Madison. You're so pretty!
That's a really pretty green.
Thank you.
Just wait until Randy sees you in that.
He'd like me if I was in a garbage bag.
That's true!
My mother would kill me if she saw this.
-No! -Yeah!
-They're just so pointy. -That's the idea.
It's called a bullet bra. It's what boys want nowadays.
Adeline, how do you know what boys want?
-I've seen it in comic books. -Comic books?
And men's magazines.
Yeah, you can send away for them.
I feel like I'm going to poke somebody's eye out.
Oh, then try it with a fuzzy sweater.
Bullet bras look best with a fuzzy sweater.
Ooh!
Oh, yes.
Mother?
I thought you said she was playing bridge.
She is.
Mother, is that you?
Hello?
Adeline?
Eddie?
Eddie, you seen your brother?
I don't know where he's at.
You and me can't run this farm alone.
Get those off.
Take them off.
You have brought sin into this house.
"But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable,
as for murderers,
the sexually immoral, sorcerers,
idolaters, and all liars,
their portion will be the lake that burns with fire and sulfur,
which is the second death."
"Amen."
Eddie…
why were you in my brassiere and nylons?
I suppose I was…
just trying to be funny.
Oh, you're joshing me?
I'm not joshing.
When I was a little girl,
I saw a clown riding a pogo stick at the circus.
And I went home, and I prayed on it,
and I never went back.
Because I realized that seeing wild beasts with tassels
and painted trapeze harlots for a chuckle,
it's blasphemy.
Sorry, Mother.
I won't do it again.
Get dressed.
Thank you.
Only a mother could love you.
Eddie, promise me…
you will never be involved with a Jezebel.
I don't fancy a Jezebel, Mother.
Oh, so you are seeing some…
I know who you got eyes for, that girl in town, that Pandora.
Her name's not Pandora, Mother.
-It's Adeline-- -No, her name is Pandora!
And you won't touch her!
You will never touch a woman!
You won't be marrying one!
And you won't be spilling your seed with one!
You understand me? It's sin, Eddie!
Women are sin.
Get in your room.
Thank you, Mother.
How do you do?
Hello.
You're not from Plainfield, are you?
Eddie, leave the girls alone.
Don't mean nothing by it.
Just wanted to welcome her to town, is all.
See you around.
Eddie, you can't do that.
Do what? Talk to a couple of girls?
You sound like Mother.
Saw your brother the other day. He was with that girl of his.
Yeah, you already told me.
Two straws, please.
You hearing this about the Nazi camps?
It's the Russians saying that. The communists.
Says here they put Jews in ovens.
Don't believe everything you read, Eddie, all's I'm saying.
Sorry I'm late.
So pinch me, I don't mind the pain
I'll forgive ya.
…I know I'm not livin' in vain
You've made another world for me
Just as I dreamt it'd be
So pinch me and I'll know it's true
Come here.
Pinch me, so I know that it's true
That I'm really makin' love to you
You're never gonna believe what came. You're the only person I can show this to.
Why is that?
Mm-mm. 'Cause you're the only one in this town who's like me.
What are we like?
Mm…
Weird.
So, you know those camps everyone's talking about?
Hm.
Look.
What's this?
Look.
Those are piles of dead bodies. It's from one of those camps.
-This can't be real. -Yeah, it is.
And that photo,
a soldier found that in the pocket of a dead Nazi officer.
Remember my cousin I was telling you about, Alice?
She lives in New York City, she works with this girl at the steno pool
who met this guy who said he was an office clerk,
but he actually works for the OSS.
What's the OSS?
It's a spy network behind enemy lines.
So I think he got these photos to kind of impress her, I guess.
I think he really wants to go with her.
God, look at all those dead bodies.
I mean, I really thought those were piles of wood or something.
And Alice found this little bookstore in Brooklyn
with all these crazy comic books.
"The Bitch of Buchenwald."
She's real. So she did all of that stuff.
Got you.
Got you again.
Where you been?
Oh, Mother's going to whip you when she sees you.
Oh, no, no, no.
Edward. The only one lets Ma whip him is you.
-Yeah, okay. Don't! -Yeah, okay?
No!
Stop it. Hm.
God, I can't tolerate it no more, Ed.
What?
I'm in love with Ginny.
-I want to marry her. -You can't.
Mother says you can't do that.
Ginny's twice divorced.
I don't give a flying fuck about that, Ed.
I can't do the religion no more, Ed.
The cage she's built for herself and she's trapped in it.
Look at me.
Right in the eye.
You're going to get trapped in it too.
All right?
Listen to me.
I'm getting out of here. All right? I'm… I'm…
I'm leaving you. Do you understand?
Oh, I don't think you are, Henry. I don't think Mother will let you.
You're not hearing me, Ed.
You need to get out of here too.
Mother's sick. She's a sick woman.
-You shut your mouth. -No, I won't.
-I don't want to hear about that. -Ed.
Don't talk like that about her.
Goddamn it, Eddie.
Eddie. Look…
Look, you've always been the…
peculiar type. You know?
It's just…
Mother's making you very strange, you know, and it's just…
I hate to see you like that, you know?
Ed, just…
You need to get away from her. All right?
You promise me that?
-Huh? -Okay.
There she is, right there.
Ha! Got you!
Henry?
Henry, you all right?
I got you real good, but you're all right.
Henry…
Look at that.
You got me good!
You son of a gun.
Hey, we'll clear that brush tomorrow, huh?
