Criminally Insane (1975)

"My heart is just fine, as long as my stomach's not empty." - Ethel

aka: Crazy Fat Ethel
A disturbed lady won't let anything get between her and a good meal.
Starring: Priscilla Alden, Michael Flood, Lisa Farros

Link to IMDB

Ethel is getting released from a mental asylum today, after being hospitalized for depression and violent outbursts, but the shock therapy should have cured her of any emotional problems. Ethel settles in to recuperate at her grandmother's house, finding comfort in eating all the food that she can get her hands on, but granny decides that Ethel needs to lose weight and she imposes a strict diet in the house. Wrong move, granny! Mad about the lack of food, Ethel stabs her grandmother to death and stuffs her body in the bedroom upstairs! Now it's time for some serious eating, so Ethel orders a ton of food to be delivered to the house. When the delivery guy arrives and Ethel can't pay the bill, she kills him too!
This is pretty much the sloppiest movie ever made about a hungry fat lady killing people, and the madness has only just begun.

Rosalie makes a friend

Ethel's sister, Rosalie, comes to visit for awhile and she's always bringing strange men home for some late night bedroom action. Ethel doesn't mind though, because there's plenty of snacks that need eating and a few bothersome people ringing the doorbell that need killing.
Rosalie begins to notice terrible smells coming from the locked bedroom, as the ever-growing pile of dead bodies are beginning to rot. Adding to Ethel's woes is a detective that's investigating the recent missing people in the neighbourhood.
Ethel just wants to be left alone, so that she can eat her meals and watch Gunsmoke in peace, but with everyone hassling her she has no choice except to whip out the cleaver and go criminally insane on everyone's ass.



This is one unique piece of cinema trash, and Ethel is one of the craziest characters I have ever seen in action! That's quite a statement, but it's true. Ethel's weird behaviour is delivered very nonchalant, almost in a pre-exploitation candid style, but it's these peculiar displays of bad taste that makes it so oddly captivating and funny. The violence is poorly done and the ketchup blood looks awful, but low budget murders like these always have a certain brutality to them when there's no attempt to make it glamorous.

The movie doesn't create any sympathy for Ethel, but it does do a good job portraying reality through her eyes. Since she is insane and has had lots of shock therapy, everything in the movie is as incoherent and perturbing as the inner turmoil of her sick mind. I have no idea how, but this movie works way better than it has any right to. Every aspect is horrible and poorly delivered, yet there's no denying that it's also very entertaining and memorable, and it left my brain bleeding with vulgar glee.

Be sure not to miss:
- The least believable slap in the history of cinema.
- And the sloppiest doorbell sound effects.
- The music is mostly improvised flute solos, and I'd like to take a moment to appreciate the fact that the person who performed them is very likely dead by now.

Internet review:
"It's a must-see for anyone who has lost all faith in humanity." - Klaatubaradaniktu

Should I watch it?
Recommended to fans of weirdness.

Where can I find it?
Here on YouTube.

Criminally Insane gets...