Monday, April 23, 2012

Eric's Trip to the 70s:Deranged(1974)

By Eric Polk-
We all know who Ed Gein was. All you have to do is watch Texas Chainsaw Massacre to know that.
In the wake of that masterpiece, our friends north of the border tried doing one better by sending us a film based more closely on his life.

Ezra Cobb lives with his mother in an unidentified region of the Midwest. His mother, a religious fanatic, has indoctrinated him since childhood to hate women. Upon her death, Ezra digs her up again, believing that she is still alive.

Ever more deluded each passing day, Ezra digs up various bodies, restoring them from their decomposition and even using them as home decor. Soon, Ezra's obsessions go beyond the dead themselves, and he becomes a serial killer. Luring women into his grasp, he soon finds various other "creative" ways in which to decorate his home.

Anytime you have VO narration in a horror film, you are just asking for trouble. Anytime you have the  narrator show up on-screen, you may ask yourself as I did, "Is this a horror movie or 60 Minutes?"

And that's what this movie did, taking away any attempt to making this a good film. On the other hand, some scenes are quite laughable and the acting by Roberts Blossom(the old man in both Home Alone and the movie version of Christine) isn't bad. The suspenseful moments, however, didn't do anything and the blood is...well...red paint.

Still, if you're having a bad movie night, you could do worse than this unflushable nugget.

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