Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Brilliant and touching

As Good As It Gets

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

This amateurish, utterly disturbing motion picture is likely the closest portrayal of the true account of infamous Wisconsin serial killer Ed Gein put on film, at least until the Steve Railsback- starring movie made in 2000. No one could ever suspect or believe, in even their most horrific nightmares, what ghastly acts and atrocities the plain-looking Gein had perpetrated. The events and ramifications of his ghoulish activities continue to shock & sicken American more than 60 years later. The film is interesting and quite unsensational in many ways, but typical explicit shock & exploitation fare in so many others. Roberts Blossom is amazing in the lead role as Cobb. He is the kind of guy you see around town and probably know one or two fellas like him. You could never think such a shy, simple man could ever be capable of anything untoward, could you? That was the key to his "success" as a killer. Who'da thunk it of a fellow like Gein/Cobb. Blossom is an interesting-looking actor with a memorable face. Whether his mannerisms were specifically created for the role of Cobb or if they're simply a part of who Blossoms is, we may never know. Either way they add layers to what could otherwise be a one-note performance in the vein of "Leatherface" from Texas Chainsaw Massacre: memorable only for what he does. Cobb on the other hand was a character well before he went south. One you might actually find yourself liking! The rest of the film is ups & downs. The other actors, especially the woman, are amateurish and it hurts the film overall, particularly the over-the- top fat chick who foolishly tries to get into Cobb's pants. The neighbors who take pity on Ezra and are the closest things he has to friends are both pretty good. The production design is admirable. The dilapidated house Cobb and his mother occupy feels very earthy and real, not like a set. The gore effects are minimal but stomach- churning in their effectiveness. A young Tom Savini is credited with them, so that makes sense. For me the real misfire of the film is the annoying inclusion of a "news reporter" / narrator character. He's on-screen a few times and a voice-over in others. It would have been better to just tell the story straightforward without this guy, or else go the full documentary style approach but "Deranged" tries to straddle both sides of the fence and it really works particularly well.Overall rating: 9 out of 10.

What a creep-out. I'll bet even Gein himself would cringe at this. I don't know who Roberts Blossom is, but his slobbering mouth merits some kind of acting award. In my many years of viewing, I've never seen a weirder guy given so much screen time. But then his cadaverous frame and skeletal face are perfect for the role. Based loosely on the demented obsessions of 1950's Ed Gein, the movie really delivers the goods. (So why the disclaimer about no intended relation to persons living or dead, when everything indicates Gein. For legal purposes, I guess.) The girls may be prettied up, but nothing else is. Those desolate rural settings underline the desolation of Ezra's's state of mind. No wonder he goes nutzoid. Though not played up, the real Gein apparently decorated his house interiors with human skin stolen from graveyards. But then the movie has enough to do with outfitting rotten corpses at the dinner table. And that's the horror-fest's weakest point. The death masks and skin effects are cheaply and poorly done. Then too, I've got mixed feelings about that sadistic chase scene at the end, but I guess they figured a bang-up climax was needed. And they got it, but in a stomach churning way. Surprisingly, this cheapo is very competently made, from the performances to the direction to the photography. All in all, I can see why it's apparently become a cult classic. And, oh yes, I won't be traveling in the woods anytime soon, thank goodness. Nor, for that matter, do I expect to see Blossom in a Hollywood picture book, though he certainly merits it.

This movie is a (somewhat) accurate movie on Ed Gein. Ezra Cobb (Roberts Blossom) is a middle-aged man who has cared for his ill mother for 12 years. She dies and he's all alone and slowly goes mad. He digs up her body from the graveyard and brings it home. He also digs up other bodies and uses their various limbs or organs. Then he decides to go after live humans...I originally caught this on VHS back in the early 1990s. Back then it was uncut and had a doc on Ed Gein as an extra. The 2002 DVD release from MGM looks fantastic but is, sadly, edited. This got an R rating back in 1974 but the ratings board insisted that an eye gouging and brain scooping sequence be removed to get an R rating today. That makes no sense. The scene wasn't THAT graphic and it was obviously fake. Idiots. That aside this is a creepy, unsettling film. It was made on a VERY low budget and has its slow spots but it works on you. It isn't that gory either but pretty sick. There are only three killings here but there are the various rotting corpses and, at one point, Ezra wears the skin of one of them (which Ed Gein did do)! Also there's an absolutely revolting scene at the end showing what Ezra did with his last victim (a young blonde here--in reality it was a middle-aged woman). This isn't all grim and violent. There's a very funny séance scene that works well. Blossom is excellent as Ezra. It's his movie and he knows it. He shows Ezra's madness slowly growing until it overcomes him. Also there's a VERY creepy music score that adds to the unpleasant tone of the film.This is a must-see for horror fans but the casual movie goer might want to steer clear. If you can, see the unedited version. I give this a 7.

This was released the same year as Texas Chain Saw Massacre. This is the story of Ed Gein, the butcher of Plainsfield, the case that inspired Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Two very different films.This film is creepy and the sets and make up are very good. You can almost smell the rot of the corpses that Ed has collected, all sitting around the dining room table waiting to be served.The film is low budget. The photography is just okay. It appears as though the post dubbing didn't match up in some scenes. Some of the sound doesn't match what is happening on screen. The film is low key and somewhat somber. It's depressing for sure and depicts the loneliness and despair of Ed Gein's horrible life.Roberts Blossom is the best actor here. The rest are amateurs. I think the film could have used some more action somewhere. I don't think I would want to sit through it again and I am a horror fan. There is something interesting about it though.