Deranged (1974 film)
6.6 /10 1 Votes
Director Alan Ormsby, Bob Clark Duration Country Canada
United States | 6.5/10 IMDb Genre Crime, Horror, Thriller Writer Alan Ormsby Language English | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Release date February 1974 (1974-02) Genres Horror, Slasher, Cult film, Mystery, Psychological thriller, Crime Fiction Distributor Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, American International Pictures Cast Roberts Blossom (Ezra Cobb), Cosette Lee (Ma Cobb), Leslie Carlson (Tom Sims), Robert Warner (Harlon Kootz), Marcia Diamond (Jenny Kootz), Brian Smeagle (Brad Kootz)Similar movies Rory Calhoun and Wolfman Jack appear in Deranged and Motel Hell Tagline Pretty Sally Mae died a very unnatural death! ... But the worst hasn't happened to her yet! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Deranged is a Canadian-American horror film made in 1974 and directed by Alan Ormsby and Jeff Gillen. It is also known by the title Deranged: The Confessions of a Necrophile in the USA. It is a low-budget movie that is based on the life of Ed Gein. The title is, however, misleading since Ed Gein never experimented with necrophilia; although a necrophile is also defined as "an obsessive fascination with death and corpses."
Contents
The movie disappeared after its release in 1974 and was later rediscovered in Florida in the mid 1990s.
Plot
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.
Cast
Filming locations
Reception
Deranged received mixed reviews from critics. Film review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 40%, based on 5 reviews, with a rating average of 6.3/10. Allmovie gave the film a positive review, writing, "Deranged is interesting because it as witty as it is scary. The film suffers from rough edges, the main problems being inconsistent pacing and a stilted framing device involving an investigative reporter, but remains compelling because it adds some perceptive social satire into the mix."
Home media
In 2002, MGM released Deranged as part of its "Midnite Movies" collection of double feature DVDs. It was released along with the 1980 feature film Motel Hell. A second release of the film was also made available in the United States on DVD from Desert Island Classics on March 5, 2014.
In 2007, Germany released a 30th Anniversary Collector's Edition. The U.S. DVD received a cut R rating, the German version is unrated and uncut, with a brain scooping scene which is cut from the U.S. version, it is also in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen, with both an English and German (dubbed) audio track and optional English and German subtitles. The Extras include: Deranged Chronicles - The Making of Deranged, The Ed Gein Story - Documentary, Ed Gein: American Maniac - Documentary, The Making of: Tim Ritter's Creep (an unofficial sequel to Deranged), Original Trailer, Unrated Version Trailer, Teaser Trailer and a 24-page booklet.
Deranged was released on Blu-ray format in the United Kingdom via Arrow Films on August 19, 2013, which contains both a Blu-ray and DVD of the film. The film is set to be released on Blu-ray in the United States on July 7, 2015 by Kino Lorber distribution.
References
Deranged (1974 film) WikipediaDeranged (1974 film) IMDbDeranged (1974 film) themoviedb.org