What do classic horror films like Psycho and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre have in common with newer classic horror films like The Silence of the Lambs, House of 1000 Corpses, and The Devil's Rejects? Ed Gein's terrifying actions inspired these films and many more. Very few murderers in history have been the inspiration for such nightmares.
MGM+ has released a four-part documentary about Ed Gein and his effect on society, community, and culture called Psycho: The Lost Tapes of Ed Gein. This documentary is a much deeper dive into the life and story of this troubled man, along with never-before-heard tapes, including commentary from experts, historians, and community members who knew Gein. The docuseries, directed by James Buddy Day, is also known for the series Catching a Serial Killer: Bruce McArthur (2021) and The Shocking Truth (2017). Additionally, Day served as executive producer. Released on September 17, 2023, Pyramid Productions and Roots Productions produced it.
Stars: Henry Zebrowski, Ben Kissel, Marcus Parks
Psycho: The Lost Tapes of Ed Gein begins by discussing the interview about the lost tapes. The interview occurred just after Bernice Worden, the second woman murdered by Gein, disappeared. It is a story of abuse, loneliness, sadness and madness. As the police question Gein, he answers questions with indecisive answers and little emotion. His responses are more like those of a child, and it is obvious that his simple mind knows that he has been discovered.
He had what doctors called feigned amnesia. This type of amnesia involves feigning memory loss of crimes the perpetrator has committed. His responses were full of statements that he did not remember or that his memories were confusing. Ed Gein's life finally ended after spending years moving from one insane asylum to another. He never caused any problems in these hospitals. So the question is, how could this have happened? Was he just crazy and bored? Or was he just crazy and alone?
Special guests like The Last Podcast on the Left discuss how this tall tale has impacted American culture. Gein's mother, Augusta Gein, was a very strict Lutheran. Gein was not close to his brother or his father, so his entire emotional life (and every other part) was affected by his mother. She spent a lot of time teaching children about the Bible's harshest commandments and making them comply with stifling rules that bordered on abuse. He was so close to Augusta that people have always wondered how far the abuse went. Over the course of the series, the series increasingly studies Psycho and how it and similar films have shaped the horror genre and impacted society. Much of the fourth episode looks at more Gein-inspired films.
Ed Gein historian and author Scott Bowser offers a tour of the cemetery in Plainfield, Wisconsin. Throughout each chapter new information appears among amazing secrets. Secrets of cannibalism, is it deer or human meat? Everyone thought he was a normal, strange, but harmless guy. He was having dinner with his neighbors at the same time the police were searching his house. How did all this happen? The plot is coherent and although it jumps here and there, there is enough connection for it to make sense. The setting and atmosphere were often cold, snowy or black and white, matching the feelings the stories provoked.
The cinematography used images and videos from the 1950s to depict the culture of the community and the country. The images fit perfectly with the grainy and aged recordings. Segments with historians, experts and podcasters transition to scenes with lots of browns and natural wood colors to provide a professional, expert quality to match the people being interviewed. At this point, it's probably hard to get a ton of pictures of Ed Gein and his life, but it would have been great to see more pictures of him and his family.
The cinematography included the use of different black and white images of Ed Gein while he was between courthouses and prisons. He helped emphasize the creepiness and seriousness of what he did. There was an interesting picture of a woman thought to be Ed Gein's mother, where she was smiling. That image was especially chilling, since it is not common to see portraits of people from that era smiling. Her smile seemed warm, when the information known about her was not. There is not much variety of images.
Curiously, at times the docuseries felt like a 90s rock band documentary. They were occasionally fast-moving scenes and by focusing on popular movies, I couldn't hide the vibe. However, the information contained in it was much more serious.
Watch Psycho: The Lost Tapes of Ed Gein 2023 Trailer
Comments
Post a Comment