View source for In the Light of the Moon

{{Infobox film
| name           = In the Light of the Moon
| image          = In the Light of the Moon FilmPoster.jpeg
| alt            =
| caption        = Film poster with the alternate title of ''Ed Gein''
| native_name    =
| director       = Chuck Parello
| writer         = Stephen Johnston
| screenplay     =
| story          =
| based_on       =
| producer       = Hamish McAlpine <br> [[Michael Muscal]]
| starring       = [[Steve Railsback]] <br> [[Carrie Snodgress]]
| narrator       =
| cinematography = Vanja Cernjul
| editing        = [[Elena Maganini]]
| music          = Robert McNaughton
| studio         = [[Palisades Tartan|Tartan Films]]
| distributor    = Tartan Films
| released       = {{Film date|df=yes/no|2000|10||[[Sitges Film Festival]]|2001|05|04|United States}}
| runtime        = 89 minutes
| country        = United States <br> United Kingdom<ref>{{cite news|url = https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b838aa252|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210419224742/https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b838aa252|url-status = dead|archive-date = April 19, 2021|title = ''Ed Gein'' (2001)|publisher = [[British Film Institute]]|newspaper = Bfi|accessdate = 4 June 2022}}</ref>
| language       = English
| budget         =
| gross          =
}}
'''''In the Light of the Moon''''' (also known as '''''Ed Gein''''') is a 2000 [[crime film|crime]] [[horror film]] directed by Chuck Parello, and written by Stephen Johnston. It is based on the crimes of [[Ed Gein]], an American murderer who killed at least two women in [[Plainfield, Wisconsin]] during the 1950s. It stars [[Steve Railsback]] as Gein, and [[Carrie Snodgress]] as Gein's domineering, fundamentalist mother, Augusta.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-apr-30-ca-57474-story.html|title = Telling the Story of Ed Gein, Hold the Gore|date = 30 April 2001|website = [[Los Angeles Times]]|accessdate = 9 July 2018}}</ref>
== Plot ==
Growing up on a farm in rural Wisconsin, [[Ed Gein]] is abused by both his [[Christian fundamentalist]] mother, Augusta, and his alcoholic father, George. George dies of a heart attack in 1940, and four years later, Ed kills his older brother, Henry, in a fit of rage after Henry insults Augusta. Ed makes it look like Henry died in a brush fire, and lives alone with Augusta until she dies of a stroke in 1945. Ed becomes depressed after his mother's death, and lets the family farm become squalid and dilapidated, with the exception of Augusta's room, which is sealed off by Ed.
Living off of [[Agricultural subsidy|agricultural subsidies]] and the money that he makes from leasing land and babysitting children, the increasingly unstable Ed makes nightly excursions to the Plainfield Cemetery and digs up recently deceased elderly women. He makes futile attempts at reviving them, before decorating his home with pieces of their corpses, at one point passing "shrunken heads" off as gifts from a cousin in the [[Philippines]].
Ed begins suffering from hallucinations of Augusta, who commands him to kill "sinful" women, starting with a tavern owner named Mary Hogan. Ed shoots Mary and takes her to his farm, where he leaves her bound to a bed until she dies. Ed butchers her body, consuming some of it, and using the rest to add to his crudely-designed "woman suit." Ed's delusions worsen, and he becomes convinced that Mary's death has resurrected Augusta, who implores Ed to kill a hardware store owner named Collette Marshall. Ed shoots Collette and brings her body back to his farm before having dinner with the Andersons, a neighboring family who he surprises with "[[Venison]] steaks."
Colette's employee, Brian, returns from a hunting trip to find the unmanned store full of blood, and calls the police. Brian suspects Ed of being involved in Mary and Collette's disappearances, and races to Ed's farm, followed by Sheriff Jim Stillwell. After finding Collette's decapitated and "[[Field dressing (hunting)|dressed out]]" body hanging in Ed's barn, an enraged Brian tracks Ed down to the Anderson residence, but is talked out of shooting Ed by Sheriff Stillwell, who arrests Ed.
