16 American Cities Forever Changed by True Crime Documentaries

8. Plainfield, Wisconsin: The Butcher's Legacy

Plainfield, Wisconsin, is forever haunted by the name Ed Gein, whose macabre crimes in the 1950s inspired infamous horror villains like Norman Bates and Leatherface. Though predating modern documentaries, Gein's story is consistently revisited in true crime series (e.g., "Ed Gein: The Real Psycho"). The narratives paint Plainfield as an isolated, unsuspecting farming community, unaware of the depravity festering in its midst. The documentaries explore the psychological landscape of rural isolation, and how such an unassuming backdrop could conceal such unfathomable evil, forever branding Plainfield with a chilling legacy.