The story of Ed Gein, the notorious killer and body snatcher, has been the subject and inspiration of many horror movies. Alfred Hitchcock’s masterpiece Psycho was inspired by Ed Gein as was The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and this 1974 Canadian horror film Deranged.
This movie tries to be a little more accurate to the tale of Ed Gein although the names have all been changed.
Ezra Cobb (Roberts Blossom) is a farmer who lives in isolation on a farm with only his mother for company. When she passes away Ezra loses it and preserves her body. And then starts digging up bodies to
keep his mother company. Soon he starts going after the living too.
Written and directed by Alan Ormsby, who wrote Bob Clark’s first two horror movies Children Shouldn’t Play with Dead Things and Dead of Night and co-directed by Jeff Gillen this horror movie was almost lost but was rediscovered in the 1990s.
Clark was originally supposed to direct the film but felt it was too nasty for him so he only produced it. Tom Savini worked on the gory make-up effects.
