Ed Gein

Rating:
Summary: Well Made but Somewhat a Hit and Miss Film.
Review: A Man in his late forties, who lived in a Small Community of Plainfield, Wisconsin. A local oddity by the name of Ed Gein (Steve Railsback), who is just a little different from that town. Ed was tormented and abused years ago by his parents, especially his Mother (Carrie Snodgress). Since Ed's Repression brought out the worst of him, which lead to brutal muders and countless mutilations from his Victims and Corpses.

Directed by Chuck Parello made a Horrific, Unflinching Horror film. Which is Based on a True Story of America's First Famous Serial Killer. Railsback, who played a Mass Murderer before in Helter Skelter back in 1976 for a two-part TV movie, which he gived a Vivid Performance. Railsback is Perfect as Ed Gein but not just as memorable as he did with the Manson's role, he did back nearly three decades ago. Oddly Enough, there's a better Ed Gein movie back Three Decades Ago-which is titled "Deranged". DVD has an sharp Pan & Scan (1.33:1) transfer and an fine-Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround Sound. DVD only extra is a Trailer, but this DVD could've used more features of this fascinating true-life story. Railsback is also One of the Executive Producers. A Curio Film. The film was Originally Titled "In the Light of the Mood". Grade:B+.

Rating:
Summary: Ed Gein at last!!!!
Review: First off, let me say thank you to Chuck Parello for bringing us the first and only accurate film about the life and crimes of Ed Gein. This movie is top notch, even for low budget, and Steve Railsback plays Eddie to a "T." What an outstanding performance. Carrie Snodgrass is also brilliant in her role as Augusta Gein, the bible thumping tyrant mother. Truely award winning performances by both. The movie plays in the late 50's during Eddies murdering and grave robbing days, with constant flash backs to his childhood, growing up and losing his family members one by one. The film is about 95% accurate and ends after his arrest for the murder of Bernice Worden. (Collette Marshall in the film). Because the Wordens still actually live in Plainfield and their hardware store still stands, their names were changed for the movie. For anyone expecting to see a grisly bloodfest, this movie isn't for you. It was done in quite good taste, almost too good. I think they purposely kept the film's gore/scare level to a minimum, so as not to attract too much unwanted attention from people in Wisconsin and elsewhere. This film is not scary, not real creepy and not gorey. It could be considered the best "case study" ever done on Americas first "serial killer." Even the musical score is middle of the road, with no creepy under tones and no "stingers." That might disappoint alot of people expecting to be scared and grossed out beyond imagination. None the less, this film is one of the best movies I've seen and the ONLY movie on Ed you will ever need to see. Railsback's potrail of Ed Gein is almost unnerving, right down to the nervous twitch in his lip. Most of you will remember Railsback as Charlie Manson in Helter Skelter. Believe me, he is just as convincing if not more as the Wisconsin psycho. My only disappointment? Edddies farm house is much nicer and well lit then it should have been. Considering he had no electricity, and usually carried around a kerosene lamp, his farm house in this film is very well lit and the insane rubbish just isn't there. Bogey's rating: 11 beers out of a 12pk!

Rating:
Summary: Great Movie!
Review: Hello Im 16 years old and let me say that this Movie Ed Gein was a great film it could have not been any better let me tell you the movie is not that scary and not to bad! Steve Railsback & Carrie Snodgress Was Great! The Movie Was Really Interesting Too And not Boring! So Go Rent It Or buy It On VHS Or DVD! The DVD Is Great! The Movie really showed you what Ed really did and about the man who is based on some of our favorite horror movie characters like Norman Bates (Psycho) And Leatherface & His Family (Texas Chainsaw Masscare 1 2 3 & 4) If you like Steve Or Carrie in another of their other Movies Like Helter Skelter where Steve played Killer Charles Manson (which I have to say I own that Movie too and I liked it also because im interested in stuff like this) Steve Plays Killers & Creepy Characters Real Good Steve Also Played In Alot Of Other Movies Like Barb Wire With Pam Anderson Also! Carrie Played In One Of The Death Wish Movies With Charles Bronson and many other films! ... Need I say more?

Rating:
Summary: LISTEN UP!
Review: Highlights of the movie include hilarious scenes with Ed, Ed'd older brother and their Mother reading them scripture as they grow up. The older brother grows very disinterested while Ed hangs on every word. When the two go hunting, Ed's brother tells Ed he is thinking of moving out of the house,(They are both well into their 40's), and Ed kills him. Another unforgettable scene: Ed dancing around with sewn on breasts and a vagina he cut from one of his victims. Not to mention also frying a vagina in a frying pan on his range.

