A man living in rural Wisconsin takes care of his bed-ridden mother, who is very domineering and teaches him that all women are evil. After she dies, he misses her, and a year later digs her up and takes her home. He learns about taxidermy and begins robbing graves to get materials to patch her up, and inevitably begins looking for fresher sources of materials. Based loosely on the true story of Ed Gein.
Acting
Roberts Blossom's unsettling fragility—tragic and terrifying.
Practical Effects
Gruesome homemade effects that aged into nightmare fuel.
Direction
Ormsby's documentary-style coldness amplifies the horror.
Director
Alan Ormsby
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Shot in Canada standing in for Wisconsin because no American crew wanted to touch Gein this explicitly in 1974. The rural Ontario locations add accidental authenticity.
Roberts Blossom later played the creepy old man in Home Alone—rewatch his Ezra and you'll never unsee the throughline of unsettling parental figures.
CA
