Ed Gein-inspired classic Deranged coming to Blu-ray on July 7th

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Everyone knows 1974's THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE; an independent production, made on a budget of less than $300,000, that took inspiration from the true crime case of murderer/grave robber Ed Gein and quickly became recognized as one of the greatest horror movies ever made. Not everyone knows there was another Gein-related film released in 1974. A film which was shot in Canada around the same time as CHAINSAW was being made in Texas, on a similar budget ($200,000), and was released a few months earlier than CHAINSAW. A film called DERANGED.

Co-directed by Alan Ormsby and Jeff Gillen from a screenplay by Ormsby, DERANGED sticks much closer to the real Gein story. While it takes some artistic liberties and changes the names (the lead character is Ezra Cobb rather than Ed Gein), DERANGED is, in my opinion, the best movie that has ever been directly based on the life of Gein.

I've been a fan of DERANGED for twenty years, ever since I rented it on a VHS tape that also included a short documentary about Gein after the feature. The movie was given an underwhelming release on DVD, paired with MOTEL HELL in a double feature and in an R-rated form that removed some of its more disgusting moments of Tom Savini-created gore. I've been waiting for the movie to get a better release than that, and now one is on the way.

Kino Lorber will be putting out a special edition Blu-ray of DERANGED on July 7th, and while the Amazon listing has an R rating on it, hopefully that's not the case. Rating worries aside, it sounds like a very solid release, with some enticing bonus features:

Audio Commentary by Writer and Director Alan Ormsby 

Audio Commentary by Film Historian Richard Harland Smith 

New Featurette Produced by Producer Tom Karr 

Trailer

DERANGED is an underrated gem, featuring a fantastic performance by Roberts Blossom (you may remember him as George LeBay from CHRISTINE) in the role of Ezra Cobb. The film definitely deserves to get the special edition treatment in all its unrated glory, and to reach as many horror fans as possible.