Rating:
Summary: Scary & Accurate.
Review: Now this movie unlike "Dahmer" is more true than all of these serial killer movies that have been released and even if it does have parts where it's not true it's still scary.The names are true,the places are true,the murders are true(except for his brother that was never proved) but the film is creepy and Steve
Railsback does a great job as Gein.This movie is well done too,not relying on computers and wires for their special effects but using makeup and so on.The movie starts out with Ed Gein and his brother as a child with their woman hating mother.Now Ed grows to hate women and love his mother and only his mother and when she dies the last thing Gein loved was gone.But Ed begins to see his mothers ghost who tells him to kill.But Ed tries to raise his mother from the dead by digging up graves and using the skins banging on a drum,the movie is very creepy and disturbing and not for the weak of heart.

Rating:
Summary: Not as close to the truth as I would've liked
Review: Steve Railsback did wonderful as Ed Gein. But the script did not hold to many of the truths about Mr. Gein's life and crimes. They left out many things and added many things. They should've made this a regular horror/thriller movie and said it was BASED on the life of Ed Gein (and named it differently). Any Gein-obsessed lunatic will love to see any attempt at the crafty madman through the big screen (or in this case, the small screen). Texas Chainsaw Massacre took VERY few elements from Gein, Psycho took also very few elements on Gein, and Buffalo Bill (Silence Of The Lambs) also didn't do justice to the man. Sadly, though, the movies out on him (even "Ed Gein") are just like the various books--they hold only partial truths to what actually happened because they want to make it even more interesting. This film is quite a good film, if you're not looking for the truth. But enough about me nagging about how no one gives the true story. Let me just say that if you want the story of Ed with more twists so that it is more film-like and not documentary-like, then pick this one up. Regardless of the bad points, Steve Railsback is one hell of an actor in my opinion and makes this movie worth rental money. But so far, the most accurate book in mass market production that I know of on Ed Gein is "Deviant" by Harold Schechter. Check that out for some true Gein. This movie is just entertaining on an average level--no more, no less.

Rating:
Summary: Ed Gein, up close and personal
Review: The strange case of cannibal killer and all around fruitcake Ed Gein of Plainfield, Wisconsin makes for an interesting book or movie, although it is not the sort of story you're likely to see as a network feature of the week. We've already seen several films based on the Gein phenomenon, like Robert Bloch's book (and Hitchcock's subsequent film version) "Psycho" and Tobe Hooper's "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre." Neither of these films attempts to tell the real story of Gein's numerous psychopathologies and actual crimes, and no film did until "Deranged" came out in the early 1970s. Even that movie, closer to what Ed Gein actually did but still fanciful in respects, couldn't capture the truly depraved incidents that unfolded in Plainfield during the 1950s. Finally, we were told in no uncertain terms, the film "Ed Gein" would peel the curtain back and really show us the actual monstrosities of the cannibal killer. Yeah, right. No film will truly show us the behaviors Ed Gein engaged in because no one knows for certain all of the atrocities he committed. Debate still rages today over whether the man was a raving lunatic or a cold, shrewdly intelligent beast fully aware of his actions.

Nonetheless, "Ed Gein" gives it the old college try. The movie spends a great amount of time examining the odd method of childrearing practiced in the Gein household. His mother Augusta (Carrie Snodgrass) is a woman dedicated to bible thumping and character assassination. The titular character (played by the always reliable Steve Railsback) and his older brother Henry (Brian Evers) spend most of their childhood and a significant amount of their adulthood sitting around Augusta listening to her drone on and on about her favorite biblical passages. Her greatest hits consist of those parts of the holy writings promising to bring justice and vengeance down upon the wicked, and for Augusta Gein the whole world is packed to the rafters with wicked people. Women especially come in for special scorn from this bitter old biddy, and she spends an inordinate amount of time warning her sons to avoid the "harlots" living in town. Her vitriol splashes on her husband too, an alcoholic largely reduced to surviving in a household you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy. After his passing, Augusta redoubles her efforts to teach the Lord's message to the boys. Henry tires of this nonsense, making plans to marry and move away. That he dies at the hand of his brother Ed during a hunting expedition is something the movie accepts as fact even though no one ever proved it.

