I saw "Deranged" in theaters when it came out in '74. I was 15 and don't remember how I got into the theater for an R-rated film, but I did. The theater was mostly empty and it's one of the few movies I saw without any friends or family. I'd never seen a horror movie before except maybe "Frankenstein" or "Dracula" in black-and-white on TV. I'm including this preamble because "Deranged" kind of rocked my teenage world and the final scenes stuck in my mind for decades.
Eventually, I became a huge fan of horror movies, watching thousands of them over many years, and of course I had to revisit "Deranged." While it's slower paced than I recall, I still found it pretty fascinating and Roberts Blossom's marvelous performance hasn't diminished in nearly 50 years. I thought several in the supporting cast were quite good as well, especially Micki Moore as Mary.
I think it's a touch creepier and more emotionally charged than the original "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre," which was also a terrific horror movie from this era. Both movies far exceeded the original, overrated "Last House on the Left." Along with "Black Christmas" and a few others, these pre-'75 slasher horror movies really set the stage for future slashers, including "Halloween" and "Friday the 13th" and many others. And while "Deranged" may be the least known of those early-'70s classics, it's in pretty good company.
While I recognize the black humor in "Deranged," I don't see as much of it as other reviewers did and I would hardly call this a black comedy. It's a horror movie and a pretty good one. I agree that the "live narrator" in the film was generally a negative and didn't add anything to the movie except breaking the dark atmosphere at the worst times. The existence of the narrator actually knocked a star off of my rating.
"Deranged" is still a little hard to find, and the version I found on Tubi is the censored version, which definitely takes the creepiness down a half a notch. Track down the uncensored version (with the eyeball scoop and skull sawing) and enjoy this early-era horror classic.
Eventually, I became a huge fan of horror movies, watching thousands of them over many years, and of course I had to revisit "Deranged." While it's slower paced than I recall, I still found it pretty fascinating and Roberts Blossom's marvelous performance hasn't diminished in nearly 50 years. I thought several in the supporting cast were quite good as well, especially Micki Moore as Mary.
I think it's a touch creepier and more emotionally charged than the original "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre," which was also a terrific horror movie from this era. Both movies far exceeded the original, overrated "Last House on the Left." Along with "Black Christmas" and a few others, these pre-'75 slasher horror movies really set the stage for future slashers, including "Halloween" and "Friday the 13th" and many others. And while "Deranged" may be the least known of those early-'70s classics, it's in pretty good company.
While I recognize the black humor in "Deranged," I don't see as much of it as other reviewers did and I would hardly call this a black comedy. It's a horror movie and a pretty good one. I agree that the "live narrator" in the film was generally a negative and didn't add anything to the movie except breaking the dark atmosphere at the worst times. The existence of the narrator actually knocked a star off of my rating.
"Deranged" is still a little hard to find, and the version I found on Tubi is the censored version, which definitely takes the creepiness down a half a notch. Track down the uncensored version (with the eyeball scoop and skull sawing) and enjoy this early-era horror classic.