The reallife Watkins once referred to the gruesome killer as &34;quiet and polite.&34; Who was Adeline Watkins? The truth about Ed Gein's alleged girlfriend in

The real-life Watkins once referred to the gruesome killer as "quiet and polite."

Who was Adeline Watkins? The truth about Ed Gein's alleged girlfriend in Netflix's Monster

The real-life Watkins once referred to the gruesome killer as "quiet and polite."

By Allison DeGrushe

Allison DeGrushe

Allison DeGrushe is a timely SEO writer at **. She has been working at * *since 2025. Her work has previously appeared on Distractify.

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October 7, 2025 1:11 p.m. ET

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Adeline Watkins; Suzanna Son as Adeline on 'Monster: The Ed Gein Story'. Credit:

Bettmann Archive/Getty; Courtesy Of Netflix

- *Monster: The Ed Gein Story *explores the serial killer's alleged romance with Adeline Watkins.

- The series takes many creative liberties with the character, positing her as an accomplice of Gein's despite a lack of evidence.

- Suzanna Son portrays Watkins on *Monster: The Ed Gein Story*.**

The latest entry in Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan's disturbing *Monster *anthology, titled *Monster: The Ed Gein Story*, centers on the uniquely gruesome crimes of Wisconsin killer Ed Gein (played by Charlie Hunnam).

Dubbed the Butcher of Plainfield or the Plainfield Ghoul, Gein shocked the country and went on to inspire legendary horror movies like *Psycho *and *The Texas Chain Saw Massacre*.

Following Gein's arrest for the murder of Bernice Worden, a woman named Adeline Watkins stepped forward to say she and Gein were an item, though she later retracted that statement. On the series, Watkins is played by actress Suzanna Son and depicted as a close confidant of Gein's and someone who joined him on grave-robbing expeditions.

How true is this characterization of the relationship? Here's everything we know about Gein's alleged companion, Adeline Watkins.

Who was Adeline Watkins?

Adeline Watkins.

Bettmann Archive/Getty

Watkins was born in 1907. Growing up, she lived with her mother in a small apartment in Plainfield, Wis.

Watkins entered the public eye in November 1957, just days after Gein's arrest, when she spoke to the *Minneapolis Tribune* and claimed she had been in a relationship with him for 20 years.

She described Gein as "good and kind and sweet," sentiments echoed by her mother, who called him a "sweet, polite man" and noted that Gein always brought her daughter home by 10 p.m.

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Watkins claimed their relationship was pretty wholesome, and Gein was always "so nice about doing things [she] wanted to do."

Date nights usually involved going to the movies, though they visited local taverns once in a while, though Gein wasn't much of a drinker. "I would almost have to drag Eddie into a tavern," she told the outlet. "He would much rather have gone to a drugstore for a milkshake."

The pair also reportedly bonded over a shared love of books. "Eddie and I discussed books," she recalled. "We never read the same ones, but we liked to talk about them anyway," she added, saying that Gein enjoyed "books about lions and tigers and Africa and India."

Another shared interest was true crime. Watkins said she and Gein frequently discussed murders they'd read about (though not the ones Gein eventually confessed to). "I guess we discussed every murder we ever heard about," she said. "Eddie told [me] how the murderer did wrong, what mistakes he had made. I thought it was interesting."

Why did Adeline Watkins turn down Ed Gein's alleged proposal?

Charlie Hunnam as Ed Gein and Suzanna Son as Adeline on 'Monster: The Ed Gein Story'.

Courtesy Of Netflix

During the same interview, Watkins revealed that Gein proposed to her, telling reporters she rejected his proposal. "I turned him down, but not because there was anything wrong with him," she said. "It was something wrong with me. I guess I was afraid I wouldn't be able to live up to what he expected of me."

Even after turning him down, Watkins said her feelings for Gein never changed. "I loved him and I still do," she said at the time.

Did Adeline Watkins walk back her romantic claims about Ed Gein?

Suzanna Son as Adeline and Charlie Hunnam as Ed Gein on 'Monster: The Ed Gein Story'.

Courtesy Of Netflix

Yes, shortly after the *Minneapolis Tribune* interview, Watkins abruptly changed her story.

In a December 1957 interview published by the *Stevens Point Journal*, Watkins called the original story an exaggeration that was "blown up out of proportion" and contained "untrue statements."

Watkins firmly denied ever being his "sweetheart" and clarified that their relationship had been strictly platonic. According to her, Gein began visiting her apartment around 1954. While they occasionally went to the movies together, there was nothing romantic between them.

Nevertheless, she stood by her description of Gein as "quiet and polite" but pushed back on more intimate details. Watkins vehemently denied ever calling Gein "sweet" and was "quite emphatic in stating that she had never 'practically dragged him into a tavern,'" as the *Minneapolis Tribune* had reported. Watkins also stated that she felt sorry for Gein.

Who portrays Adeline Watkins on Monster: The Ed Gein Story?

Suzanna Son as Adeline on 'Monster: The Ed Gein Story'.

Courtesy Of Netflix

On the Netflix series, Watkins is portrayed by Suzanna Son. After her breakthrough as Strawberry in Sean Baker's *Red Rocket* (2021), she went on to land roles on HBO's *The Idol *(2023) and in Netflix's slasher *Fear Street: Prom Queen* (2025).

In a May 2025 interview with *Women's Wear Daily*, Son called playing Watkins " a dream role," adding, "I feel like I'm the luckiest girl in the world. … I'm learning every day. I've grown so much."

To celebrate the season's launch, the actress recently shared a carousel of behind-the-scenes photos on Instagram. "*MONSTER* was built by hundreds of hands and hearts," she wrote. "It's their work you see on screen, their energy in every frame, too. I'll never forget the care and grit they brought every single, freezing day."

How true is Adeline Watkins portrayal on Monster: The Ed Gein Story?

Suzanna Son on the set of 'Monster: The Ed Gein Story'.

Suzanna Son/Instagram

The depiction of Watkins on *Monster: The Ed Gein Story* takes significant creative liberties and bears little resemblance to what is publicly known about the real Watkins.

On the show, Watkins is portrayed as a willing accomplice to Gein's crimes, helping him rob graves while fueling his violent fantasies.

The show also sees Watkins expose Gein to disturbing material, such as photos from concentration camps and books about notorious Nazi war criminal Ilse Koch (played by Vicky Krieps), who, as Gein would go on to do, allegedly collected human skin and body parts. The series even sees Watkins encouraging necrophilia.

In reality, there's no credible evidence linking Watkins to any of Gein's crimes, nor is there evidence that she was inspired by Gein to commit murders of her own, as is implied in the season finale.

In an interview with Netflix's Tudum, Hunnam said he sees the character of Watkins as more as a figment of Gein's imagination. "My interpretation was that she's in a large part a fantasy of Ed's," he said. "He finds, whether in reality or in his mind, this sort of kindred spirit with Adeline, somebody who can relate and to understand these primal urges and instincts that he has."

Where can I watch Monster: The Ed Gein Story?

*Monster: The Ed Gein Story* is now streaming on Netflix.

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