Deranged

Deranged is a 1974 horror film directed by Jeff Gillen and Alan Ormsby. It is alternately known as Deranged: Confessions of a Necrophile. The film is inspired by real-life Wisconsion serial killer Ed Gein, whose crimes were so horrific that they inspired several landmark horror films including Psycho, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and Silence of the Lambs. In this film, Ezra Cobb is a mentally deranged man who, even in his mid-fifties, is governed by the actions of his stern mother. Following the death of his mother, Cobb suffers a psychotic break and begins disinterring human remains and presenting them to his mother's corpse as companions.

Notes & Trivia

 * A 30th Anniversary edition of Deranged was released on DVD on July 26th, 2004. The film was also packaged with Motel Hell as a "Midnite Movies" double-feature on August 27th, 2002.


 * Deranged showcases the first professional makeup effects work of artist Tom Savini. Savini will go on to become one of the most prominant special effects artists of all time working on films such as Dawn of the Dead and Friday the 13th.


 * Bob Clark, who previously made Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things and Dead of Night with Alan Ormsby and Jeff Gillen, was originally approached to direct this film. However, Clark felt the script was too disturbing for his taste so he opted to produce the film, although he used a pseudonym.