Ed Gein (2000)

How well I remember the radio broadcast on the day Gein's house of horrors was found. Because of public sensibilities, the grisly depredations could only be hinted at, which of course left the rest to over-ripe imaginations like mine. It was like the shell of Ozzie & Harriet America had suddenly been ripped, exposing something maybe beyond imagination. In terms of serial killers, Gein is far from the worst, only two confirmed murders though there could have been more. In terms of sheer dementia, however, it would be hard to surpass the fiendish Wisconsin farmer and grave robber. No wonder writer Bloch took an immediate interest, soon followed by moviemaker Hitchcock and his dark masterpiece.The movie, I think, captures much of the banality of Gein's evil. On the outside he's a rather dull, disheveled sort, blending into the seedy rural background of run-down shops, clapboard houses, and shiny deer rifles. Actor Railsback low-keys it the whole way, only a smirk suggesting something happening on the inside. Clearly, the inner Gein only comes to life when wearing a woman's skin, literally. The problem, of course, is mother. The movie blends in her visual presence (Snodgress) at those times when the demented Gein gets an angry lecture. Seems Mom is some kind of religious nut in which loose women, the road to hell, and backward son combine into one venemous package. For Ed, there's no escape. She haunts him, and us, at every turn. The effect is both unsettling and revealing, showing that Gein's really only half-present at any one time, except maybe when he's frolicking as a woman.Thankfully, the movie refuses to prettify anything. It also looks like actual b&w footage from Nov., 1957, appears now and again, lending some authenticity to the weirdness. Anyway, I suspect this film comes about as close to Gein's actual pathology as any of the many others. And what the narrative may lack in melodrama, it makes up for in morbid fascination.

ed gein is considered as americas first serial killer, and his story is a dark and creepy one, while most serial killer biopics want to be something else, or twist facts, this movie sticks very close to the facts to a point I've only ever seen in two other movies '2007's zodiac' and '2007's rise of the footsoldier'. the movie is never really gory, but you do see all the macabre and sick things ed gein did, including a amazingly recreated hanging gutted body at the end of the movie, having seen the original crime scene photo's i can see they got it spot on. having read the brilliant book on gein 'deviant', this movie in many ways feels like a movie based on that book, and to be honest it probably was. some people will notice simelarities to other horror movies like 'the Texas chainsaw massacre' 'psycho' and 'silence of the lambs' and thats because all three of them were inspired by gein, but in my opinion the true story is the most shocking of all, steve railsback gives a brilliant performance as ed gein, and at times is earily convincing. its very well made and is creepy from the outset, and gein's skin suit is enough to disturb anybody. ed gein is a great movie, and an accurate true story, and i highly recommend

Wisconsin weirdo Steve Railsback (as Ed, Eddy, Edward Gein) runs a small town eatery catering to overweight women. The twist is that the lucky ladies are on the menu! Yup, they get butchered and eaten. Everyone in town seems to know something is not quite kosher with the local fruitcake. In fact, he demonstrates all the characteristics of your average psycho. Folks are mostly disturbed by the fact that the beans-for-cereal killer dude never married. Gasp. Most women outside of this town would not be surprised.In an early scene, two teenagers are apparently killed during a make-out session. Then, the movie forgets about them. Next, two other teenagers are inexplicably left at Mr. Railsback's rat-infested abode for "babysitting" (huh?). While the older "baby" plays Go Fish with his host, younger "baby" discovers a bedroom full of shrunken heads and other body parts. For some reason, the babies decide to remain "mum" for the rest of the film. The ghost of mother Carrie Snodgress (as Augusta) probably rendered them mute.By the time Ms. Snodgress literally telephones Railsback at a murder scene and directs him to "Hurry, boy!" you could be laughing out loud. There is also a kabuki dance. "In the Light of the Moon" aka "Ed Gein" is more confusing than chuckle-inducing, however. The bar scenes are nicely done, with Sally Champlin (as Mary Hogan) neatly filling her bra shots, and Craig Zimmerman (as Pete Anderson) showing why someone should cast him as the lead in one of these pictures. And, give Railsback meatier roles.**** In the Light of the Moon (11/17/00) Chuck Parello ~ Steve Railsback, Carrie Snodgress, Sally Champlin, Craig Zimmerman

Possible Spoilers:It seems like every small rural town has a man that reminds me of Ed Gein. At least what Ed appeared to be on the outside. In the larger cities people like this are probably treated different, but I wouldn't know. They are a bit strange, but seem harmless enough that parents wouldn't even tell their kids to avoid them, maybe even let him watch the kids while they run some errands for an hour or two.That is why no one believed that Ed could possibly be responsible when strange things happened. It had to be some outsider, maybe even some city folk. In hindsight, Ed was too simple to even hide what he was doing that well. It just didn't seem possible that Ed would cause any type of violence.I loved the way the movie was made. A big budget movie could never have the feel this one did. It simply tells the story as it happened with appropriate flashbacks and very little gratuitous violence or overbearing music.It was almost as if the makers of this film just wanted to tell the real history of a man who fascinated the makers of horror stories and films for decades to come.