Customer Reviews

Albert Fish

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I first saw this at a website and thought id give it a try. I wasnt sure if it was a 'horror' film and had an actor and showed what he did, or if it was a documentary. The best way to describe this is that it would be an uncut documentary from TLC or court tv, maybe even from Unsolved Mysteries Its a bunch of photos of him and his victims, along with some footage from that time period, along with a guy that runs a museum of weird collectable(fishs confession) and a psychologist. Obviously a lot of this stuff is disturbing, but its not really a gory movie. The bloodiest is when he whips a boy and himself. Theres even scenes of meat in an oven and being cut, but its no different then normal things.
I would definetely recommend this if your interested in him

Back in 2004 while doing a radio interview with director John Borowski, I first heard of his desire to make an Albert Fish movie. Now, 3 years later, I get to see it. Finally. I've been waiting for a while to see this flick. Was it worth the wait? Read on...

For starters, this movie has the same narrator as John's HH Holmes film, Tony Jay. He's got a really good deep creepy voice (sadly, he passed away shortly after narrating this film). The sound is great, the camera work is great, and all in all, it's a really good documentary.

So..on to the movie.

The flick starts out with the Grace Budd kidnapping and murder. I don't know where the movie was shot, but it looks like it was filmed in the 30's. The show goes pretty in depth about the Budd murder, even as far as showing the actual letter that Fish sent to the Budd family, that is considered to be the sickest letter ever written. The letter itself is now in artist Joe Coleman's "Odditorium" collection. The story of how he came to get it is pretty cool. I wish I could have the same luck as he did.

After the Budd murders and Fish's arrest the show goes on to tell about Fish's childhood & life up until the murders. It also goes pretty in depth on the letters he would send to random women from the want ad's, giving a good insight into the sick mind that he had.

The one thing that I really didn't like about the movie was the voice used for Fish. The actor that plays him does a fine job, but the voice over actor for his voice just didn't seem to fit. The voice used seems like a younger guy. I always pictured fish to have a creepy Vincent Price-ish voice. But all in all, it doesn't distract from the quality of the film.

The DVD also has some great bonus features. Including interviews with the band Macabre's lead singer, French cannibal and grave robber Nicolas Claux, and a behind the scenes interview with the film-maker John Borowski. Also included are trailers for the film, a breakdown of Joe Coleman's Albert Fish painting, a complete reading of the Budd & Gaffney letters, a still gallery, outtakes and cut scenes, and a live performance of Albert Was Worse Than Any Fish In The Sea by Macabre. The first 1000 DVD's sold include a signed (by the filmmaker) and numbered X-Ray of Albert Fish showing all the needles he inserted into his groin.

This is the first time I've seen a documentary on Albert Fish anywhere, and it does him justice. As innocent and frail as Fish looked in many of the photos you see of him, John's film shows him to be an extremely creepy man. Kinda like that weird guy you see walking through town, the guy that makes you want to walk on the other side of the street...

On a scale of one to ten, I'd give this show a 9. Had the voice-over been different, it would very well be a 10.

For the bonus features, they get a 9 as well. I was kinda let down during the interview with Nico. I've heard other interviews with him and he speaks English very well, but in the interview he talks in French and it's subtitled in English. Either way, the bonus features are just as good as the movie.

We got this from Netflix not really sure what to expect. Not a bad documentary. The narration was great and the imagery and acting were amazing. It would have flowed a little better if the timeline had gone in chronological order; none-the-less, one could easily follow what was going on. Some of the really graphic scenes were also a little drawn out. The gentleman interviewed that owns the 'Odditorium' needs his own show. Once you watch, you'll know what I mean. He's crazy and eccentric and almost seems to worship Fish for the religious murders that took place. Overall, I would recommend this to anyone who is into True Crime or murder cases. I wouldn't, however, let my kid watch it. Many scenes and descriptions are extremely graphic and were a little difficult for an adult to get through.

Albert Fish, like H.H. Holmes before him, was a serial killer before serial killers were commonplace names like Ted Bundy and the Son of Sam. Even as one of the first known serial killers in America, Fish was one of the most disgusting, perverted, and vicious murderers in history. He was a vile, sadistic, and despicable child murderer & cannibal and I would be hard pressed to find many more humans to be more disgusting in this world's history.

However, this review is not for the horrible man that was Albert Fish, but for the documentary, 'Albert Fish: In Sin He Found Salvation.' Before viewing, one should realize what this documentary is about. I do not believe this film's main goal was to be informative. Much of the film was about the 'shock' of the events of Albert Fish's life and crimes. Information was regularly repeated, but in just more dramatic ways. The film itself was compiled well, however. The dramatizations are well done, the structure of the film flows well, and the narration is fantastic.

If you're unfamiliar with the life of Albert Fish and looking for basic information with flair, this documentary is for you. However, if you already have done your research on the monster that is Albert Fish, watch this film for nothing more than seeing what you already know exhibited in new ways.

Final Verdict: 7/10.

-AP3-

A mild mannered, exuding the aura of innocence and sweetness, was merely a pretense hiding a blood thirsty maniac who took delight in torture, murder and cannibalism. Goes to show you you can never trust a book by its cover!

My only gripe against this movie was the appearance of Joe Coleman, artist, in the middle of the movie, and he takes entirely TOO MUCH of the movie. He was given the ORIGINAL letter of this maniac, and the secretary kept the photocopy (hopefully that secrtary was fired--what an airhead!) that confessed the killing and eating of a little girl. I didn't feel he added much insight and was entirely his own opinion. More should have been given to facts about Fish's life.

I thought, too, there were too many artistic renditions of Fish seeing Christ. More attention toward what happened during Fish's life and the courtroom.

Despite the shortcomings of the movie, it held my attention and was very informative. ALthough John Coleman did make me yawn a few times and was totally annoying. (I can see maybe a few minutes just because he owned that original letter); it would have been better to edit him out.
So I'm giving it 4 stars.

Without relying on sensationalism or voyeuristic gore, John Borowski's film ALBERT FISH delves into the confronting nightmarish life of Albert Fish and provides an incredibly accurate and compelling account of the serial killer's life.

While serial killer films may have become the norm of late, one film-maker continues to stand out from the crowd. With a perfectionist eye for detail, Borowski proves once again that he is second to none when researching and producing films about real-life serial killers. With a carefully selected cast to bring the horrific case to life, ALBERT FISH leaves the viewer reeling at the possibility of such a monster residing in such an innocuous facade.

Amanda Howard
Author
Criminal Consultant
River of Blood: Serial Killers and Their Victims
[...]

I found the free information about this child-killer over the internet as informative as this incredibly boring, sprawling, repetitive, unprofessionally produced, shoe-string budgeted video. The only two people interviewed in this taped attempt at documentary are a woman who drones on in psycho-bable that carries nothing but the obvious observations we can make ourselves, and the carnival ramblings of a freak show/oddities collector. This guy is about as scary as the subject matter. Viewing this video left me with a bad taste in my mouth, and I'm no cannibal. Save your money.

VERY INSITEFUL, I RECOMEND THIS DOCO TO ANYONE WITH AN INTEREST IN SERIAL KILLERS 5 STARS.

I'd rather meet Al in a dark basement than have to sit through this turkey again. Low budge doesn't have to mean low quality but sadly in this case....

This video was just plain weird. I love learning about the annals of crime but this was just
weird and creepy. The Museum curator in the story is one odd person. He is a little disturbed.
I found this video a little boring and it tended to ramble on and on about how it was connected to
the bible. I am very tough skinned but this movie is probably not for about 99% of the public.