Director - Michael Feifer (Drifter: Henry Lee Lucas)
Starring - Kane Hodder (Hatchet), Adrienne Frantz (Six Feet Under), and Michael Berryman (Brutal)
Release Date - 2007
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "The notorious serial killer who inspired Psycho and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre"
Format - DVD (Personal Collection)
Favorite Quote - "your too pretty for my barn"
Rating (out of 5):
When I was still in high school I watched a movie called Ed Gein (aka In the Light of the Moon) and loved it. This film sparked an interest in the famous serial killer. I have read books and watched countless documentaries on him since first viewing that movie. When I heard that another Ed Gein movie was in production I became a little upset. The first film starring Steve Railsback and was absolutely amazing, however, when I heard Kane Hodder was cast as Ed Gein I lost all hope. If any of you reading this know anything about Ed Gein, then you know he was a little man that the locals called "simple" and, for the most part, he was a very nice and peaceful man. However, horror fans know Kane Hodder to be this lumbering giant of a man made famous by playing slashers Jason Vorhees and Victor Crowley. Between the two there is probably a few hundred pounds and a foot and a half difference. A few years back I went to Blockbuster and found this flick for a few dollars. I grabbed it for my collection with no desire to watch it...until now. I decided to stop being biased and see if it was actually worth a damn.
The film opens with Ed (Hodder) knocking a girl unconscious. He takes her to his barn and puts her on meat hooks, however, she wakes up when he leaves. She tries to escape and Ed kills her. The next day, while digging her grave, a government official arrives to give Ed his subsidy check for not farming his land. Meanwhile, an officer finds the young girl's car with blood splattered on the door glass. Ed is partners with Jack (Berryman) but kills him because he feels he can't trust him anymore. Later, Ed is heading home with a bag full of body parts and is trespassing by the property owner. Ed tries to leave peacefully but the owner pushes the matter until Ed becomes upset and drops his bag. The property owner can see the gruesome items Ed is carrying and freaks out giving Ed the upper hand. Ed kills him and goes about his business and heads down to the local bar to enjoy a cold one. While at the bar, he has a vision of his late mother and strangles the female bartender. He then takes her home so he can turn her in to one of his flesh masterpieces. The following day he goes to the local store to get some rope and a pick axe. While there he has another vision of his mother and takes the store owner back to his torture barn. The store owner just so happens to be the cop's mother who is already investigating several disappearances in the area. While the cop is out with his girlfriend, he can hear that his mother is missing come across the radio. The two jump in his cop car and speed off, that is until they wreck. His girlfriend is severely injured and is unable to walk so he leaves her alone to go get help. After getting a ride he goes back to the scene of the accident and finds her missing. Ed came along once the cop left and took her back to his barn. While in the barn he puts her leg in a split and then carries her out in to the woods. He also knows that the police will be arriving soon because someone saw him driving with a body in his car. While out in the woods she regains consciousness and bashes him in the face with a rock. She screams and the police hear her and come running. Ed pulls a gun on her but her boyfriend is able to take it away from him before arresting him.
When I first started watching the movie, I thought it was best to just pretend it was not a movie about Ed Gein. However, that did not help it. This movie is bad, not because of the horrible rendition of Ed Gein, but bad because it is a bad movie altogether. I am a fan of Kane Hodder and Michael Berryman and my review should not be misinterpreted as an attack on them. All actors, including them, did an amazing job, just the film did not live up to the name and the story was lacking. When it comes to a person that actually existed and the horrors he committed are still shocking in today's society, the story should be close to the real thing as possible. Only Tarantino can change history when making a film. What few kills actually happened in the film were nothing special at all and offered no real entertainment. The only thing remotely scary is the skin suit he wears and that is only in the film for a few seconds. Th filmmakers used this movie to cash in on the Ed Gein name and stars Michael Berryman and Kane Hodder fame and credibility among horror fans. The story and effects are nothing special and neither is this movie. If your looking to kill some time then pop this one in. Other than that find something better to watch. 
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