The film ends with a nonlinear montage that consists of the police uncovering evidence in Ed's home, interviews with Ed after he was diagnosed with [[schizophrenia]] and placed in a psychiatric hospital, and scenes in which Ed tries to keep his urges in check through prayer and rituals. He also exhumes corpses, only to rebury them after snapping out of a [[fugue state]]. An [[intertitle]] states that Ed died of respiratory failure in 1984, and was buried next to his mother.
== Cast ==
{{Cast listing|
* [[Steve Railsback]] as [[Ed Gein]]
* [[Carrie Snodgress]] as Augusta W. Gein
* [[Carol Mansell]] as Collette Marshall
* [[Sally Champlin]] as Mary Hogan
* Steve Blackwood as Brian
* [[Nancy Linehan Charles]] as Eleanor M. Adams
* Bill Cross as George Gein
* [[Jan Hoag]] as Judy Anderson
* Brian Evers as Henry Gein
* [[Pat Skipper]] as Sheriff Jim Stillwell
* Craig Zimmerman as Pete Anderson
* [[Lee McLaughlin (actor)|Lee McLaughlin]] as Phil Anderson
* Ryan Thomas Brockington as Ed Gein at 16
* Austin James Peck as Ed Gein at 10
* Luke Rowland as Henry Gein at 14
* [[Devin Alexander]] as Doris Wickstrom
* Rick Simpson as Henry Gein at 20
* [[Danny Keogh]] as Hunter
}}
== Release ==
{{expand section|date=June 2018}}
''Ed Gein'' premiered in America, in a single theater in [[Los Angeles]], on May 4, 2001. On its opening weekend, the film [[Gross income|grossed]] $5,708, and by May 11 had grossed $11,821.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Ed-Gein#tab=box-office|title = ''Ed Gein'' (2001)|publisher = [[The Numbers (website)|The Numbers]]|website = the-numbers.com|accessdate = 4 June 2022}}</ref>
=== Home media ===
''Ed Gein'' was released on [[VHS]] by Millennium on July 24, 2001.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.amazon.com/Ed-Gein-VHS-Steve-Railsback/dp/B00005LC6J|title = ''Ed Gein'' [VHS]|publisher = [[Amazon (company)|Amazon]]|website = amazon.com| date=24 July 2001 |accessdate = 8 June 2018}}</ref> That same year, the film was released on [[DVD]] by both First Look Home Entertainment on June 24 and Tartan Video on November 29. On April 22, 2003 it was re-released by First Look as part of a three-disk box set which included ''[[Dahmer (film)|Dahmer]]'' and ''[[Ted Bundy (film)|Ted Bundy]]''. That same day, it was released as a single-feature by Velocity Home Entertainment. It was last released in 2005 by both Prism and First Look on February 14 and August 26, respectively.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.allmovie.com/movie/ed-gein-v242402/releases|title = ''Ed Gein'' (2000)|publisher = [[AllMovie]]|website = allmovie.com|accessdate = 8 June 2018}}</ref>
== Reception ==
On [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film holds an approval rating of 10% based on {{nowrap|10 reviews}}, with a [[Weighted arithmetic mean|weighted average]] rating of 4.1/10.<ref name="rottomatoes">{{cite web|url = https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ed_gein|title = ''Ed Gein''|publisher = [[Rotten Tomatoes]]|website = rottentomatoes.com|accessdate = 8 June 2018}}</ref>
[[Ain't It Cool News]] praised [[Steve Railsback]]'s performance as Gein, and concluded, "''Ed Gein'' is not must-see but it's a lot better than I thought it would be. I would recommend a rental to the curious horror or [[true crime]] fans out there looking for something sort of along the lines of ''[[Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer]]'', but tamer, but at the same time a lot sicker."<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.aintitcool.com/node/9317|title = That sick Vern takes in ''Ed Gein''|last = Vern|first = Outlaw|publisher = [[Ain't It Cool News]]|date = 14 June 2001|website = aintitcool.com|accessdate = 17 August 2017}}</ref> ''[[Time Out (magazine)|Time Out]]'' found the film to be "a surprisingly sober response to a potentially salacious subject" and wrote, "As with the best scenes of ''[[Deranged (1974 film)|Deranged]]'', the conjunction of colourful case history, odd impulses, [[Black comedy|gallows humour]], low budget austerity and genuinely grotesque [[iconography]] produces a felicitous and engaging variant of [[Dark romanticism|American Gothic]]."<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.timeout.com/london/film/ed-gein|title = ''Ed Gein''|last = A.|first = G.|publisher = [[Time Out (magazine)|Time Out]]|website = timeout.com| date=10 September 2012 |accessdate = 17 August 2017}}</ref>
