Ed Gein The Butcher of Plainfield Review

Ed Gein is one of the most notorious serial killers of all time. It has been said that his character and life has inspired many a horror movie villain including a major source for the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. With so many films coming across my desk for review, it's hard to pick which one is high quality and which one is going to make me mad. I've seen some higher quality biographical pictures, and this is NOT one of them.

Ed Gein The Butcher of Plainfield is one of the worst biopics I've seen in a long time. Sure, it has a very good amount of gore, some decent acting at times, but overall it's just soft. There are a lot of scenes where there is a fade away cut, and then fade in to a new scene. I understand, independent film doesn't always have a lot of money, but this is not a glowing example of quality film work.

Take away the fact that this film is independent, and you at least should get a quality film right? Not really. The movie focuses on Ed Gein in a passive way and doesn't really go forward with ease.

It's not scary.

It's not worth a long evaluation.

There is a saving grace.

I will commend the producers and film makers for making a film with not a ton of CG blood or effects. I liked the gore, the blood and the brutality, but it wasn't that extreme. I liked that there was some creativity given to the film, and even though the Ed Gein character doesn't resemble the original guy much, it still had some good shots at trying to piece together a horror film.

I just didn't find it all that good.