Besessen

I picked up the DVD for "Motel Hell," and -- after getting a few good laughs out of it -- decided to watch the double-feature as well. I expected a cheap, gratuitous exploitation film with no redeeming features. What I got was a surprisingly subdued, well-made, and well-acted film that -- strangely -- had a lot of heart and compassion in it. And it's funny too, but in a down-to-earth manner. You could almost view this as an homage to Ed Gein, as opposed to an expose.

I also got a kick out of the crime reporter who kept on popping up in the scenes, waxing eloquent about "Ezra's" horrible habits, while Ezra himself sits next to the reporter, going about his business.

"Deranged" is a very strange movie, but not in an over-the-top way. It's strange with everyday life: the family who tells Ezra to stop kidding around when he repeatedly talks about committing the well-publicized crimes in the area, the old guy in the bar who talks trash about the state of his withered sex organs, and -- best of all -- the woman who uses her dead husband to seduce Ezra. Speaking of which, this lead to my favourite line in the film, as Ezra describes this woman to his mummified mother: "You were right, momma, she sure is fat! And I like that. But it would be scary to get stuck in all that fat. Real scary. I'd better take something along to protect myself."

As uneven as this movie is, it's got a strange oddball charm, as though the people involved felt they were creating a cross between an enduring work of art and a true-life crime story, but threw in a healthy dose of gore in order to make it more interesting. I'm glad I watched it, and would gladly see it again.

This is partly inspired by the real life murderer Ed Gein. Ezra is a middle aged momma's boy. He's also a pet moron.Mommy is a raving twisty herself as she is a zealot and always preaching about "dirty women"(finest kind).So when mom drops dead old Ez starts to get lonely.

Well Ezra starts hearing mom's voice after a year. She's lonely & so is he. He digs her up and brings her back home where everybody is happy.His neighbors try and set him up with a woman.This is a really funny scene as his date tries to seduce him. She's kind of crazy herself and tells Ez that her dead husband wants them to play beneath the sheets. Well, she winds up under the sheets permanently.

Ez starts digging up the graveyard and bringing mom some company.He also starts semi stalking a waitress.Finally he sandbags her, brings her back to his place and it gets wild from there.She finds herself trussed to a chair with a table full of rotting corpses.Ez is dressed in the skin of a dead woman.There is no way out of this house of hell.

Ez really goes off the deep end on a trip to town. It involves a rifle, a young girl and a harrowing chase through the woods.This is another gripping scene that spirals into complete madness.

There are a few drawbacks. This movie could have done without the narrator.When he popped up it seemed like we were in a different movie.Old Ezra is the most sympathetic person in the movie.Everyone else is cruel, stupid or as nutty as he is.

On the upside Roberts Blossom gives a great portrayal of Ezra. You feel for Ezra and can really understand his madness.There are many shocking and disturbing scenes in this movie. But it uses suggestion rather than out and out gore.It looks rather tame compared to slasher flicks but that's why this is better. I had to wait 25 years to see this film and all in all it was worth the wait.

Based on the diabolical doings of psycho-mama's boy Ed Gein, this film is guaranteed to leave you feeling uneasy for days after viewing. Some images are so horrific that they are fairly certain to haunt your dreams. Character actor Roberts Blossom in his best role ever is chillingly good as the overly devoted son who, not quite all there to begin with, goes completely round the bend when his beloved mother dies. He digs the old lady up, brings her back to the family farm, restores her corpse, and kills an occasional female passerby to keep her company. It's every bit as strange as it sounds. But when it's over, you can't simply shrug it off and say to yourself, "Oh well, it's only a movie", because it's based on the truth. Viewers familiar with the Ed Gein case will note that the filmmakers have, for the most part, stuck close to the facts. It leaves a strong impression, and, to put it mildly, a rather disturbing one. What's truly amazing is that the filmmakers have brought a sense of humor to these gruesome events and it ISN'T offensive. DERANGED is one of the best scary/funny movies I have ever seen. It is most definitely not for children. As for the adults, you"ll just have to take your chances.

Over the years there have been a number of films, both horror and thriller, that have been inspired by the real-life crimes of the infamous Ed Gein. Yet, this was the first film to be closely based on the real Ed Gein.

Reclusive old man loses his mind after the death of his mother and starts to rob graves. But that's just the beginning of terrors to come.

While In the Light of the Moon (2000) may be the more accurate film for the true story of Gein, Deranged is the most effectively frightening. Deranged is an example of low-budget film making at it's best. It sports a believably dark atmosphere and the feeling of chilling realism. In fact some sequences from this film (especially the midnight 'dinner' scene) are simply unforgettable.

The cast of the film is good, but the real highlight of it all is in it's star Robert Blossoms. Blossoms brings such a genuine believability to his crazed character and at times makes him quite sympathetic! That achievement alone is impressive.

Also of note, this was one of the early films for makeup FX artist Tom Savini and his creations for the film are well-done. Adding even more to the sheer spookiness of this film is it's musical score, which is comprised of religious songs.

While Deranged may not have the fame of other low-budgeters of it's day, it is none the less a masterful horror picture that deserves a place in the history of low-budget horror.

*** 1/2 out of ****

Deranged is an adaptation of the same story that inspired such horror classics as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Psycho and Silence of the Lambs, among others. It's the story of deranged psychotic Edward Gein, only in this film the story is a lot closer to how it actually happened than in any of the classics that it influenced. Deranged is a film not for the feint hearted. Shot on an extremely low budget of just two hundred thousand dollars, the directorial team of Jeff Gillen and Alan Ormsby have created one of the most vile and disgusting films that I've ever seen. Subtitled 'Confessions of a Necrophile' for the US market, Deranged tells the story of Ezra Cobb; a simple farm owner who lives with his domineering mother. After her death, Ezra gradually slips into insanity; starting with the unearthing of his yearlong dead mother from the grave. Ezra then decides that she needs patching up, and so embarks on unearthing more bodies for the task. It isn't long, however, before the psychopath is on the rampage for fresher victims...

Deranged goes all out to shock from the outset. The image of Ezra carrying his dead mother into her bedroom is sickening in a way that few movies manage. The amoral attitude of the character adds to this sickness, and ensures that most audience members will be uncomfortable watching this film. Deranged benefits from a superb lead performance courtesy of Roberts Blossom. Blossom does an amazing job of convincing us that he really is the psycho at the centre of the film. Usually in films like this, I am firmly on the side of the killer; not really caring about the victims - but Blossom is so vile in this film that I was actually praying he DIDN'T catch his prey! The film has a short running time, but this time is used excellently on a series of nasty and weird sequences, and the movie never really lets the pace go once it has set itself up. On the whole, this film has gained itself a cult following for a reason. It's certainly not for everyone's taste, and it's not as good as the most famous of the films that the story has influenced - but if you like your cinema to grisly and shocking; Deranged is a film that you should seek out!