I knew about Psycho, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Silence of the Lambs, but there is indeed another film inspired by the true story of necrophile/serial killer/taxidermist Ed Gein that I hadn’t heard of. Deranged is a ’74 cheapie that’s a perfect fit in our Halloween countdown (and available on DVD at Boîte Noire). Co-directed by Jeff Gillen and Allan Ormsby, the film stars Roberts Blossom as the lonely farmer who’s in denial about his aged mother’s declining health. Obtrusive organ music plays as Blossom tries to feed her green pea soup, even as she’s coughing up lots and lots of blood. Early on, things are hilariously absurd, only getting better as poor repressed Blossom goes out on a date with a woman who makes an overbearing pass at him—a big mistake, seeing as his dead mama warned him about such controlling bitches. You know what’s coming next!

Nutty horror-spoof jokes soon give way to a seriously nasty feeling, as Blossom’s penchant for all things dead leads to a killing spree, the end of which is actually not the least bit campy but rather downright chilling. It’s an intriguing stylistic turn, in a film that looks like it was made on a dime—another one of those instances where horror is made better by its lack of budget. :

» Matthew Hays