Best movie of this year hands down!

What a waste of my time!!!

The greatest movie ever made..!

A Masterpiece!

Okay, this is not the 'documentary' I had expected, but the tagline 'In sin he found salvation' could have been an indication. This is not so much a professional documentary as it as an amateur project that throws several overly exaggerated ingredients (such as re-enactments, bombastic music, religious scenes and voice-overs) into the mix with the serious subject matter of an American serial killer (among other horrific things) called Albert Fish who lived in the 19th and 20th century.It would be easy to disqualify this (and it should be, for the greater part) as an over the top piece of amateur art that does not distantiate itself enough from the dark matter it claims to shed light on. Don't get me wrong, I can appreciate a good hobby project that is labored with love^ - and this seems to be just that - but the fiction and non-fiction are just not in sync here. The re-enactments are mostly of poor imagination, a lot of it is repetitive, the voice-overs are stereotypical and the music is pompous and unimaginative. The only pluses that I can find are the use of clips from old New York, actual pictures of Fish and newspaper clippings and Fish' accounts of his life and that of several sources around him from that time. And a few re-enactments were actually okay.Beyond those ingredients, especially the presence of painter Joe Coleman jumps out; his adoration for Fish borderlines the unsound, even though he at times wants to emphasize otherwise. Or maybe he is better with paint than with words? In any case, I felt he had no place here, other than that he may have offered the original 'Albert Fish letter' for display. The only other interviewee, Katherine Ramsland, is an author and professor who is apparently most famous for her book 'The science of vampires'. I haven't read it, nor do I know anything about her other work, but why would someone of status would get involved in something like this? It makes me wonder.I agree that the story of Albert Fish and his victims is one that should be told, but this is not the way (let alone the fact that a few details about the Grace Budd killing were inaccurate). Or at the very least, not for me. Still 4 out of 10, because there was still plenty of info and footage to be appreciated.^ The call of Cthulhu (2005) or Wisconsin death trip (1999) for instance.

The story is so horrifying and gruesome, even by today's standards, that the director's attempts at dramatization add nothing and are more of a distraction. Multiple shots of roasting meat in the shape of ass? Really? And too much time is spent with two dubious "experts," one of whom proudly describes how he acquired Fish's confession letter in an act of larceny (anyone send a copy of this film to the cops in Westchester County?) and who creepily asserts that Fish MUST have loved Grace Buddd in order to do what he did to her. Huh? Anyone want to go dig around in THIS guy's backyard? And all of the religious motivation nonsense is completely at odds with what we know about sexual homicide. It's all about a toxic mix of extreme self absorption and the desire to control others with a nice positive feedback of orgasm. That's it folks. No religious motive here. The religious stuff may have helped him rationalize what he did and certainly sweetened the filth aspect for this guy, but that's probably it. Read Schecter's Deranged instead for a good Fish account.

Strong stomachs and nerves of steel are required in order to sit through this "shockomentary" revolving on the crimes and confessions of Albert Fish; sadomasochist, cannibal and undoubtedly the most perverted serial child-killer in the history of the United States. The documentary opens with the extended analysis of the murder of young Grace Budd; the crime that eventually – six years after it was committed – resulted in his arrest. The notorious letter Fish sent to the girl's mother alone, explaining in great detail what he had done to her, makes you sick with disgust and automatically causes you to contemplate how a human being can possibly act like such a cruel and relentless beast. Subsequently, Fish's childhood and the development of his bizarrely perverted sexual tendencies (physical suffering, morbid religious aspects and the interest in young boys) get further explored and the life-story of the monster personified becomes more incredible and astounding with each minute. Quotes like "I always had the desire to inflict pain on others … and I always desired others to inflict pain on me" suitably draw an image of this deranged monster. If this were a fictional horror movie character nobody would ever take it seriously, that's for sure. The documentary is professionally made, with authentic images of New York during the depression era of the 1930's being altered with scenes with actors, atmospheric music and sinister voiceovers and nightmarish collages of morbid religious tableaux. The subject matter is truly engrossing and repugnant, yet fascinating to behold if you are interested in the darkest sides of the human mind. My sole complaint is one that I read in some of the other reviews already. I was hoping to get to known some new and still unknown little facts about the life and crimes of Albert Fish, but the documentary features absolutely no "scoops" or additional background.

This is a brilliantly filmed documentary on one of America's most notorious serial killers, Albert Fish. The film contains intricately detailed and accurate accounts of the crimes and does not shy away from the sheer brutality of it's subject matter during the re-enactment segments either. The musical score adds to the creepiness of this bone chilling account of a man who is undoubtedly the worst criminal of the twentieth century! As the film reveals, there is no known perversion that this creepy old man did not practice and practice frequently on both himself and others. He was a cannibal, a pedophile, a necrophile, a masochist and a sadist and he also practiced numerous other unspeakable perversions! Known to have murdered several children (the actual count of which were lost in his foggy memory) and most noted for having inserted dozens of needles into his own body, many of which were discovered after his death rusted and corroded (an indication that they had been there for YEARS) and dangerously close to vital organs. The actor who portrays the "Moon Maniac" in this film bears an utterly chilling resemblance to the actual perpetrator and this aspect only adds to the value of this film. The DVD release boasts of additional footage and documentaries on the case and the film itself. True crime buffs and horror movie fans alike will thrill to the delight of this devilishly gruesome little documentary!