shared interests in books and geography magazines. Indeed, Watkins portrayed Gein as almost normal—a far cry from the grave-robbing ghoul police uncovered on his farm.
But hold on. Just weeks later, Watkins backpedaled hard. In a follow-up to the Stevens Point Journal, she dismissed the initial account as "exaggerated" and "blown out of proportion." Their connection, she clarified, didn't start until 1954 and lasted only about seven intermittent months. No grand romance, just occasional chats and films; she'd never even stepped inside his ramshackle home. Moreover, Gein himself never mentioned her in confessions or interviews, leaving historians to question if the proposal was real or just wishful thinking on her part.
The Netflix adaptation amps up the drama, showing Watkins (played by Suzanna Son) as a confidante to Gein's crimes, complete with wedding plans. Yet no evidence supports a marriage or even a serious commitment; Gein remained a loner, scarred by his domineering mother. Watkins lived out her days quietly, dying in the 1970s, her brief notoriety fading into obscurity. This episode reminds us how quickly facts twist under media glare, especially when tied to monsters like Gein.
One wonders, though, what draws us to these blurred lines between truth and tall tale in the end.