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Tuesday, January 14, 2014

In the Light of the Moon aka Ed Gein (2000)

"In the Light of the Moon" is a biopic of the crimes committed by Ed Gein. Ed Gein, for those who don't know, is the person who inspired the characters Norman Bates from "Psycho", Leatherface from "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre", and Buffalo Bill in "The Silence of the Lambs". Ed barely qualifies as a serial killer since he only killed two victims but he did earn a great deal of infamy after digging up nine graves and robbing the corpses, who reportedly looked similar to his deceased mother. With the dead bodies as well as his victims, the police found various body parts around Ed Gein's house, some which had been turned in to bowls, lamp shades, a drum, and even a partial suit made of skin. He was later diagnosed with having a long standing schizophrenic condition and was sentenced to life in jail due to insanity.

"In the Light of the Moon" follows the Ed Gein, showing flashbacks of his troubled and difficult youth and his overbearing mother Augusta, as well as showing Ed dealing with the townsfolk that he interacted with before he began killing. It is quickly established that the adult Ed is seen as odd but harmless, unknown to anyone that he has been going into local graveyards and grave robbing. His awkwardness peaks when he honestly asks if anyone has ever thought about having a sex change operation while having a drink at the local bar. Since this is during the late 1940's, such questions are not asked or discussed. Ed soon begins having hallucinations of his deceased mother who orders him to go and kill the owner of the bar, Mary Hogan , for being vile and foul mouthed. Ed does what he is told and shoots her as she is locking up for work one night. He takes her back to his house where he ties her up and until she finally dies. During the weeks and months after Mary's disappearance, Ed begins to tell people why the police never found her, it's because she was locked up in his house. The townsfolk think he's just joking (because he's seen as being that odd) and no one takes him seriously. A hallucination of his mother soon orders him to kill the grocery owner, Collette Marshall, which he does, taking her back to his place and hanging her upside down and gutting her like a deer. It's when Collette goes missing that Ed is discovered as being the killer of both woman. He's taken into police custody and lives out his final days in a mental institution.


Ed wearing his skin suit, made up from the skin of the bodies his stole form the grave and Mary Hogan


Ed Gein, simple country boy


Mary Hogan, shot and tied up in Ed's house

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