In a review written for [[AllMovie]], [[Richard Gilliam]] commended the film's historical accuracy, production design, and "low-key" approach to its source material, but also found it to be lacking in style, writing, "The problem with the authenticity here is that the filmmakers have managed to authentically capture the dull, boring parts of life in 1950s rural Wisconsin. ''Ed Gein'' is so under-the-top that what should be compelling merely becomes unpleasant."<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.allmovie.com/movie/ed-gein-v242402/review|title = ''Ed Gein'' (2000)|last = Gilliam|first = Richard|publisher = [[AllMovie]]|website = allmovie.com|accessdate = 8 June 2018}}</ref> [[Nathan Rabin]] of ''[[The A.V. Club]]'' had a lukewarm response to the film, writing, "Half character study, half [[exploitation film]], ''Ed Gein'' is most effective when it focuses on Gein's halting attempts to connect with his neighbors, who treat him with the polite but decided distance of an adult dealing with a misbehaving but well-intentioned child. Where the film falters is in its attempts to explain away Gein's madness with a massive dose of [[Popular psychology|pop psychology]]."<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.avclub.com/review/ed-gein-20383|title = ''Ed Gein''|last = Rabin|first = Nathan|publisher = [[The A.V. Club]]|date = 29 March 2002|website = avclub.com|accessdate = 17 August 2017}}</ref>
While ''[[The Guardian]]'s'' [[Philip French]] offered praise to Railsback's performance as Gein, he found the film itself to be "a generally unsensational chunk of bizarre [[Americana (culture)|Americana]]" that "adds little to our understanding of the man."<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.theguardian.com/film/News_Story/Critic_Review/Observer_review/0,,525653,00.html|title = ''Ed Gein''|last = French|first = Philip|date = 22 July 2001|website = [[The Guardian]]|accessdate = 17 August 2017}}</ref> Fellow ''Guardian'' reviewer [[Peter Bradshaw]] had a similar response to the film, writing, "Really, it's the same old [[Pulp magazine|pulpy]], paranoid voyeuristic stuff, and Ed's fear and hatred of women is never that edifying. It's well acted, and effectively put together, but there is an insurmountable problem: gloomy, grave-robbing, body-chopping old Ed is, in the end, just a little bit of a bore."<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2001/jul/20/artsfeatures4|title = Give me some skin|last = Bradshaw|first = Peter|date = 20 July 2001|website = [[The Guardian]]|accessdate = 17 August 2017}}</ref> [[Kevin Thomas (film critic)|Kevin Thomas]] of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' afforded the film moderate praise, commending the performances, the atmosphere, and the historical accuracy, but went on to write, "''Ed Gein'' resists cheap humor in favor of moments that are inherently darkly comic, and tries for a seriousness of purpose, yet is at times awkward and under-inspired, creating a question as to whether so gloomy and repugnant a tale was worth telling simply for its own sake."<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-may-04-ca-59065-story.html|title = Somber Look at Serial Killer ''Ed Gein''|last = Thomas|first = Kevin|date = 4 May 2001|website = [[Los Angeles Times]]|accessdate = 18 August 2017}}</ref>
Neil Smith of the [[BBC]] called the film "gross and repellent" and awarded it a score of 2/5, writing, "Parello's stated intention is to explore the psychology of his twisted protagonist, but the result has all the hallmarks of a low-budget exploitationer, right down to its [[B movie]] leads Steve Railsback and [[Carrie Snodgress]]. Would it be too much to expect some thought or consideration for Gein's victims? Evidently so, given Hollywood's depressing habit of turning serial killers into cult heroes."<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2001/07/05/ed_gein_2001_review.shtml|title = ''Ed Gein'' (2001)|last = Smith|first = Neil|publisher = [[BBC]]|date = 5 July 2001|website = bbc.co.uk|accessdate = 17 August 2017}}</ref> ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'s'' Robert Koehler gave ''Ed Gein'' a wholly negative review, deriding it for being both lackluster and "a disappointingly mild re-creation of true events."<ref>{{cite web|url = https://variety.com/2001/film/reviews/ed-gein-1200467636/|title = Review: ''Ed Gein''|last = Koehler|first = Robert|publisher = [[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date = 29 April 2001|website = variety.com|accessdate = 18 August 2017}}</ref>
