The Butcher of Plainfield (2007) Review

Whatever you do, avoid Ed Gein: The Butcher of Plainfield. I had a feeling this movie was going to be bad but I didn’t know how bad. For those who don’t know, Ed Gein was a real person and one sick bastard. He inspired the creation of fictional villains such as Hannibal, Norman Bates, and Leatherface. Gein dug up graves, stole body parts, and violated corpses. He would later murder a number of citizens in a small Wisconsin town.

Hang in there darling

The movie suffers from a poor script. Even with a low budget you can engage an audience with a good story. For starters, they don’t even introduce us to Ed Gein before his murder spree. He wasn’t even presented as a “nice guy” that no one should see as a threat. This could have been avoided by not casting Kane Hodder who is damn near 6’3 in height. Ed Gein was 5’7 in height. Its as if they did little to no research done on the serial killer.

When your car smells like sweaty socks

With this movie having an R-rating, I expected a ton of blood and gore. Unfortunately, there were quick camera shots with distorted transitions. If you’re going to make a film about a cannibal, necrophiliac, and murderer, you have to go over the top! You can’t hold back. The biggest disappointment was not providing an emotional connection to the victims. Ed Gein: The Butcher of Plainfield gets a 3 out of 10.

You read Mama’s recipe, I can’t let that stand

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