spoken
I'd already read the reviews and board posts so I went into this movie knowing just two things: it had a bad title and Kane Hodder was the main character.Let's do the latter first. Kane Hodder really can act right down to realistic crying with tears. I thought he was especially menacing when doing mad-with-frustration. And maybe it's because I'm a Boomer, but I do believe Hodder gets hotter by the year, and I'm thrilled to see him in this role.Now about that title ... can a movie be renamed? It's a decent movie if you aren't in immediate need of fast-action cuts and head-to-toe gore, though there is plenty of that. I get that this is "in the same universe" as Ed Gein, but that doesn't make it an Ed Gein movie. It should have been presented as an alternate universe and "what if" fiction.If you can keep yourself planted in a fiction frame of mind, and you like slasher (kinda) movies then you might want to see this flick.Stars lost due to stupidity in title and false story presentation.
Inkandpaint
First the good points.This movie has a strong and effective atmosphere about it and does have an intensity about it. Thats about it. Ed Gein has a horrific and appalling history that is ultimately tragic, BUT, if you are into the history and cases of serial killers this movie is not for you. It is so far off the facts and story that it reminds me of a certain huge cartoon corporation that rewrites great literature to make it nice for the kiddies EXCEPT that in this movie the substitutions of facts for more horrific effect fails epically as they are rather less gruesome than the facts. Add to that the appalling acting and you have wasted 90 minutes that you could have been having fun in. I recommend reading the book instead.
mad_for_movies
I would hate to have anyone watch this "inspired by a true story" movie and draw any conclusions about the true event. Few things they did get right were overshadowed by the things that were just not true. Ed Gein never dragged anyone behind a car, never met up with anyone at the graveyard and killed them, no proof he returned body parts to the graveyard. The things he did were awful enough, why try to make it worse? This movie ranks among my 10 worst wastes of eye strain. "In the Light of the Moon" is a much better film on the subject, it is more factual and the acting is superior in contrast to this one.
lhyde-2
I own a vacation lake home not far from Plainfield, WI. Ten minutes from the Gein property to be exact. I've seen his land, the cemetery where he is buried and where he did his digging, and I've shopped at the hardware store that was formerly owned by the Worden family. While visiting relatives in California, we decided to rent this movie. It was disgusting. The true story of Ed Gein is so disturbing and creepy, why the creators of this piece of trash decided to make up their own story is beyond me. The actor playing Ed is a very large man, Ed was a very small, meek, and shy man. That is part of what makes his story so frightening. He did not have a helper to dig up the graves and anyone who owns land in the area knows that it is mostly sand with a little dirt in it. You won't break much of a sweat digging a hole. They didn't have to hire an actor with the physique of a wrestler, just do your research. And if the writing wasn't bad enough - there are NO mountains in Wisconsin, and I'm pretty certain that 911 was not available in 1957.
AD