Chuck Parello and Steve Railsback won Best Film and Best Actor, respectively, at the 2000 [[Sitges Film Festival]].<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.screendaily.com/ed-gein-wins-best-film-award-at-sitges/403917.article|title = ''Ed Gein'' wins best film award at Sitges|last = Green|first = Jennifer|publisher = [[Screen International|Screen Daily]]|date = 16 October 2000|website = screendaily.com|accessdate = 4 June 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url = https://variety.com/2000/film/news/gein-grabs-top-kudos-at-sitges-fest-1117787891/|title = ''Gein'' grabs top kudos at Sitges fest|publisher = [[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date = 18 October 2000|website = variety.com|accessdate = 4 June 2022}}</ref>
== See also ==
* ''[[The Hillside Strangler (film)|The Hillside Strangler]]'', another true crime film directed by Chuck Parello and written by Stephen Johnston
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
== External links ==
* {{IMDb title|0230169|Ed Gein}}
* {{AllMovie title|242402|Ed Gein}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes|ed_gein|Ed Gein}}
* [https://www.fakeshemp.net/interviews/chuck-parello Interview] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220706034727/https://www.fakeshemp.net/interviews/chuck-parello |date=2022-07-06 }} with Chuck Parello at Fake Shemp
* [http://irresistibletargets.blogspot.com/2008/11/norman-bates-was-peach-long-lost-chuck.html Interview] with Chuck Parello at Irresistible Targets
* [https://serialkillercalendar.com/INTERVIEW-WITH-SERIAL-KILLER-FILM-MAKER-CHUCK-PARELLO.php Interview] with Chuck Parello at Serial Killer Calendar
[[Category:2000 films]]
[[Category:2000 horror films]]
[[Category:2000 independent films]]
[[Category:2000s American films]]
[[Category:2000s biographical films]]
[[Category:2000s British films]]
[[Category:2000s English-language films]]
[[Category:2000s exploitation films]]
[[Category:2000s psychological horror films]]
[[Category:2000s serial killer films]]
[[Category:American biographical films]]
[[Category:American exploitation films]]
[[Category:American films based on actual events]]
[[Category:American independent films]]
[[Category:American nonlinear narrative films]]
[[Category:American psychological horror films]]
[[Category:American serial killer films]]
[[Category:British biographical films]]
[[Category:British exploitation films]]
[[Category:British films based on actual events]]
[[Category:British independent films]]
[[Category:British nonlinear narrative films]]
[[Category:British psychological horror films]]
[[Category:British serial killer films]]
[[Category:Biographical films about serial killers]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of American people]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of Ed Gein]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of kidnappers]]
[[Category:English-language horror films]]
[[Category:Films about alcoholism]]
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[[Category:Films about child abuse]]
[[Category:Films about Christianity]]
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[[Category:Films about dysfunctional families]]
[[Category:Films about siblicide]]
[[Category:Films about grief]]
[[Category:Films about kidnapping in the United States]]
[[Category:Films about mother–son relationships]]
[[Category:Films about schizophrenia]]
[[Category:Films about sexual repression]]
[[Category:Films set in 1916]]
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[[Category:Films set in 1945]]
[[Category:Films set in 1954]]
[[Category:Films set in 1955]]
[[Category:Films set in 1956]]
[[Category:Films set in 1957]]
[[Category:Films set in cemeteries]]
[[Category:Films set on farms]]
[[Category:Films set in psychiatric hospitals]]
[[Category:Films set in Wisconsin]]
[[Category:Films shot in Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Films shot in Los Angeles County, California]]
[[Category:Films about grave-robbing]]
[[Category:Horror films based on actual events]]
[[Category:Period horror films]]
[[Category:American religious horror films]]
[[Category:English-language independent films]]
[[Category:English-language crime films]]
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