Deranged (1974)

Nice and Twisted, 13 May 2005

Deranged is a Ed Gein type story - a man takes care of his elderly mother and knows nothing else. After her death, he discovers he can't get on without her so he decides to dig her up and bring her home. She's been in the ground for over a year so she needs some work. In a matter of time, the graverobber discovers that fresh, living tissue will work better on Mama than dead tissue.

I really enjoy it when I stumble across a film that I've somehow missed over the years. I finally picked-up the Motel Hell / Deranged disc from MGM. The reason was Motel Hell, not having heard much about Deranged. Discovering Deranged on the flip side of the disc was like finding money under a couch cushion - a very nice surprise. It's got most everything one could ask for in a horror movie - twisted characters, flowing blood, a familiar but compelling story, and dead bodies everywhere. But the thing that most impressed me was the acting. Roberts Blossom gives an outstanding performance as Ezra Cobb. There are actually moments when you forget you're watching an actor and really believe what the character is doing. Blossom did that for me. It was as if I was watching a real person. Mannerisms, facial expressions, voice, look, and actions seem absolutely real.

Even though the MGM disc is cut, I still found many of the scenes very violent. I thought the waitress' death was brutal until I saw what Ezra had in store for the hardware clerk. It's not for the squeamish and not something you see in movies made today. It's raw and brutal. There's "real" violence without a happy ending. The movie is not, however, without a touch or two of comedy that work on some level. The best of these scenes is the contact with the spirit world scene. I actually laughed out loud.

If you can find the Motel Hell / Deranged MGM disc, I would highly recommend it.

7/10