Ed Gein-The Chuck Berry of Psycho-Cinema
Just as Chuck Berry influenced most rock stars of the 60's and 70's, Ed Gein's legacy can be found in many of Hollywood's greatest serial killer films. From Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho to Tobe Hooper's Texas Chainsaw Massacre to Jonathan Demme's Silence of the Lambs, it was Gein who shambled through the writers' feverish dreams and inspired such creations as Norman Bates, Leatherface and Jame Gumb.
So here's a short bio (with actual footage of the seemingly meek Gein) to help you understand how a man with such a small body of work (he officially killed only two people) could have influenced so many.
So here's a short bio (with actual footage of the seemingly meek Gein) to help you understand how a man with such a small body of work (he officially killed only two people) could have influenced so many.
posted by Ryan A at 3:45 AM
2 Comments:
Ryan, Ryan, Ryan, Ryan... here we go again. What is UP with you, dude? Just last night... JUST LAST NIGHT... I took in a documentary on ol' Ed that came with the big, fancy-pants 2-disc, so-extra-special-you-won't-believe-it-
platinum-gold-silver-anniversary-millennium edition of Michael Bay's ballsy re-make of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" I had rented in anticipation of the sequel that's coming out any day now, "Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning", which, word is, is superior. (What can I tell you, I can never get enough R. Lee Ermey as that ridiculously grotesque Sheriff Hoyt)
Anyway, one thing that really struck me as curious in this doc was they had this dude on there named Harold Schechter, who authored the true-crime tome, "Deviant: The Shocking True Story of Ed Gein, the Original Psycho". Now this guy was very bright and precise with his words and supposedly THE premier authority on all things Ed. However, he contends in his book that Ed was, in fact, NOT a cannibal. Oh, sure, he made skin suits and skull bowls and fingernail earrings or what-say-you... but never did ingest human flesh, according to Schechter. That blew my mind. But the way the shrink they had one there went on and on, it made perfect sense. Also, I always thought Ed killed more woman then two. But allegedly he only murdered two women but dug up TWELVE from freshly dug graves.
I'm gonna go get that "Deviant" and read it, I'll tell you what. And if you've never seen "Deranged" from 1974, starring Roberts Blossom as Ezra Cobb (Ed Gein), I own it and would be happy to send it home with you when you come down here. It's a very rare find.
"Ed Gein" starring the great Steve Railsback? Not good.
Okay, I think I've said just... about... enough.
JUST LAST NIGHT!!!
Ryan,
Can we count Halloween in the credits.
Take a look at the picture of Ed at the 6:30 mark and tell me it doesn't look exactly like some of those of Michael Myers, with the head shaved just above the ear.
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