Set some fires before the weather gets worse.
And you're right about Mother.
Yeah, she's a good woman.
I'll make it right with her.
"And after my skin has been destroyed,
yet in my flesh I will see God."
"I myself will see him with my own eyes."
"I and not another."
-Amen. -Amen.
Did you talk to Henry?
He said he was going to come talk to you.
No, I ain't seen Henry for a week.
Let him run off with that whore. He's not my son.
Eat your beans before they get cold.
All I wanted was a girl.
Mm. I prayed and prayed to the good Lord for it,
but it was not his will, so I must abide by that.
No matter how much it…
…pained me to lay with your father.
Ugh! And I only let him defile me twice.
You know that. I told you that.
He stank like a farm animal.
And what did that…
shiftless drunkard ever give me?
First an evil son,
who humiliates his mother and is determined to drag us all to hell,
and then I got you, a son so prone to all manner of weakness,
who seems set on breaking his mother's heart.
Mom…
Don't break my heart, Eddie.
I won't, Mother.
Only a mother could love you.
Henry?
Hey, what you doing?
Oh no.
Henry? Henry?
Hey. Hey. Wake up.
Hey.
Hey. Mother's asking where you've been.
I didn't mean to do this.
I think I thought I might have been dreaming.
Henry!
Mother!
Mother! Help!
What's all the shouting for?
Fire got out of control. I can't find Henry.
He was here.
You try to find him. I'll go into town for help.
No, I'll fetch the police.
You go find him, Eddie.
Eddie went to look.
No, I know they should have been back here by now.
It's been too long. I've been waiting.
I mean, I didn't know what else to do.
I told Eddie that he should go,
and now I'm thinking that maybe I should have gone.
It's him. Henry!
-Henry! -Henry!
-You all right? -Eddie, I think…
-Henry? -Why don't you sit down?
He's cold.
There's no pulse.
Oh! Is he dead?
Lord have mercy. Is he dead?
Please, Lord, have mercy!
Henry! Henry! Oh my son!
I'm very sorry, Mrs. Gein.
I can't! Oh, my God!
Oh, my God!
No!
No! Henry!
How long was he out there?
I'm not sure what time we started the fires.
After dawn, I suppose.
Uh, Eddie, his body, it was stiff.
Hm. It's getting cold out.
The bruises are peculiar.
But by my lights,
I'd say asphyxiation the major cause of death.
Brush fires kick up a lot of smoke.
Might have stopped his heart, even.
Damn shame.
Hello, Mother.
I'm real sorry about Henry, Mother.
I know I ain't always impressed you.
You loved Henry more.
But he wasn't a good son to you.
That's what I intend to be now, a good son to you.
It's just you and me now.
I'm the man of the house.
I'll take care of you.
Mother.
Mother, are you all right?
Can you raise your arms, palms up, please?
Very good.
Can you smile, please?
Very good.
Can you repeat after me?
"You can't teach an old dog new tricks."
-B-b-b… -It's alright.
With a stroke, the best thing you can do is keep her blood thin.
It's all right. It's all right.
And she's got to take an aspirin every day.
Ma…
Lord, I love you, Mother.
It's just you and me now.
Now I get to care for you, Mother.
Hospital says I need to clean you up.
Eddie!
What are you doing in there?
Nothing.
Then drive me over to Smith's farm.
He owes us $10 rent for planting on our land.
You're not supposed to be going anywhere.
-You need to rest. I'll go. -Mm-mm.
No! You won't get our $10 out of Smith.
You're the reason he owes us.
-Ugh. -Yes, Mother.
-Shut up! -Don't do this to me!
What are you doing?
What in the Lord's name?
No! Daniel!
He's fighting with that harlot.
Daniel! My baby!
-These things cost money. -They're adulterers.
Come back, Daniel!
Don't you dare lay a hand on my baby!
You owe the Gein farm $10, Daniel Smith.
I'll take that in cash or straw fodder. I got cows to feed.
Like hell I'm paying you.
Daniel, stop!
May the Lord forgive you for cursing.
Hush up, Sally. He's the runt. He's going to die anyway.
This is a house of filth!
Don't let him kill my baby!
She is an unwed harlot!
-Stop it! -Harlot! Harlot!
Daniel…
Harlot!
You deserve everything you get for living in sin!
Jezebel! The blood shall yield no fruit.
And if it does, a stranger shall dwell.
A stranger shall as well!
Mother!
Mother?
"The Lord is my shepherd."
"I shall not want."
"He maketh me lie down in green pastures."
"He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness,
for His name's sake."
"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for thou art with me."
"Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me."
"Thou anointest my head with oil, my cup runneth over."
"Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."
Get out of that chair!
Say it's only a paper moon
Sailing over a cardboard sea
But it wouldn't be make-believe
If you believed in me
Yes, it's only a canvas sky
Hanging over a muslin tree
But it wouldn't be make-believe
If you believed in me
Without your love
It's a honky-tonk parade
Without your love
It's a melody played in a penny arcade
It's a Barnum & Bailey world
Just as phony as it can be
But it wouldn't be make-believe
If you believed in me
Stop that!
Mother?
Are you there?
You can bring me back, you know.
Tell me how.
"Your dead shall live, their bodies shall rise."
"You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy."
Oh!
Oh, oh.
No. No.
No!
Mother.
I can't get to you.
Quit your mewling, Eddie.
Well, what am I supposed to do now?
Just dig up this whore laying next to me.