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 has since become something of a cult film and 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."
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
- Roberts Blossom as Ezra Cobb
- Cosette Lee as Amanda Cobb
- Leslie Carlson as Tom Simms
- Robert Warner as Harlon Kootz
- Marcia Diamond as Jenny Kootz
- Brian Smeagle as Brad Kootz
- Arlene Gillen as Miss Johnson
- Robert McHeady as Sheriff
- Marian Waldman as Maureen Selby
- Jack Mather as Drunk
- Micki Moore as Mary Ransum
- Pat Orr as Sally
Filming locations
The Canukr Film Studios in Mitchell's Corners, Ontario was the main studio where all the indoor scenes were shot. The masks were produced here too. The Enniskillen General Store is where Sally worked and where Ezra shot her, grazing her head. The chase scene between Ezra and Sally took place just south of the studio on Pebblestone Road beside Farewell Creek. The actual Cobb farm was located on the Oak Ridges Moraine north of Elizabethville at Oak Hill.
DVD releases
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.
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.
Reception
References
External links
- Deranged at the Internet Movie Database
- Deranged at AllMovie