Once Augusta Gein passes away, the tethers holding Ed to the earth break and drift away. He walls off her room like it is some sort of holy shrine, and he takes up reading books about concentration camp atrocities and primitive religious rituals. At some point Ed starts receiving mental messages from his deceased mother urging him to commit unspeakable atrocities, atrocities involving grave robbing and defilement. An inventive sort of chap, it's nothing for Ed to construct household items out of human bones and flesh after failing to resurrect the deceased through mental telepathy. Hmmm. But just as all human behaviors move to extremes unless checked, Gein's proclivity towards the bizarre soon escalates. Digging up corpses gives way to going out and procuring fresh bodies. Ed murders bar owner Mary Hogan (Sally Champlin) and drags her body back to his house for a whole new round of mayhem, an action fully justified in Gein's mind due to the woman's promiscuity. He later slays a local storeowner, a crime that is his undoing because of his own incompetence: he took the cash register and left a receipt book behind showing that he was the last customer to visit the store. The authorities discover a literal house of horrors when they enter the Gein farmhouse.

"Ed Gein" covers many of the smaller details of the Gein case. The movie even shows us a scene involving the two young boys who would come over to the farmhouse in order to pal around with Ed. On a much grimmer note, a very short scene reveals in horrific detail how Gein would dress up in clothing made from human skin, bang on a drum, and dance around outside at night. As yucky as this last situation is, it's about as horrific as the film gets. There are a few other unnerving sights and sounds, but "Ed Gein" is remarkably restrained considering the subject matter. The best aspect of the film has little to do with the gore and everything to do with the acting. Railsback does a good job in the role, capturing perfectly what all the written accounts of the man claimed: that Ed Gein often seemed like a child captured in a man's body. Carrie Snodgrass comes in for special mention, too. The late actress makes Augusta Gein look like the most frightening person on the planet. A few awkward moments in the film, in particular the cheesy CGI fire during Henry's death scene, doesn't take away from the performances turned in by Railsback and Snodgrass.

My impression of the movie is that the filmmakers strove to present a character study of this bizarre human being, with special emphasis on how he became such a depraved individual. The film also takes a position in the debate about Gein's mental state, namely that he knew his actions were wrong yet the voice of his mother he frequently heard in his mind overrode his inhibitions. "Ed Gein" brings us no closer to solving the enigma surrounding this aberrant person, but it's intriguing in that the movie is the closest thing we have on celluloid detailing his terrible crimes. Gorehounds, however, will probably express disappointment at the lack of grue.


Rating:
Summary: REAL HORRORSHOW
Review: This is not a very good movie. In fact, it seems as if the film makers have taken the most dull, predictable, and conservative route that this subject matter has ever seen. If you are a fan of the classics Texas Chainsaw Massacre or Psycho, don't even bother wasting your time on Ed Gein. With a few quick edits, this could play on network television. There is absolutely NO shock value or gore. The director spends an inordinate amount of time illustrating Gein's relationship with different town members. This is so boring and no one cares! The fact that the man had SEVERED HEADS hanging from his door and dressed in a body suit of DEAD SKIN are just briefly passed over; and I mean briefly. The reason why people wanted to see a movie about Gein is to know the intimate and sick details of what he actually did to his victims. As a film, Ed Gein is so conservative that the most disturbing part is watching his mother and father gut one of the pigs on the farm. Railsback is decent as Gein but attention to detail is overlooked, like having his mom be rail \-thin when in reality she was heavy. The scene were he kills his older brother is pretty ridiculous too, complete with computer generated fire. All in all, I am still waiting for someone to have the guts to show what actually happened inside of that farmhouse. Until that day, I will continue to watch Texas Chainsaw Massacre and believe all the hype about Ed Gein.

Rating:
Summary: Ed Gein deserves better
Review: Wisconsin serial killer Ed Gein proved to be one of the defining figures in the annals of American criminology, his crimes inspiring such classic films as "Psycho," "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre," "The Silence of the Lambs," and even "American Psycho" (but more so the novel than the movie). At this point, though, a flat-out documentary on the man seems almost redundant, but "Ed Gein" at least TRIES...

...and ultimately fails. While historically accurate, this movie is limited by its low budget and an incapable supporting cast. The Midwest setting is convincing, however, and Steve Railsback (who played Charles Manson in "Helter Skelter") is excellent as Gein, who grew up with a religious-kook mother (Carrie Snodgress, who poorly imitates Piper Laurie's character in "Carrie") and views his murders as 'God's good work.'

Gein's life story is indeed one worthy of celluloid, but any fans or curiosity seekers will probably be left cold by this film. The acting is mostly horrible, the flashbacks are unconvincing, and the grisly details are poorly rendered (I blame the low budget for that). I only give it two stars for Railsback's excellent portrayal, but other than that you'd be better off renting one of the movies I mentioned earlier.