Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

This is it! The true essence of bad-taste 70's trash cinema lies here, within the plot and production values of this marvelously grotesque "Criminally Insane". I double-dare you to think of another film that is as crude, provocative, rancid, exploitative and repulsive as this one! Bachelors and other virile young men, meet Ethel Janowski. Ethel is a whole lot of woman – much more than any man could ever handle – with an insatiable murderous appetite. The film starts with images of Ethel in a specialized clinic, where she's being treated for her incontrollable violent outbursts, bad case of schizophrenia and gigantic weight problem. Her caring grandmother brings Ethel back home, but that turns out to be a very bad decision during the first night already. Ethel would do everything for food, even hacking up her one remaining family member that cares with a kitchen knife. The rotting bodies in granny's room start piling up (also delivery boys and obtrusive doctors) when Ethel suddenly receives a visit from her sister and her pimp-boyfriend… "Criminally insane" delivers an immeasurable amount of fun and laughs to horror fanatics with absolutely no moral values or half-decent taste. Everything about this movie is messed up beyond repair, from the offensive dialogs ("all women need a good beating once and a while") over Ethel's nauseating munching habits to the bizarrely pseudo-artistic finale that has our heroine totally going due to the lack of medical attention. The gory murders are outrageous (knives, chandeliers, meat cleavers…) but the special effects are laughably poor and thus never shocking or unsettling. Priscilla Alden's performance as Ethel is pretty brilliant – in a way – but for once in my life I was grateful that the movie didn't contain any nudity. For all you sick puppies out there, "Criminally Insane" is a must-see masterpiece!

Oh my God!! That was awesome!! I thought I had seen all the great ones. I'm not sure if I've ever seen a mess this bad, except maybe in Ray Steckler's Chooper, but wow, I mean wow!! Where have you been all my life? Criminally insane is about an enormous ogre named Ethel, Ethel has just been released from an asylum. Ethel is criminally insane, her grandma takes her in, only for Ethel to eat all her bacon, eggs & nilla wafers. If that wasn't enough, then the ungrateful Ethel kills poor grandma for attempting to set some eating restrictions for financial reasons. Ogres really do make crummy granddaughters. Now, this is Crazy fat Ethels house, one problem, no more food, so now Ethel orders some groceries, problem solved, I'm afraid not, bad movie fans, she's $75.50 short. Solution? Order the food anyway, kill the delivery boy, then inhale groceries as quick as ogrely possible. Now, problem solved :) Money for food will no longer be an issue, since Rosalie, Ethel's sister has offered to pay some rent after inviting herself to stay. In a shocking turn of events, as it would turn out, Rosalie is not an ogre, she is only a hooker, nonetheless, her face still makes me uncomfortable. Problem!! Ethel stuck grandma and delivery boy in grandma's room & their corpses are starting to stink up the whole house, Rosalie & her beau/pimp who also recently moved in are starting to notice. Solution? Kill them both, All they did was snort coke & make out anyway, not a very appealing thing to watch while inhaling yum yums. Now, problem solved :) Ethel has now, really gone off the deep end, the weird mini montage that includes Ethel chopping up a doll, makes that quite obvious. Unfortunately Ethel's problems are still piling up, not only is there some cop breathing down Ethel's neck about a missing delivery boy, but the stink from all the corpses are even getting to her now. Solution? Chop up the corpses, and throw them off a cliff--no, wait!! That's stupid. Why not just eat them? Genius!! Ethel now kills 2 birds with one stone by dining on her victims. Now, problem sol--oh, I forgot the cop :( I have read everyones reviews for part 2 and have a pretty good idea of what I'm in for, oh yeah, I still have every intention of buying it (soon), I mean how bad could it be, right?. I give Criminally insane zero stars, because you don't give movies like this stars, Criminally Insane is beyond the stars. Would you give stars to a horrible train wreck? No, you just stare, and be grateful it's only 61 minutes long.

I'll be the first to admit that CRIMINALLY INSANE (aka CRAZY FAT ETHEL) is not a great film by any stretch. I also have the feeling that this film will be a like-it-or-hate-it experience for most viewers. If you dig super-cheap zero budget H.G. Lewis-type films, then this one will probably amuse you. If not, then steer clear.Ethel is an ex-psychiatric patient who is released from the mental hospital and returns to the care of her grandmother. Ethel is also a big fat pig who eats everything in sight. When gradma locks up the cupboard, fattie freaks and stabs her up. She "hides" the body by locking it in grandma's bedroom. In her quest for nutritional satisfaction, Ethel also murders the local grocery delivery boy when he demands $80 for past grocery bills and Ethel can only find $4.50. Next we're introduced to Ethel's whore sister, Rosalie, who brings tricks to the house to earn some bread. Eventually both Rosalie and her boyfriend are dispatched when they begin to notice the strange smell emanating from grandma's room. As the bodies stack up, and Ethel's means of obtaining nourishment dwindle, a cop enters the picture when the disappearances cause suspicion - and we're treated to the inevitable cannibalistic conclusion...CRIMINALLY INSANE is not high art. It's barely even a coherent film. But honestly, there are so many (unintentional?) laugh-out-loud moments that I gotta say I really enjoyed it. The short, one-hour run-time didn't hurt things either. Some of the dialog is so ridiculous that you can't help but laugh - especially as Rosalie's boyfriend's excuse for beating her is because "you need a good beating every now and then - all women do, especially you", at which point they jump into a vigorous sex-session. Scenes like that just can't be denied. There's a pretty good outlay of the red-stuff, unfortunately it looks like melted red crayons and the kill-scenes are edited ridiculously. Again, if you dig super cheezy, super cheap camp/cult films, then you'll probably get a kick out of this one...8/10 (for the "fun" factor alone...)

The only thing thats INSANE is how much I love this movie. There's something about boring low-budget horror that makes me feel peaceful and "at home". Its the way I feel about Friedel's "California Axe Massacre". I get a similar vibe from this movie. Ethel (Priscilla Alden) character is so stagnant and unfeeling (no over-acting here). I find it so entertaining to watch wig out within the first 10 minutes, slaughtering family members just because she's got a craving for Nilla Wafers. I can totally see why tons of people would hate this movie. Even though its only an hour long, I could see someone with a short attention span having a particularly big problem with this. But anyone who's awesome will dig it whole-heartedly. (Especially when the detective says "Oh My God" at the end) I do believe thats my favorite part.