Deranged Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Deranged Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf July 7, 2015

In America during the 1950s, serial killer Ed Gein became nightmare fuel for the nation when his horrific crimes were discovered. A seemingly mild man who murdered and skinned his victims, often wearing the peeled flesh, Gein’s abominable acts of brutality launched a fascination with such severe mental disorder, inspiring numerous books and articles on the man, while his legacy was reshaped to fit the needs of the film industry, with productions such as “Psycho” and “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” taking beats from the criminal’s life to inspire cinematic extremes. 1974’s “Deranged” is one of the first features to really examine Gein’s disease and simple-minded butchery. While it’s hardly a thoughtful psychological examination looking to uncover the fiend’s motivations, it does manage to convey the intensity of his existence, with star Roberts Blossom contributing fine work as the Gein stand-in, grounding the horror with unexpected dramatic sincerity.

An aging farmer in the Midwest, Ezra Cobb (Roberts Blossom) is trying to make sense of his mother’s illness, watching Ma Cobb (Cosette Lee) fade away in her bedroom, filling her son’s head with crude messages on the evils of women before she passes. Devastated by her loss, Ezra cocoons himself in his home, losing what’s left of his sanity as he’s influence by Ma months after her death. Looking to reconnect, Ezra digs up her remains and returns Ma home, building a new life of domestic peace that soon requires additional company. Setting out to find young women to kill and skin, Ezra encounters a few victims who put up an unusual fight, while best friend Harlon (Robert Warner) suspects nothing, refusing to believe that someone so mousy and dim could be capable of murder and mutilation.

Directed by Jeff Gillen and Alan Ormsby (who also scripts), “Deranged” is quick to remind audiences that this story is rooted in truth. The names have been changed but the story remains close to Gein highlights, supported by narration from Tom Sims (Leslie Carlson), a news reporter who causally walks into frame to describe Ezra’s state of mind and keep the story moving along. It’s interesting narrative lubrication, delivering the aura of a docu-drama without actually producing one. While the Gein name is never uttered, “Deranged” remains tightly focused on the serial killer’s story, using the opening act to establish Ezra’s intimate union with his insane, bible-chewing mother, who warns her boy of the “wages of sin,” scaring him off women (described as “pus-filled sluts”) after hearing of the diseases and doomsday that arrive with sex. Living a life of domination and devotion, Ezra is hit with a cold reality after Ma passes, left to fend for himself as he begins to isolate himself at home.

“Deranged” graduates to more visceral horrors once Ezra begins to venture outside again, visiting the local graveyard to dig up Ma, who’s been rotting away in her coffin for six months. Hoping to piece her back together, flesh is needed, urging Ezra to find women he can kill and skin for donation purposes. This mission of seduction proves problematic to the virginal middle-aged man, offering “Deranged” a chance to explore these misadventures, including one which matches Ezra to a plump widower who uses the guise of a séance with her late husband to trick her guest into sex. The most significant interaction involves Mary (Micki Moore), a barmaid who takes a shine to Ezra, gifting him his first experience with excessive drinking before trusting him with a ride home. The sequence delivers the full range of macabre reveals that keeps “Deranged” watchable, permitting the film to indulge more physical acts of escape, increasing the suspense.

With make-up effects created by Tom Savini (in one of his earliest industry jobs), “Deranged” has its fair share of grotesque moments, most focusing on Ezra’s preparation of the bodies, removing brains and stitching skin. It’s a gross-out endeavor, no doubt, but it retains some depth thanks to Blossom’s lead performance. Perhaps best known as Old Man Marley in “Home Alone,” Blossom is completely committed to the part, infusing Ezra with illness and need, while playing up his ignorance, which the killer tends to use as a defense mechanism to get out of direct confrontations. The production is capable of generating unease with Ezra’s actions and his obsession with acquiring flesh (soon targeting a friendly store clerk for his climatic catch), but Blossom gives the role needed dimension, shutting down most unintentional laughs.

Deranged Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation brings out horror atmosphere with a satisfyingly clear look at the picture's limited visual achievements. Detail is encouraging, with fresh close-ups and textured gore shots, delivering a sense of decay necessary to any appreciation of the main character's crimes and perversions. Colors are equally promising, supplying a full sense of rural life, with winterscapes in place. Costumes also bring snap, providing healthy primaries and a strong view of red blood. Skintones are natural. Grain is tasteful and filmic, and delineation is handled without complication, allowing for frame information during evening excursions. Some mild flicker and judder is detected, and the print has a few brief spots of damage.

Deranged Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix retains unexpected freshness, lacking hiss issues common to cult pictures from the era. Dialogue is sharp and direct, handling a range of tempers and terror without slipping into distortion. Music is subtle and ideally positioned, providing a sense of doom while holding instrumentation. Atmospherics are limited but effective, capturing the middle-of-nowhere setting and goopy, sloppy gore zone visits.

Deranged Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary #1 features writer and co-director Alan Ormsby.

• Commentary #2 features film historian Richard Harland Smith.

• Interview (17:19, SD) with producer Tom Karr is an informative but extremely bizarre conversation, which looks like it dates back to the mid-1990s, yet makes references to Blu-ray and "Django Unchained." Editing is also strange, frequently cutting back to interviewer Nikki Voories, who's busy scribbling notes for a videotaped discussion. The whole thing looks like a Tim & Eric skit, but Karr is prepared, well-rehearsed when it comes time to share anecdotes (some slightly lecherous) about the "Deranged" shoot and its production history. As seems to be the case with all these aged horror producers, he holds out hope for a remake.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (1:35, HD), which is missing narration, is included.

Deranged Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Backed by a creepy score that loops a pipe organ-based hymn and shot in austere Canadian locations, "Deranged" is fairly effective at building tension, especially when concentrated on Ezra's mounting insanity, which encourages boldness when it comes to picking his targets. The Gein influences are clear, keeping Ezra contained as a private monster, not a flagrant Midwestern butcher. Not that the picture is especially understated, but it carries itself with a steady pace, retaining interest in the melting mind of a ghoul who's suddenly received a boost in confidence, delivering a consistent chiller with superior dramatic intent. At the very least, it's interesting to see a Gein-based effort that doesn't spin off into more hysterical acts of menace, remaining sinister not sensational, offering some directorial flair to help sneak into a diseased mind.