News

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

Published

7 years ago

March 26, 2017

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.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Movies

Trailer for ‘The Exorcism’ Has Russell Crowe Possessed

Published

16 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

The latest exorcism movie is about to drop this summer. It’s aptly titled The Exorcism and it stars Academy Award winner turned B-movie savant Russell Crowe. The trailer dropped today and by the looks of it, we are getting a possession movie that takes place on a movie set.

Just like this year’s recent demon-in-media-space film Late Night With the Devil, The Exorcism happens during a production. Although the former takes place on a live network talk show, the latter is on an active sound stage. Hopefully, it won’t be entirely serious and we’ll get some meta chuckles out of it.

The film will open in theaters on June 7, but since Shudder also acquired it, it probably won’t be long after that until it finds a home on the streaming service.

Crowe plays, “Anthony Miller, a troubled actor who begins to unravel while shooting a supernatural horror film. His estranged daughter, Lee (Ryan Simpkins), wonders if he’s slipping back into his past addictions or if there’s something more sinister at play. The film also stars Sam Worthington, Chloe Bailey, Adam Goldberg and David Hyde Pierce.”

Crowe did see some success in last year’s The Pope’s Exorcist mostly because his character was so over-the-top and infused with such comical hubris it bordered on parody. We will see if that is the route actor-turned-director Joshua John Miller takes with The Exorcism.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

News

Win a Stay at The Lizzie Borden House From Spirit Halloween

Published

17 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Spirit Halloween has declared that this week marks the start of spooky season and to celebrate they are offering fans a chance to stay at the Lizzie Borden House with so many perks Lizzie herself would approve.

The Lizzie Borden House in Fall River, MA is claimed to be one of the most haunted houses in America. Of course one lucky winner and up to 12 of their friends will find out if the rumors are true if they win the grand prize: A private stay in the notorious house.

“We are delighted to work with Spirit Halloween to roll out the red carpet and offer the public a chance to win a one-of-a-kind experience at the infamous Lizzie Borden House, which also includes additional haunted experiences and merchandise,” said Lance Zaal, President & Founder of US Ghost Adventures.

Fans can enter to win by following Spirit Halloween‘s Instagram and leaving a comment on the contest post from now through April 28.

The prize also includes:

An exclusive guided house tour, including insider insight around the murder, the trial, and commonly reported hauntings

A late-night ghost tour, complete with professional ghost-hunting gear

A private breakfast in the Borden family dining room

A ghost hunting starter kit with two pieces of Ghost Daddy Ghost Hunting Gear and a lesson for two at US Ghost Adventures Ghost Hunting Course

The ultimate Lizzie Borden gift package, featuring an official hatchet, the Lizzie Borden board game, Lily the Haunted Doll, and America’s Most Haunted Volume II

Winner’s choice of a Ghost Tour experience in Salem or a True Crime experience in Boston for two

“Our Halfway to Halloween celebration provides fans an exhilarating taste of what’s to come this fall and empowers them to start planning for their favorite season as early as they please,” said Steven Silverstein, CEO of Spirit Halloween. “We have cultivated an incredible following of enthusiasts who embody the Halloween lifestyle, and we’re thrilled to bring the fun back to life.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Spirit Halloween (@spirithalloween)

Spirit Halloween is also preparing for their retail haunted houses. On Thursday, August 1 their flagship store in Egg Harbor Township, NJ. will officially open to start off the season. That event usually draws in hordes of people eager to see what new merch, animatronics, and exclusive IP goods will be trending this year.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Movies

’28 Years Later’ Trilogy Taking Shape With Serious Star Power

Published

19 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Danny Boyle is revisiting his 28 Days Later universe with three new films. He will direct the first, 28 Years Later, with two more to follow. Deadline is reporting that sources say Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Ralph Fiennes have been cast for the first entry, a sequel to the original. Details are being kept under wraps so we don’t know how or if the first original sequel 28 Weeks Later fits into the project.

**Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes**

Boyle will direct the first movie but it’s unclear which role he will take on in the subsequent films. What is known is Candyman (2021) director Nia DaCosta is scheduled to direct the second film in this trilogy and that the third will be filmed immediately afterward. Whether DaCosta will direct both is still unclear.

Alex Garland is writing the scripts. Garland is having a successful time at the box office right now. He wrote and directed the current action/thriller Civil War which was just knocked out of the theatrical top spot by Radio Silence’s Abigail.

There is no word yet on when, or where, 28 Years Later will start production.