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Deranged (1974): The Ed Gein Film that Time Forgot

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Almost everyone has seen Tobe Hooper’s 1974 classic The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. And even if they haven’t, most still know two things about the movie. The first is that it includes some crazy killer with a chainsaw named Leatherface. The second is that it is based on the true story of Ed Gein – but only loosely. For those looking to watch a film a bit more accurate that also happens to be from 1974, I have one word for you: Deranged.

While Hooper’s film took an approach more rooted in monster movies than reality, Jeff Gillen and Alan Ormsby’s film took a more restrained approach to Gein. Instead of being a massive, hulking beast, the killer in Deranged is, well, just an ordinary-looking, simple guy. In the film, Roberts Blossom plays Ezra Cobb, a farmer with some serious Mommy Issues. Once his mother passes away, Ezra slowly delves deeper into insanity, going so far as to dig up her body and return it to their country home.

But that’s just the beginning of it.

Ezra, whose mother had demonized sexual relationships, begins to hunt down the women of the town and bring them home to join his mother. They join her at the dinner table; a similar scene will be shown two years later in Hooper’s film. Ezra is a born outsider; to the common person about town, he is looked upon with pity. He’s just a simple man, maybe one that’s a little strange, but nothing too harmless. Or so they think!

The beauty of this film is how they portray Ezra Cobb. It’s a strange situation Deranged puts us in, and Blossom sharpens the idea of the pitiful, lonely outsider to a sharpened point. He does, in a way, come off as innocent. He’s confused, maybe a little scared, and not fully accepted by the outside world. He is controlled by his domineering mother, even after death, and cannot accept her passing. While Gunnar Hansen would play a monster who is maybe just as pitiful, there seems to be something much eviler under his dried, unnatural skin.

Deranged is unique in terms of its presentation, something that has rarely been done ever since. With a soundtrack consisting only of a haunting funeral organ, a news reporter walks us through the story of Ezra Cobb, narrating us through Cobb’s sick and demented scenes of murder and lost hope. Set against a snowy, isolated backdrop, the film seems isolated and bone chilling. That, mixed with an unsettling sense of black humor, makes the movie more than worth your watch.

If that’s not enough to get you interested, how does the involvement of Tom Savini sound? While his work here will pale in comparison to the grandiose expositions of bloodshed that he will master later in his career, it is nothing short of phenomenal to view a more primitive form of his effects wizardry. It’s not a particularly gory film, but there are plenty of macabre sequences nonetheless. Cobb’s decaying mother looks especially disgusting in this film, and Savini is the brains behind it.

So…what happened? Why did The Texas Chain Saw Massacre completely overshadow this film, when Deranged came out in the same year? For one thing, the unconventional faux-documentary style would surely have to do with it. It’s a much quieter and more reserved film, with sick humor sprinkled throughout. The full name of the movie undoubtedly affected the draw for the common moviegoer as well, with the full title being called Deranged: Confessions of a Necrophile.

This isn’t a debate as to which film is better. That appears to be a moot point, as both are phenomenal. For whatever reason, the simple fact remains that one took the horror world by storm and the other did not. There is no reason to really compare one to the other, except possibly in terms of source material. And in that regard, Deranged is simply more accurate. Whether that makes it a better film is up to you.

The film would have a short release and then disappear for about a decade when underground horror fans would begin to write and speak up about the movie. In 1994 movie would get a home video release, but it would only make a small splash in the gigantic, bloody ocean that is horror cinema. This tiny little independent film is still relatively unknown today.

This may sound controversial, but I believe that many – not all, but a good number of them – “hidden gems” in this genre were hidden for a reason; not really gems. I do not believe that Deranged is in the same caliber as the films that fall into the “false gem” category. It’s a little rough, a little clumsy, but it has a charm that few other horror films have ever been able to capture. Seek this movie out and watch it on the next moonlit night.

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Brad Dourif Says He’s Retiring Except For One Important Role

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Brad Dourif has been doing movies for nearly 50 years. Now it seems he is walking away from the industry at 74 to enjoy his golden years. Except, there is a caveat.

Recently, digital entertainment publication JoBlo’s Tyler Nichols talked to some of the Chucky television series cast members. During the interview, Dourif made an announcement.

