Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

Deranged Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 14, 2013

Jeff Gillen and Alan Ormsby's "Deranged" (1974) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Arrow Video. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; collection of production stills; short trailer commentary by director Adam Rifkin; video interview with actor Laurence R. Harvey; video interview with actor/writer/producer Scott Spiegel; audio commentary by special effects artist Tom Savini; and more. The release also arrives with a collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Stephen Thrower and an archive interview with producer Bob Clark by Calum Waddell, illustrated with original archive stills and posters, as well as a reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Nat Marsh. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

You know what an obituary is, right?

Middle-aged loner Ezra Cobb (Roberts Blossom, Reuben, Reuben, Escape from Alcatraz) loves his mother (Cosette Lee) so much that shortly after her funeral he decides to bring her corpse back home and see if he can 'rebuild' her. He places the corpse in his mother’s favorite bed and then begins working. The project presents Ezra with a number of serious dilemmas, but his mother - or the voice he hears in his head - would always point him in the right direction.

After his mother is successfully rebuilt, Ezra decides to bring a few 'friends' to his house to keep her company while he is away. He quickly steals a few fresh corpses from the local cemetery, ‘repairs’ them, and then places them around his mother’s bed.

Soon after, encouraged by one of his closest friends Ezra also approaches a beautiful waitress who does not think that he is weird because unlike the rest of the men in town he prefers to drink milk instead of hard liquor. But the waitress quickly makes it clear to Ezra that even though she likes him, and especially as a customer, she isn’t interested in a relationship with him. Still hopeful that he can win her heart, the loner decides to invite the waitress to his house for a special dinner and introduce her to his mother and her friends.

Completed in 1974, Alan Ormsby and Jeff Gillen's Deranged is both hilarious and terrifying at the same time. The film is based on the Ed Gein case, but it does not seem like it was meant to be an authoritative summation of the events that preceded the arrest of the notorious killer. The first half of the film, in particular, is definitely closer to being a very dark comedy than a serious thriller.

The film is very graphic - and yes, the version of the film included on this release does include the notorious brain-scooping scene - so viewers who can’t handle close-ups of rotten corpses and bloody severed body parts should probably look for their daily dose of entertainment elsewhere. This being said, most of the special effects look quite dated so this isn’t exactly an unbearably disturbing film.

A lot of graphic horror films tend to go way over the top with the characterizations when they try to shock, but in Deranged the bizarre never becomes kitschy. Indeed, the viewer gets a pretty good idea what might be happening in Ezra's head without being forced to endure unnecessarily prolonged ugly scenes. The finale also wraps up everything very effectively.

Blossom is very good as the kooky killer. At times he really does look like a possessed man whose mind has been lost in a different reality. His terrific facial expressions also completely change the atmosphere in a number of key sequences. Despite having being in front of the camera for a short period of time, Moore also leaves a lasting impression.

The great Tom Savini (Knightriders, Dawn of the Dead) was responsible for the special effects in the film. Savini was assisted by director Ormsby and Jerome Bergson.

Note: In the United Kingdom, all previous theatrical and home video releases of Deranged have been censored by the BBFC. However, this new Blu-ray release of the film contains the fully uncut version of the film, which runs at approximately 84 minutes.

Deranged Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Jeff Gillen and Alan Ormsby's Deranged arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributor Arrow Video.

The technical presentation is very pleasing. Image depth and clarity are consistently very good during well-lit close-ups as well as during sequences where light is restricted. The outdoor sequences boast excellent fluidity. Color reproduction does not disappoint either - there is a good range of solid natural blues, brown, greens, grays, and blacks. There are no traces of problematic filtering corrections. Sharpening adjustments have not been applied either. Some extremely light noise occasionally sneaks in, but grain is never overwhelmed. Contrast levels remain stable throughout the entire film. Overall imaged stability is also very good. Finally, there are no large debris, cuts, stains, or warps to report in this review. Compression is also very good. All in all, this is a very strong organic presentation of Deranged which is on par with Arrow Video's recent presentation of Andrei Konchalovsky's Runaway Train. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

Deranged Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. For the record, Arrow Video have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature.

The lossless audio track opens up the film very well in all the right places. It is easy to tell, however, that the film had a small budget because dynamic movement even during some of the most atmospheric sequences is fairly modest. The dialog is crisp, stable, and always easy to follow. For the record, there are no pops, cracks, heavy background hiss, audio dropouts, or distortions to report in this review.

Deranged Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Introduction - a short introduction to the film by special effects artist Tom Savini. (1 min).

• Trailer - original trailer for Deranged. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Trailer Commentary - a short commentary by director Adam Rifkin (The Chase, Detroit Rock City), who quickly Ed Gein's case and the films it has inspired during the years, as well as the plot, special effects, and the budget of Deranged. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Stills Gallery - a collection of black and white production stills.

• The Wages of Sin - in this featurette, co-director Jeff Gillen discusses the production history of Deranged, Roberts Blossom's performance, and the special effects. Also included in the featurette is newly transferred 16mm production footage. In English, not subtitled. (12 min).

• Ed Gein: From Murderer to Movies - in this video interview, actor Laurence R. Harvey (The Human Centipede 2: Full Sequence discusses Ed Gein's story, the transgressive nature of the killer's acts, Roberts Blossom's performance, etc. In English, not subtitled. (15 min).

• A Blossoming Brilliance - in this very enthusiastic video interview, actor/writer/producer Scott Spiegel (Evil Dead II: Dead by Dawn, Intruder) discusses Deranged, the Ed Gein case and the film it has inspired, etc. In English, not subtitled. (11 min).

• Commentary - in this audio commentary, special effects artist Tom Savini recalls how Deranged was shot and how some of the film's most graphic sequences were done, and discusses Roberts Blossom's performance, the unique balance between comedy and horror in the film, etc. Mr. Savini also stresses the importance of always having a good resume to show to prospective employers.

• Booklet - collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Stephen Thrower, author of Nightmare USA, and an archive interview with producer Bob Clark by Calum Waddell, illustrated with original archive stills and posters.

• Cover art - reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Nat Marsh.

Deranged Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Horror fans who have been hoping to get a solid release of Jeff Gillen and Alan Ormsby's cult film Deranged will be very pleased with Arrow Video's upcoming Blu-ray release. The technical presentation is as impressive as the British distributors' recent presentation of Andrei Konchalovsky's Runaway Train. As usual, there is also a strong selection of interesting supplemental features. Buy with confidence, folks. RECOMMENDED.