“Dourif said that he’s retired from acting,” says Nichols. “The only reason he came back for the show was because of his daughter Fiona and he considers Chucky creator Don Mancini to be family. But for non-Chucky stuff, he considers himself retired.”

Dourif has voiced the possessed doll since 1988 (minus the 2019 reboot). The original movie “Child’s Play” has become such a cult classic it’s at the top of some people’s best chillers of all time. Chucky himself is ingrained in pop culture history much like Frankenstein or Jason Voorhees.

While Dourif may be known for his famous voiceover, he is also an Oscar-nominated actor for his part in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Another famous horror role is The Gemini Killer in William Peter Blatty’s Exorcist III. And who can forget Betazoid Lon Suder in Star Trek: Voyager?

The good news is that Don Mancini is already pitching a concept for season four of Chucky which might also include a feature-length movie with a series tie-in. So, Although Dourif says he is retiring from the industry, ironically he is Chucky’s friend till the end.

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Editorial

7 Great ‘Scream’ Fan Films & Shorts Worth a Watch

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The Scream franchise is such an iconic series, that many budding filmmakers take inspiration from it and make their own sequels or, at least, build upon the original universe created by screenwriter Kevin Williamson. YouTube is the perfect medium to showcase these talents (and budgets) with fan-made homages with their own personal twists.

The great thing about Ghostface is that he can appear anywhere, in any town, he just needs the signature mask, knife, and unhinged motive. Thanks to Fair Use laws it’s possible to expand upon Wes Craven’s creation by simply getting a group of young adults together and killing them off one by one. Oh, and don’t forget the twist. You’ll notice that Roger Jackson’s famous Ghostface voice is uncanny valley, but you get the gist.

We have gathered five fan films/shorts related to Scream that we thought were pretty good. Although they can’t possibly match the beats of a $33 million blockbuster, they get by on what they have. But who needs money? If you’re talented and motivated anything is possible as proven by these filmmakers who are well on their way to the big leagues.

Take a look at the below films and let us know what you think. And while you’re at it, leave these young filmmakers a thumbs up, or leave them a comment to encourage them to create more films. Besides, where else are you going to see Ghostface vs. a Katana all set to a hip-hop soundtrack?

Scream Live (2023)

Scream Live

Ghostface (2021)

Ghostface

Ghost Face (2023)

Ghost Face

Don’t Scream (2022)

Don’t Scream

Scream: A Fan Film (2023)

Scream: A Fan Film

The Scream (2023)

The Scream

A Scream Fan Film (2023)

A Scream Fan Film
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Movies

Another Creepy Spider Movie Hits Shudder This Month

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Good spider films are a theme this year. First, we had Sting and then there was Infested. The former is still in theaters and the latter is coming to Shudder starting April 26.

Infested has been getting some good reviews. People are saying that it’s not only a great creature feature but also a social commentary on racism in France.

According to IMDb: Writer/director Sébastien Vanicek was looking for ideas around the discrimination faced by black and Arab-looking people in France, and that led him to spiders, which are rarely welcome in homes; whenever they’re spotted, they’re swatted. As everyone in the story (people and spiders) is treated like vermin by society, the title came to him naturally.

Shudder has become the gold standard for streaming horror content. Since 2016, the service has been offering fans an expansive library of genre movies. in 2017, they began to stream exclusive content.

Since then Shudder has become a powerhouse in the film festival circuit, buying distribution rights to movies, or just producing some of their own. Just like Netflix, they give a film a short theatrical run before adding it to their library exclusively for subscribers.

Late Night With the Devil is a great example. It was released theatrically on March 22 and will begin streaming on the platform starting April 19.

While not getting the same buzz as Late Night, Infested is a festival favorite and many have said if you suffer from arachnophobia, you might want to take heed before watching it.

Infested

According to the synopsis, our main character, Kalib is turning 30 and dealing with some family issues. “He’s fighting with his sister over an inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend. Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a shop and brings it back to his apartment. It only takes a moment for the spider to escape and reproduce, turning the whole building into a dreadful web trap. The only option for Kaleb and his friends is to find a way out and survive.”

The film will be available to watch on Shudder starting April 26.

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